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Conversation Starters – How Simple Conversations Can Create Great Interaction.

8/22/2015

3 Comments

 
In the blog post Twitch Engagement, I briefly talked about certain conversations that you can use to create interaction, as well as discussed conversations to avoid in a Twitch Chat. Today, I want to go a little deeper into that conversation and focus more on the finer points of what creates a good conversation and how it gets there; so let’s dig deeper.

A Web of Conversation

A simple question can turn into hours of interaction and conversation. It’s amazing how a question like “What should I get tonight for dinner from this Chinese restaurant?” can turn into a conversation about something that is completely unrelated. Twitch is a place full of interesting people from all around the world.  If you have a story to tell about that crazy night you just had at a Walgreens, there’s a decent chance someone in your chat can relate.

I think some of the best streamers on Twitch are those who can make you laugh about the silliest things in life. Storytellers on Twitch tend to be super successful. This doesn’t mean that you need to be a great storyteller if you want to grow your stream, but it will definitely not hurt trying to improve in that department. Storytellers are successful because they can make a mundane experience that a lot of us go through, and turn it into a something fun and hilarious. A chat can really open up with a streamer that is excellent at telling a story.

Do Your Research and Be Prepared

Believe it or not, doing preparation for your stream outside of the stream itself is very important when it comes to interaction. I think having a list of topics to talk about before the stream is a really great option for streamers who are struggling to find things to talk about. Going on gaming sites to find out the latest news and trends in gaming, or talking about any type of technology are great ways of getting a conversation going in your chat. Even talking about news in Sports or Twitch announcements will help you get the ball rolling.

 I always find that there tends to be down time during certain portions of my stream where there really isn’t much to say about the game I’m playing. These situations are the perfect time to bring up a topic like this that gets the chat involved. Just be careful to not force these conversations awkwardly.  Learning to flow as a streamer is an extremely important skill and it takes a lot of practice.

Creating Interaction with 0 viewers

I get a lot of questions from streamers who are just starting out on how they create an atmosphere where people want to interact if there is no one watching. This can be a tricky task, but there are a few suggestions that I would make.

A trick that I used when I was growing my stream in the early days was using my email and viewer list to find out when people came into the stream or followed me.   When either of these two things happened, I would look for a way to encourage them to jump into the conversation without calling them out or making them feel like I was targeting them for a response. Imagine If I was playing Final Fantasy 7 and someone came into my stream during a song I like, I could talk about  the reasons I like the song to start a conversation. This creates an opportunity for the viewer to jump in without feeling like they are being singled out.

I would also recommend just treating the stream as if there were a lot of people watching. Now is a great time to get better at commentary and creating opportunities for conversation. If you wait till the moment you get your first viewer, you might be unprepared and not polished. Get into the habit of creating good interaction habits now so as your stream grows, your ability to interact grows as well.

Conclusion

Always be looking to improve your communication as a streamer, and don’t be afraid to watch other streamers who do it better than you. Creating engaging conversations that bring out even the biggest lurker to chat will help grow your stream. I try challenge streamers to get out of their comfort zone on stream sometimes.  A lot of streamers who grew their streams were those who were willing to take some risks. Don’t be afraid to step out and start a conversation, because you’ll never know where it could go!

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3 Comments
Matzimazing link
8/21/2015 10:40:11 am

Basically you have to keep talking. Nobody wants to enter a channel with someone completely silent. Even if you're just saying what you are thinking like, "I wonder what is in this box." it's better than nothing.

I've taken an idea from Pie. He likes to turn parts of SMRPG in a mini-game. Take your bet! How many X will I get!

In Skyrim, I ask the chat, "How many lockpicks will this Expert lock take? 1, 2, 0?" "If you guessed right, you won a pat on the back, congrats!" Who knows, maybe someone will participate in these purely for fun mini-games.

Reply
BaronHaynes
8/21/2015 12:17:12 pm

I will say that it's awkward when a streamer has mic and facecam but you're the only viewer. I feel like if I say something I'm signing up for at the very least a 20-minute 1-on-1 conversation with someone I don't know. I suspect it's similar for others as well, going into a stream with 0-3 viewers and no active chatters is a little uncomfortable, especially if the streamer is going to call you out as soon as they see you show up.

I guess I would agree that it's better to talk as if there is a wider audience there, and emphasize not to single out the first person who shows up and start talking only to them. Like, respond to what they say in chat but stay open-ended in what you say after that so they don't feel obligated to keep talking if they just want to watch.

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Naoremonth
9/14/2015 07:55:45 pm

That's honestly what I do, as a speedrunner with very few viewers. I tend to just sort of go on about what I'm doing, make small comments somewhat constantly. I respond to anyone who talks in chat, and if they start talking and carring on a conversation, then I keep up the conversation. Otherwise, it can be super awkward. I've been in that position - went in to watch a stream with few viewers, and the streamer apparently looked in their viewer list and realized I was there. Was very awkward, because I felt pressured to talk to them in chat, and I ended up making an excuse and leaving the stream because of it.

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