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Jul 29, 2022 · Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring this video. Go to our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/jenn for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and ...
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- Jenn Im
Apr 8, 2024 · Ever feel awkward or anxious meeting new people? These simple strategies will help you feel confident when making conversation, whether you’re at a work even...
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- Expressable Speech Therapy
Jun 27, 2016 · Learning how to approach someone you don’t know takes a certain kind of person to do it. Don't be scared that you may mess something up and embarrass yoursel...
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- Science of People
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- Overview
- Having a Conversation
- Wrapping Up the Conversation
- Strengthening Your Conversation Skills
Whether you're going to a party, starting at a new job or school, or attending a networking event, at some point you will have to interact with people you don't know or barely know. It can be intimidating to enter a room and not have anyone you really know there, but that shouldn't stop you from getting to know people. Learning how to strengthen your conversational skills will help you approach and get to know strangers or people you hardly know.
Introduce yourself and give the other person a genuine compliment to break the ice. Then, ask them open-ended questions to keep the conversation going. Social events specialist Kevin Wang says to “find common ground” and talk about your “passions and hobbies.”
If someone wants to talk and is open to a conversation, that person's body language will probably give you a clue. Though some people may think of body language as more of a dating/flirting ritual, we all send subconscious and conscious clues about how we feel towards someone with our body's movements, positions, and mannerisms.
Being aware of your own body language, as well as the body language of someone you're trying to start a conversation with, will send mutual signals to indicate an interest in talking or a desire to be left alone.
If someone faces you, leans in to talk, or keeps her arms open instead of crossed, that person is probably eager to talk.
Smiling, especially a Duchenne smile, is a sign of welcome and positive engagement. To decipher a Duchenne smile (often called a genuine smile), look for narrowed eyes that form wrinkles or "crow's feet" at the outside corners of each eye.
Know when to excuse yourself.
If the conversation takes a bad turn or if you run out of things to talk about, you may need to excuse yourself. However, if you were really interested in what the other person was saying, or if you want to continue talking to someone you will be working with for the foreseeable future, you may need more of a timeout than an ending. Either way, excusing yourself tactfully is important, and it's of even greater importance if you intend to continue the conversation later.
Excuse yourself politely. Tell the other person you need to get a drink of water or use the restroom. That way you can collect yourself, and if you want to return to the conversation later, you will still have an opening to jump in.
Find a natural ending point.
Read up on current events.
Keeping up on the latest local, world, and pop culture news can give you a lot of ammunition when you find yourself searching for something to talk about. Most people have at least a passing knowledge of what's going on in the world, whether it be in politics or sports, and having a shared opinion on something in the news can help break the ice and give you something to talk about.
You don't have to talk about serious political positions - in fact, it might be best if you avoid controversial or highly-opinionated subjects.
Try asking someone, "So have you heard about _____?" Then ask her for her opinion on the subject. There's a good chance that a simple question like that can lead to other topics of conversation, and you'll also learn a lot about the other person from her responses.
Learn about others in advance.
You may not know the people you'll be talking with, but perhaps you share a mutual friend or two. You can ask that friend what sorts of things the person you'll be talking to is interested in, and use that information to plan out some conversational topics. Or, if you don't share any mutual friends, try looking the other person up online. If you know someone's name you can search for her on social media sites like Facebook. Even if you're not friends and can't read the person's page, you might be able to at least see some of her interests or hobbies, or deduce from her photograph what sorts of things she's interested in.
Dec 20, 2019 · 2. Listen 2/3 of the time – Talk 1/3 of the time. When you’ve just met someone, you can ask them open-ended questions and wait for their answers, roughly 2/3 of the time. The other 1/3 of the time, you respond to their questions and add comments or stories from your life that are relevant to their answers.
People also ask
How do you find people who don't know you?
What if I don't know who I'm talking to?
How do you start talking to people?
How do you know if someone wants to talk?
How can i Improve my Small Talk?
What should you do if you don't know people at a party?
Nov 21, 2023 · 4 Locate people who also look a bit hesitant. Scan the room to find individuals who also don’t seem to know many people at the party. They may be standing alone, wandering aimlessly, keeping to a corner, or looking around the room. This is a good opportunity to reach out and strike up a conversation.
