Decades ago in an early edition of her book Etiquette, manners guru Emily Post suggested that the ice of an awkward pause easily could be broken by saying, “I am thinking of buying a new radio. Do you know any good brands?” That’s still good advice if you replace radio with cell phone. Everybody has an opinion they are more than happy to share.

If you are having dinner with a client who you don’t know well enough to fall easily into casual conversation, it pays to have a few such strategies up your sleeve. Your goal may be to talk business and seal a deal, but it is gauche (and usually counter-productive) to dive right into talk of P&Ls and bottom lines before the bread basket even arrives. If you want to make the client comfortable, and to be comfortable yourself, a little homework is in order. If possible, bone up in advance on the client’s hobbies and extracurricular interests. What school did she attend? Where did she grow up? How’s that kid of hers doing on the hockey team? Most people love to talk about such things, so all it takes is a seemingly off-the-cuff question to get the conversation flowing.

The cardinal rule at a client dinner - or, for that matter, any social situation - is to listen more than talk. Nobody likes being lectured; everybody enjoys telling you about their hometown, their family, their dog, their favorite steak house or vacation destination.

On the other hand, there are a handful of subjects that you don’t want to talk about. Gossip is not only rude; it is a minefield in which something you say - or your client says - about a mutual acquaintance might suddenly throw a pall over everything.  Except in the rare situation when you are certain that you and the client share similar opinions, it is wise to avoid such hot-button issues as politics, religion, gun control, and even favorite sports teams. A multimillion-dollar megamerger could collapse if you happen to tell a client you love the Yankees, and that client turns out to be a fervent Red Sox fan!

A huge and valuable subcategory of getting a client talking about favorite things is to ask advice. If you are a stranger in the client’s town, the possibilities are endless, ranging from “Where would you suggest I do my morning 5-mile run?” to “Is there a store nearby that sells really good chocolates?” Soliciting suggestions for where to eat is a surefire way to get a conversation going. Again, it pays to do a little homework. Is your client the sort of person who would be more comfortable, telling you about the city’s best hot dog cart or the finest four-star restaurant? If you can spark this discussion, you not only will make the client comfortable, you likely will get some really valuable advice.

It is natural and easy to open a conversation about the restaurant where you are having dinner. Does it have any historical, architectural or culinary claims to fame worth discussing? As you peruse the menu, ask the client what she would advise you eat. Has she been here before? Is there a particular dish for which the restaurant is famous? And finally, when the food arrives, don’t forget the obvious. Ask how it tastes. From that point on, a transition into talking business should be easy.