Top Tips to Feel More Comfortable Meeting New People
Meeting new people can be intimidating, especially if you’re naturally an introvert or you suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD). You might be extremely confident in front of your friends but shy away from meeting people outside of your new friendship group.
It’s normal to feel worried or apprehensive when you’re meeting new people. You might start to overthink what to say or how to act. No matter how much you try to prepare yourself for a social event, you can still end up feeling nervous about it.
Sometimes, the best option is ‘fake it til you make it’ but how can you fake confidence that you don’t have? This is much easier said than done. Switching on your confidence is not so simple when you’re faced with a group of unfamiliar people.
Here are some top tips to help you feel more confident and comfortable when meeting new people.
Arrive Prepared
Thinking of things to say before you go to your social event might seem a little crazy but it works! A few hours before you head out the door, take a look at some Icebreaker Ideas and brainstorm potential topics to bring up in conversation.
Nobody likes small talk but it’s sometimes necessary when you initially meet somebody to break the ice. Keep three or four topics in your mind so you always have something to talk about with the people you’re meeting.
sure the topics aren’t too niche. You’ll want to stick to general topics and questions that most people will enjoy speaking about. This will allow the conversation to flow naturally from one subject to another.
Dress Confidently and Arrive Well-Groomed
There are so many different things you could be worrying about when you’re about to meet someone new. But one surefire thing you shouldn’t have to worry about is your appearance and how confident you feel in your own skin. When you turn up to a work event, date or social gathering you should dress as confidently as possible and make sure you’re well put together. This involves brushing your teeth with high quality oral care products, styling your hair appropriately and picking out an outfit that makes you feel more assured than ever. Give yourself a quick once over in the mirror before you leave the house. Check you don’t have mascara under your eye or any spinach in your teeth, and you’ll be good to go!
Ask Others About Themselves
People enjoy talking about themselves and they’re usually more than happy to dive into what’s happening in their lives. Asking others about what they’re interested in and what they’re been up to recently are two great ways to immerse them in engaging conversation.
As the other person is telling a story, ask further questions to continue the conversation and create a nice flow. For example, small questions like ‘what happened next?’ or ‘what did you say after that?’ can go a long way.
Embrace Your Own Personality
Changing your personality to fit in with other people is not the answer to feeling more confident and comfortable. You won’t be everybody’s cup of tea and that’s fine.
Embrace your own personality and be proud to be yourself. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind (without being offensive to anybody, of course) and open up to others, even if you have only just met them.
Other people will respect you for being yourself and they will be more interested in you when you are confident in yourself. The right people will naturally gravitate toward you when you display your true personality.
When you don’t have to pretend to be somebody else, you will feel calmer and more relaxed. This has a positive effect on your self-confidence and helps you to feel as comfortable as possible in any social setting.