FaceTime is a great way to keep up with friends and family, but sometimes, it can be difficult to know what to talk about. If you’re struggling to start a conversation or keep it going, keep reading to discover what to talk about on FaceTime.
From making plans to discussing how things are going in your life, I’ll cover several scenarios. Let’s get started.
1. Talk About the Most Recent Time You Met
In the country I live in, we have a saying in the local language that pretty much translates to “Thanks for last time.” You can say it whether you met that person last week or years ago, and it’s often a great conversation starter. If you’re struggling with FaceTime topics, discussing your last meet-up is also a safe bet.
You can recall the memory with the person you’re talking to and ask them about their favorite moments. If you needed to say anything or had to follow up on a question, use the call as an opportunity to elaborate further on those.
If you want to recall recent memories with all of your friends, you can even FaceTime more than one person at a time.
2. Ask How a Job Interview Went
Taking an active interest in other people’s lives is the best way to strengthen your bond with them. We sometimes experience big changes, such as an interview for our dream job. Once the experience has passed, simply asking how the interview went will go a long way.
If the interview went well, congratulate the other person. And if it didn’t, offer reassurance and support. You can also ask them what they thought went well, and if things didn’t go to plan, think about whether you can introduce them to other people who can help.
3. Share Your Most Recent Holiday Experiences
I’ve deepened almost all of my friendships, as well as my romantic relationship, through traveling. It’s something I’m passionate about, and I think exploring new places is one of the best ways to learn more about the other person. You also sometimes get thrown into situations that test your resolve. All of this is worth recollecting on FaceTime later, especially if you haven’t seen them since the adventure.
Talk about your favorite memories from the trip and show your appreciation for the other person. If you’re a creative person, you can also mention that you’ve edited the photos of them from that adventure and are ready to send them over.
You can use your holiday experiences as a lead-in to meet up again soon and make more memories.
4. Make Plans for an Upcoming Trip
I’ve used FaceTime in the past to prepare for an upcoming trip with friends and family. For example, I live in a different country from my parents – and FaceTime is a great way to plan what we’re going to do next time I’m in town.
I also use FaceTime to plan more in-depth adventures that require booking excursions and hotels. For example, I outlined what a friend of mine and I needed to do before a big week-long trip in 2023. After doing that, creating a Google Doc and outlining dates – plus who would book what – became much easier.
If you need more help planning your trip, consider checking out these apps for summer travel.
5. Make Plans for the Weekend
Planning big adventures is fun, but doing things with loved ones on the weekend is just as good for deepening your bond. If you haven’t met up for a while, or you already had plans to meet that person, use FaceTime to make plans for the weekend.
You can talk about where you want to go, what you want to eat, and whether you need to book tables or tickets. If you make a group chat, you can also discuss meeting times and ensure that everyone knows what they need to do.
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6. Talk About Recent Changes in Your Life
Since I live abroad, I mainly use FaceTime to catch up with family and friends from the country I grew up in. For example, I usually call my mother every 2-4 weeks to catch up with what’s happening in both of our lives. These calls often last for 3+ hours and are a big highlight of my month.
If you haven’t spoken to someone for a long time, ring them and discuss any recent changes that have happened in your life. You may have landed a new job or started a new fitness routine. Ask them to share what’s been going on in their lives, too.
7. Have a Mock Job Interview
I mentioned earlier that you can use FaceTime to ask someone about a recent job interview. But if you know that they have one coming up, why not use the app to help them prepare?
Use your own personal experience to ask them challenging questions, and ask them in advance about the types of questions they expect to hear. You can also do research on Google and with AI tools like ChatGPT.
Schedule some time for your interview and give the other person feedback.
8. Speak About a Big Sports Game With a Friend
Whether you’re a big soccer fan like me (though I’m from the UK, so I still call it football), or you’re into something else, talking about the most recent set of games is lots of fun. For example, I enjoy dissecting what happened in the Champions League Final and weekly Premier League matches.
If you’ve got a friend who’s just as sports-crazy as you, ring them and talk about the weekend game. You can even watch matches with them if you’re unable to meet up in person. If you want an ever better call, use these tips to maximize your FaceTime call.
9. Talk About Your Experiences of Moving House
A few months before writing this article, I moved in with my girlfriend for the first time. It’s the first time that I’ve lived with a partner, so it was a big change in my life. Naturally, I had lots to talk about with my friends and family.
After some time had passed, I spoke to my mom about how the move had gone. I also gave her a house tour; even if you aren’t moving in with a partner, you can do both of these. You may even want to FaceTime someone you trust when looking at a place to rent or buy to get their opinion.
10. Plan a Surprise Birthday for Someone
Doing things for others will always make you feel better, and planning a surprise party is one of the nicest things you can do for someone you care about. If you’ve got mutual friends or you’re part of the same family, consider using FaceTime to plan the party’s logistics.
You can talk about what you’re going to do, who’s going to buy what, and whether you want there to be a fun theme. You can also speak about how you’ll keep these plans secret from the special person.
11. Talk About a Common Hobby
FaceTime is a great way to catch up with others who enjoy doing similar things to you. For example, I love doing photography and playing sports. Sometimes, it’s nice to talk about these hobbies with people who have similar interests.
Regardless of your hobby, use FaceTime to talk about it with like-minded people. You might know someone who likes the same things as you, but you might also be able to meet people online and speak about your common interests. The latter may even lead to a new lifelong friend.
12. Ask Deep Questions
I’ve made a conscious effort to learn more about the people I care about, but admittedly, I sometimes slack. If you’re bored of the standard “how are you?”-style conversations, consider going deeper. Questions you can ask include:
- What do you feel like your purpose is?
- What are your favorite and least favorite things about our friendship/relationship?
- What is one thing that you’d regret never doing during your lifetime?
You’ll have had to build up a good level of trust beforehand, but these kinds of questions can really strengthen your ties with someone.
13. Study Together
I can say with the utmost confidence that I do not miss the stresses of exam season. One of the best ways to get through these periods is by sharing the experience with others, and FaceTime is great for keeping in touch with your study partner. If you have group projects, you can also work on these.
Even if you don’t study together, talking about how your studies are going can help you get some things off your chest. You might also get some tips on how to manage your stress better, plus useful bits of information that may come up in your exam.
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14. Talk About How Your Day Is Going
Talking about how your day is going is another easy way to start a FaceTime conversation. Even if you’re having a mundane day, you can still try and find pockets of interesting things you’ve done. For example, you might have gone to the grocery store and had a nice conversation with the checkout assistant.
If you need to go deeper, you can also think about what’s happened to you today that you’re grateful for. Ask the same kinds of questions to the other person, and you’ll undoubtedly have an interesting conversation.
15. Talk About a New Relationship
Relationships are always big talking points among friends. If you recently started dating someone or made the relationship official, share the news with your loved ones when you’re ready.
You can use FaceTime to speak about the person, what you like about them, and your upcoming plans. You may even want to discuss when your friends and family can meet the special someone.
It’s easy to get into a rut when talking on FaceTime, but there are plenty of interesting things to discuss. Use the same rules that you would for your personal life, and don’t hesitate to get creative. These talking points should be a sturdy foundation, and you can refer to them whenever you need to.