New Conversation Day is annually celebrated on July 12 worldwide. This holiday is set aside to encourage people to talk to each other, communicate their needs and intentions, and make new friends. New Conversation Day also acknowledges that starting a conversation is hard. It can be awkward and uncomfortable to start a conversation with someone you’ve just met, but new conversations can lead to incredible rewards, like friendship and community. This special day is about the potential of new relationships, new bonds, and a greater understanding of each other.
History of New Conversations Day
New Conversation Day is a day observed all over the world to encourage people to talk to each other and make new friends. Conversations have been the basis of human communication for as long as people have existed. Being social animals, human beings have an instinctive need to socialize and communicate with each other, and conversation is the most direct way to do that.
Conversations have different purposes. They can be a bonding activity in which two people who already know each other catch up or discuss things that are important to them. It is an opportunity to vocalize thoughts, get input from trusted people, and refine their understanding of the world. Conversations may also be between groups of people who must live or work together but have different customs and lifestyles. In such a situation, structured conversations may be organized to ensure that both parties feel heard and a fair compromise is reached based on mutual understanding.
The intention of conversation is always to understand the other person a little bit more. This lets people not only tolerate but appreciate the difference in opinion around them. Conversations are important for ensuring that people can live in peace with each other, no matter how different they are or how much they disagree. New conversations are always difficult, with awkwardness and assumptions on both sides. People develop preconceived notions about each other based on appearance or hearsay, all of which need to be set aside for a new conversation to be productive.
New Conversation Day is an opportunity to participate in a mindful conversation, to make a real effort to welcome an outsider, or learn more about groups of people we disagree with.
New Conversations Day timeline
Milton Wright publishes his book “The Art of Conversation” about the different ways people can use and play with conversation and give life to it.
“Difficult Conversations: How To Discuss What Matters Most” by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen, comes out of the Harvard Negotiation Project and offers real solutions to conversation breakdowns.
While there is no real information about who started or instituted New Conversations Day, the consensus is that the day is established during this period.
Matthias Mehl, from the University of Arizona, conducts a study that concludes that most adults use about 16,000 words a day.
New Conversations Day FAQs
Do people have conversations with themselves?
Yes, talking to oneself is known as intrapersonal communication. It isn’t always a sign of madness.
What are the benefits of conversation?
A good conversation can make you happy, improve your self-confidence and make you feel more understood in your relationships. Many relationship problems can be solved with proper communication, sometimes through a conversation.
Is it easier to talk to strangers?
Studies show that people share more intimate parts of their lives with strangers than with people they’re close to. This may be because we inherently fear the judgment of those we know and care about.
New Conversations Day Activities
Talk to your new neighbor
Moving to a new place is difficult and can be quite scary. Make your new neighbor feel welcome and start a new conversation with them.
Volunteer at a hospital
Many hospital patients don’t get visitors, or their families don’t visit frequently, leaving them feeling lonely and neglected. Help out the sick children and the elderly by visiting them and sitting down for some conversation.
Organize a community conversation
Work with your community leaders to organize a conversation among all the different families in your community. This way, you can check in to make sure no one is struggling.
5 Facts About Conversations That You Probably Didn't Know
All conversations follow etiquette
The conventions of society mean that all conversations follow the basic etiquette set by that society.
Conversations involve more than words
Tone and body language play an important role in ensuring effective conversation between people.
Banter in films
A lot of films have used the verbal back and forth of witty conversation as the backbone of the entire film.
Four categories of conversation
Depending on the context, conversations may be about subjective ideas, objective facts, other people, or oneself.
Conversations have two classifications
Functional conversations and small talk are classified based on what they're used for.
Why We Love New Conversations Day
We love making friends
The best way to make new friends is to start a conversation. We want to take this opportunity to talk to someone new.
We want to understand people
It's hard to understand people by just reading about them or watching them. The best way to do this is by starting a conversation!
We love talking
We love an opportunity to talk to people. The best day to do this is on New Conversations Day.
New Conversations Day dates
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2025 | July 12 | Saturday |
2026 | July 12 | Sunday |
2027 | July 12 | Monday |
2028 | July 12 | Wednesday |
2029 | July 12 | Thursday |