How to Meet and Talk to Others
- 1). Spend time in social settings. Join a running club to train for a marathon, take cooking classes at a local culinary school or go to a winery for a tasting on the weekend. By surrounding yourself with others, particularly in settings that you enjoy, you'll meet people with similar interests, some of whom may be looking to make new friends as well. Remember, you won't meet friends by spending time alone; they don't come to you. Instead, you need to put yourself in a setting where there are plenty of other people.
- 2). Make eye contact. You don't want to stare, but looking people directly in the eyes when speaking with them will show that you're confident and interested in talking with that particular person. A person who looks around the room and has shifty eyes comes off as disinterested, guilty or self-conscious, which aren't qualities people look for in friends.
- 3). Introduce yourself, either at the beginning of a conversation or at the end. Say your name and, if appropriate, what you do for a living or the company you work for. This is best in a work setting or when you're trying to make business contacts. Also, ask what the other person's name is, shake hands and try to remember his name -- you may even want to jot it down if you plan on keeping him as a contact.
- 4). Start a conversation with the people you meet. You can use a few go-to topics when speaking with someone for the first time: where they were born, their children, their last vacation and their career. A great way to get used to striking up a conversation is to talk to the people you meet anywhere, if only for a few seconds. It can be as easy as asking a store clerk how she's doing or if she's enjoying her summer. Making small talk often leads to longer conversations and also will get you used to chatting with many different people.
- 5). Plan to get together if you feel that you're connecting and would like to turn a conversation into the start of a friendship. Suggest doing something that you both enjoy. You may want to get together for a beer and to watch a football game, to go shoe shopping or to chat about your similar careers.
