How tf do i talk to people?

1 comment

1. I’m just going to answer your questions, as you have very particular ones.

   **I have problems keeping conversations and starting them.**

   * Start with basic stuff (Essentially getting a gist of what kind of person they are)
   * Hey! How’s it going?, Where are you from?, How’s class (Follow-up with what you thought about class, helps the other person warm up to you). If you have different classes, then talk about those things too.

   ​

   **I don’t have many friends; I want to start to make new ones but idk how to approach people.**

   * Just walk up to them, and wave at them or just drop a Hey! That’s pretty much all you need to do. Most often, people are happy to talk to you.
   * When you talk to new people, use the Questioning Method, which is essentially just picking out buzzwords from their statements and framing another question out of it.

   For example,

   Person X: I love horse-riding, I’ve been doing it for almost 6 years!

   You: Oh! Where did you learn Horse-Riding? (Follow up with random questions about Horse-Riding)

   ​

   **I worry that i may look like a creep, or an asshole.**

   * Don’t get too personal at the get-go, and just don’t stare or be rude. Just go with the flow.
   * Saying Hey! to someone isn’t creepy, I like to think of it as a way to acknowledge someone’s presence.

   ​

   **Is talking to someone because i overheard that they have similar interests acceptable?**

   * Yeah, but let them broach the subject. Don’t just go up to them and say, Hey! you like doing X right? (This assumes that you heard about their interests from someone else)
   * If you are sitting close by and overheard their conversation, then you could jump in by saying Hey! I just overheard your conversation and you mentioned you’re interested in X activity.

   Hope this helps! I had the same problem when I started college, and this is what I’ve realized.