Taking the time to get to know someone my be an intimidating process and nerve racking. If it is someone you would really like to know personally such as a good business contact or on the personal side, a date, being nervous and wanting to make a good first impression is natural. Making a wrong impression could set things in the wrong direction and close the door in the future. Making the right impression can be done with two simple tips; taking the time to listen and showing an interest in the other person.
When meeting someone for the first time, it is easy to fall into one of the biggest traps in a conversation, which is giving someone your own verbal autobiography. It's easy to want to tell someone all of your accomplishments, hobbies and passions in life, however, doing too much of it could bore the other person. Spending too much time on yourself could set things in the wrong direction.
During your initial encounter, take time to listen to the other person. While it may sound obvious, not listening will make it harder to have a conversation and make it hard to get to know someone. Take the time to listen to what the other person has to say, how he or she answers your questions and listen to the responses. By listening, it will give you other areas to talk about and make for a better conversation.
In addition to listening, show an interest in the other person. It's one thing to listen to someone but showing an interest in someone else will help make for a better conversation as well. Listen to the responses and show an interest in what the other person has to say.
On a recent trip to St. Louis to visit my sister, I had an opportunity to meet a lot of her friends I had not met before and had to utilize both tips when conversing with them at parties. In one instance, I met someone who plays in the same orchestra my sister plays in on the side.
During this conversation, I took the time to listen to what this person had to say and showed an interest in her responses. I'm not a classical music buff but didn't need to have a conversation with her about it. By taking the time to listen and show interest, I was able to learn how she got started playing viola, how long she has been playing for, how she got started with the same orchestra my sister is apart of and the different concert venues the orchestra uses. With very little knowledge on classical music, I was still able to have a conversation with this person because I took the time to listen to her and showed an interest in what she had to say.
While meeting someone for the first time can be nerve racking, taking the time to listen and show an interest can help lay the foundation for a great conversation.
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