How to Meet More People, How to Make More Friends

WOW, it’s hard to believe that we are already half way through 2010!

Its summer time, this time of year is such a great time to meet new people. The past two weekends, I was on holidays out of town and made some great new friends. A common challenge that my clients have is that they’re not sure how to meet new people and make friends.

In this fast paced world we live in, oftentimes people do not make time to socialize in person. Most people are sitting at their computers or on their iPhones & Blackberries spending more time typing than talking, and making virtual friends instead of real friends. It’s better to get outside of your home, see people face-to-face, socialize and have some fun connecting with others. We are social creatures that crave social connection! There are many reasons you may not get out to meet people. You’re too scared, too busy, too tired, too shy, too frustrated by the social scene, or just overwhelmed by it all. But the alternative is to be alone. If you want a social life, you’ve got to make it happen for yourself, and this is the time of year to do it!

On a typical day we will meet so many new people as we go about our daily activities. I have met several of my very good friends in the most unusual and unexpected places. And if I had not had the confidence to talk to them, they would never be in my life now!

The art of networking and maintaining solid friendships can help you achieve great happiness. It has been because of the incredible friends I have, that have helped me, that I am where I am today. With that in mind, I thought I’d share with you what has worked for me when meeting new people.

6 Tips for Making New Friends

1) Go places where you can meet new people, the easiest to meet new people when the ice is already broken by the circumstances. Conversation is easier if you have something in common.

2) Always appear friendly and happy. Be aware of your body language, people are more likely to want to talk to you if you look like you’re easy to connect with

3) Compliment people, genuinely

4) When communicating with people, be an active listener. No one likes a “Chatty Patty”

5) Make a habit of getting people’s contact information. Get into the habit of getting people’s contact info fairly early. Ask if they’re on Facebook, or ask for their email address or phone number. That way if an opportunity to get together comes up, they’ll be easy to reach. Also, if they have your info, then they can get a hold of you if they want to invite you to something.

6) Once you’ve met some people, take the initiative to invite them to hang out outside of the where you just met each other. Invite potential friends to do something with you. This is the most important step and this is where most people fail. It’s all about being proactive! Once you’ve met some people you get along with, call them a few days later and be “The Organizer” people will appreciate your effort.

“Fears make strangers out of people who could be friends.”
-Shirley Maclaine

“Friendship is what shows us that we are not alone in any joy or in any sorrow.”
– Pam Brown