![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
An example of how I applied this recently:
- Asked someone where they were from
- Did they move there, or were they born there
- Have they ever lived anywhere else
- Where do they like it better, their home country or the other place
- What kind of restaurants do they have in their city and which one is their favorite
- Where is their favorite place to go
- What are they interested in
- Why are they learning English
- Do they have interests in other languages
After they have answered each question, I might add onto what they said if I understood it well enough, otherwise I answer the question I just asked for myself and then move onto the next question. If they ask me a question, I answer it as best as I can but since I am "assaulting" them with questions, I generally have control of the conversation and am not generally put in a situation where I am like "I have no idea what's going on and have no idea how to proceed" because this formula usually ensures that I know where the conversation is and where it is going and I can kinda steer it back if it goes off course.