Communication Between Strangers

One of the scenarios regarding communication that has long fascinated me revolves around strangers, two people who do not know each other. How do they communicate? What drives whatever dialog they may have ? What signals do they give out that represent, in essence, a mutual agreement that neither one will speak to the other? But if talking does occur, then how do they know what to say? Who initiates a conversation? What makes one person make the first statement rather than the other?

I recognize that while what I call the "strangers in the night" dynamic may not necessarily top the list of research-worthy topics within the vast of field of communication, the fact is it is something that faces us all on nearly a daily basis. For myself, sometimes I will initiate or engage in conversations with strangers and sometimes not.  How come? Why not talk with everyone or, the flip side, no one at all? Sometimes it depends upon the other person. I may find them to be friendly-looking or just think of a particular comment to make that seems to fits that moment. In other words, it varies. I vary. I suspect the same is true for others. Internally, all of us are a constant source of motion. The presence of a stranger probably even adds to that.   

Then there is the matter of what to say. Generally, dialog revolves around what participants have in common. It could something simple like "the weather" or a topic more complex like a specific task at-hand. Either way, a commonality is nearly always the starting point when it comes to any level of interaction between individuals. What happens after that, of course, varies for a multitude of reasons. Participants may find what the other says to be of interest or they may simply find that other to be engaging. The result, as I am sure all of have experienced, is a dialog that goes from brief to extended.