Becoming Interesting: Meet Lots Of People

[Henry]

Meet lots of people if you want to be on the path to becoming more interesting.

People find people interesting. When we get interesting advice, we LOVE to hear what happened to someone who followed it. The way you develop interesting stories is to meet lots of people and hear what they have to say.

The more people you meet, the better the stories are when someone asks, "What did you do today/last week/last month?" So go out and meet people.

Hello, my name is Henry. Pleased to meet you.

[Daniel Terhorst]

I'll be the first to admit: I have a lot of trouble with this.

But I want to improve.



I've been thinking of a 30-day trial to talk (or at least introduce myself) to anyone I sit by on the bus.

I wonder how such a frightening thought got in my head?

(I've started with the less intimidating approach of looking people in the eye. That's difficult enough!)



My name is Daniel, pleased to meet you, too, Henry ^_^

-- Daniel Terhorst

[kthdsn]

That's a very interesting idea daniel, I find it ridiculous that people are afraid to talk to other people, although I suffer from shyness myself. I may join you your trial and introduce myself to a new person every day. Thanks for the inspiration

[Daniel Terhorst]

Originally Posted by kthdsn

I find it ridiculous that people are afraid to talk to other people,

In my mind, I agree 100%. It's silly, isn't it? What's there to be afraid of? I don't know why it's so hard to just do it...

Well, step by step, I guess. I'll get there when I'm ready.

Originally Posted by kthdsn

Thanks for the inspiration

No problem.

-- Daniel Terhorst

[Sterling]

That's very interesting, Daniel (and terrifying!)

I meant to do this for a while, but I'm having enough trouble with my 30 day trials as it is! Maybe later...

[Maciek]

The thing in myself that I hate(and I want to work on it) is that I'm not talkative and whenever I meet new people after a while I don't know what to talk about, in a group of people/friends I am always silent, just listening to what othes are talking, it is so annoying! even with my friends I have this problem. As a result people think I am boring so it is hard to make real friends... I don't think that introducing myself to people I don't know will help

Actually I always had problem with talking and words, maybe my verbal intelligence is very low...the thing is that when I want to solve maths problem or I want to understand sth I always try to imagine it. No words, just pictures in my mind

hmm, any ideas how to be more talkative??

[Love]

Originally Posted by Maciek

The thing in myself that I hate(and I want to work on it) is that I'm not talkative and whenever I meet new people after a while I don't know what to talk about, in a group of people/friends I am always silent, just listening to what othes are talking, it is so annoying! even with my friends I have this problem. As a result people think I am boring so it is hard to make real friends...

Hi Maciek.

I'm working on this too! When you're in a group, it sure can feel awkward, because everyone else is going on about whatever (usually nothing!), and you're stuck thinking drastically of something to say. Like you, I'm prone to spending more time listening. I usually do this because I am a very reflective person and like to consider all points of view before saying something. Anyway, I posted the same question as you on another forum and got a piece of advice I've found very helpful for when I WaNt to say something: just talk out loud to yourself. I found that this helps a lot when I "need" to say something. So instead of trying to think of things to say to other people, I just say outloud the things that I normally think just to myself. It's not 100% easy to do--sometimes I feel silly about saying just what is in my head--but I'm trying to go with it, and it helps. Another thing I'm trying to do is disclose more information about myself. I usually just keep everything in, but how can anyone talk to me if I don't give'em something to keep them interested?
If anyone else has any tips, by all means share--I'd love to know! And good luck and warm wishes.

-Love

[Michael Chui]

Fear should be vanquished, and one of the ways to dispel phobias has been intentional over-exposure. One of my friends tells me about a "newbie exercise" where you say "Hi" to 50 random people in one week. It sounds like a good idea, to force oneself into being open to sociability.

I discovered, also, that it makes no difference whether you meet people offline or online; interesting is interesting. I broadened my horizons a lot in high school using ICQ, and met so many people, from Australia to New York. It's a lot easier to overcome your shyness online.

Hello, everyone.

[Henry]

The hard part to me isn't saying "Hello." The hardest part is sustaining conversation without dead silences or talking about the weather.

[sean83]

Originally Posted by Henry

Meet lots of people if you want to be on the path to becoming more interesting.

People find people interesting. When we get interesting advice, we LOVE to hear what happened to someone who followed it. The way you develop interesting stories is to meet lots of people and hear what they have to say.

The more people you meet, the better the stories are when someone asks, "What did you do today/last week/last month?" So go out and meet people.

Hello, my name is Henry. Pleased to meet you.

Great advice Henry, this has certainly been the case with me, i've had a terrible time with shyness through my life, and for my final year of university I decided to move out into my own flat and make a conscious effort to network and talk to everyone I meet.

Not only does this improve your confidence but you will notice you will begin to build rapport with people easier, and people will smile and laugh more when you talk with them.

[Lynni]

I agree with Henry - meeting new people is a great way to be a more interesting person and to also be more interested in life. I don't seem to have a problem with this. I love to have conversations with total strangers. In fact, I am constantly approached by strangers who ask me for directions and for my opinions. Many even to confide in me about their families, boyfriends or childhood memories

What I have a problem with is getting to know people I see consistently on a daily or weekly basis. It's hard for me to get past that barrier between random interaction and familiar friend. I relate comfortably with strangers or with people I've known since childhood, but not people I am in close contact with at work or community functions, even though we've known each other for years. I've attributed this to living in a small community with a rigid set of cliques (just like in high school!) where you have to show a certain willingness to conform (not my strong point) to be accepted, but maybe I just have no skills in this area.

Any advice in this area would be much appreciated.

[Cassie]

I love meeting new faces. Honestly, you just never know what quality tidbit that person sitting next to you on the bus might offer into your life. The first step is being receptive to such 'oddball' encounters.