I'm trying to formulate the shortest, most efficient opener that can be used on anyone, in any situation, and is as comfortable to both you and the girl as someone asking her the time. It is not to replace all the talking openers and gambits, just something quick to use when you don't have much time.

So far I have:

Hi, I wanted to ask you something....Are you interested in meeting someone?

So far, I've gotten the following results:

80% No, thank you

10% What? (repeat question) No, thank you.

10% What? (repeat question) Yes

The beauty of it is it is quick, and the girls are never even the slightest bit annoyed- It's like asking if they want something to drink. It's basically like turning over shells to find a shiny one.

The only snag is it sometimes scares them because it might be too much of a commitment: if she says yes, she's sort of agreeing to be pinned down for a half-hour conversation. So there is plently of room for improvement- any ideas? Softening it down to "Are you interested in meeting people?" would just seem to make it more confusing (what people?), so we still need to preserve the original meaning.