14 ways to skip shallow small talk and have deep conversations

• Small talk can be awkward and excruciating if it goes on too long.
• We listed the best strategies to take your conversations to the next level.
• Those strategies include revealing something slightly personal and asking for stories, not answers.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Heading to a networking event or a happy hour with colleagues? It helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve to use as soon as — or even before — a conversation hits a wall.

We checked out some relevant Quorathreads as well as other resources to find strategies for having meaningful conversations with anyone you meet. Read on to see the best of what we uncovered.

SEE ALSO: 15 ways to get better at small talk

Have some 'deep' conversation starters on hand

Don't expect substantive topics to instantly spring to mind. Instead, says Tracy Chou, a former software engineer at Pinterest, you should approach any interaction with a few deep conversation starters ready to go.

Chou suggests reading books on behavioral economics or pop psychology and talking about them, "since those subjects are fundamentally about people — and everyone is a person, has to interact with other people, and has opinions about their own behavior and other people's behavior."

She also recommends watching a few TED Talks — "another great source of cool ideas about the world." We suggest starting with some TED Talks that will make you smarter about business.

Ask questions about topics the other person is interested in

Multiple Quora users indicated that one of the best ways to start an interesting conversation is to find something the other person is excited about. Show that you want to learn more about the topic by asking a series of questions related to it.

Says Tatiana Esteves: "Try picking a topic that they are really interested in and start with a normal 'shallow conversation.' Then ask quite probing question[s] even if the subject isn't that serious."

For example, Esteves says, "if they like celebrity news, ask them if they think that the 'celebrity culture' is making people less happy with their lives."

Find out what makes the other person special

Whatever you say, writes Joshua Evans, "avoid the awful opening phrase, 'What do you do?'" You'll put your conversation partner in a box where all he can talk about is his job.

Instead, Evans says you should ask, "What makes you a badass? That will induce a chuckle over drinks." You might even find out something crazy; perhaps they're a lawyer by day and a rock musician by night.

In fact, in France, asking someone what they do for a living is considered a faux pas. The French often ask each other about where they like to vacation.