I borrowed a book from the library to called "Do talk to strangers" and after reading the first few chapters in the library, I decided to put the advice into practice straight away.

First up was an african looking guy outside the library on a seat. I made eye contact with him and smiled and asked him what he was doing. He said he was selling magazines and wanted to know why I spoke to him. I showed him the book in my hands and he tapped his nose and said I was a clever man. All up that conversation lasted 15 minutes. Next up was a policeman who was standing beside someone's car writing something down. I asked him what he was doing and he said it was none of my business. Then he told me to move along. I wished him a nice day and he frowned at me. - 1 minute. Next was a woman at the bus stop around my age. She initiated the convo this time complaining about the bus being late and how hot and sticky it was. I asked her if she caught the buses a lot and she told me how she lost her license and had no choice. - 5 minutes and her bus came. Same bus stop and an older lady this time who warned me about "young girls" at the bus stop. She had been listening in and told me that the young girl sounded like trouble. I agreed that she probably had a lot on her plate and seemed a bit high maintenance. - 5-10 minutes and my bus came. All in all it was a pretty good experience. The first few chapters of the book talked about making eye contact, smiling and being focused on what the person was saying. Also it stressed to always be honest and don't just agree for the sake of it.