How To Meet New People?

As social beings, we need relationships, contact and connection. Despite this inclination, socializing is quite complicated for some people. They are unable to build and enjoy the relationships they really need. This can lead to frustration and a feeling of loneliness. How to meet new people and improve our social skills?

Some strategies or certain contexts help us meet new people, socialize and even expand our innermost circle. The first aspect to take into account is that communication and assertive conversation are the best tools to bring us closer to others.

Meeting new people: the challenge of enriching our social circle

Conversations allow us to express ideas, opinions, feelings and goals, being in many cases a fundamental aspect in order to establish new relationships.

It is therefore important to develop the ability to communicate in an informal and friendly way. This will reduce anxiety and fear in the face of highly uncertain situations in which we will be able to meet new people.

Non-verbal language

Non-verbal language conveys half the information about our counter, being useful for communicating and projecting the level of receptivity to others.

To improve in this field, we can use the SOFTEN technique  (English acronym). This technique takes into account 6 aspects:

• Smile. It is an indicator of an open and friendly attitude, of an adequate disposition to communicate with others.

• Open arms. This gesture suggests that you are friendly and willing to make new contact. Also, during the conversation show that you are receptive and that you are listening to what others are saying.

• Lean forward. With this movement, we show interest in what the other person is telling us, encouraging them to continue with their talk.

• Touch. The handshake is the most socially accepted gesture. Show an open and friendly attitude when meeting new people.

• Visual contact. Direct contact with others shows that you are listening and that you want to know more. But it must be natural and short, so as not to overdo it. You don’t have to look each other in the eye all the time, but move your gaze elsewhere from time to time, for example on the mouth.

• Nod. This movement of the head shows that you understand what your interlocutor is saying. Therefore, it nourishes the conversation. In addition, it serves to attract the attention of other people.

Verbal language

According to Gabor (2011), one must  have an active role in verbal communication. In other words, saying goodbye first helps start the conversation and express ideas and opinions. In addition, it is necessary to approach your interlocutor in a direct and friendly way. It is important to consider that some people may not be interested in making friends.

On the other hand, there are different ways to get close to meet new people and break the ice. At a given moment, a compliment can serve as a sign of welcome.

A second way is to comment on an accessory or object that the person carries with them, such as a book or a musical instrument. When the ice is broken, it is easier to continue a conversation: dialogue gives us a lot of conversation points.

Places to meet new people

It is true that daily life moves within specific contexts, such as school, university, work or home. This limits the amount of people we can have contact with and here lies the importance of getting out of the routine and engaging in new activities, because new contexts mean new people.

One option is to volunteer. In addition to helping those most in need, it will be possible to meet new people with our same interests and values. This facilitates communication, because there are arguments in common. Additionally, continued contact will improve the quality of some of our relationships.

Going out with friends and getting introduced to new people is another good option. It is an ideal situation, as the confidence that people we already know and value can give us can give us further self-confidence.

Finally, sign up for a class or gym. It is common to engage in certain hobbies not only out of interest in the activity in question, but also to meet new people.

Technology, an ally for meeting new people

ICT has revolutionized many aspects of our life, especially social networks. With them, long-distance contacts and relationships took over.

In cyberspace we can move as social subjects. This context can facilitate both relationships with friends and with new people. Ideal for more shy or inhibited people, as it can be used as a real-life relationship training.

The use of cyberspace can include pages or  applications to meet new people . It is important to consider what we are looking for, as there are multiple options with different characteristics. Some applications are used to search for a partner and others to meet people with similar affinities to ours.

Another option may be online role-playing games; a pastime in common that can generate very long conversations in which one can enrich the other. In many cases, moreover, you have to team up to achieve certain objectives in the game.

There are always new opportunities to enrich our social circle

There are many contexts for relating to new people, both face to face and in a virtual way. In this article we have explained several ways to break the ice and communicate in a more targeted way.

This will give you the opportunity to get closer to more people and, why not, to broaden your social circle. Now you have no more excuses, there are  many ways to meet new people .