If you’re someone quiet and introverted, then you might find it difficult to speak up.
That’s why today, we’re going to discuss how to interact with people.
Today, I’m about to share with you the exact same process that I’ve used to figure out how to be more outgoing and improve my conversation skills.
What You'll Learn In This Post
1. Always Do New Things
Remember, a boring life leads to boring conversations.
You can only talk about the same topics over and over again for so long.
If you want to know how to interact with people, you need to break your routine.
As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life.
If you’re wondering how to be interesting to talk to, make an effort to do more novel activities.
Check out this podcast interview with Jonathan Levi, Founder of Super Human Academy, where he talks about how to learn anything faster.
For example, you can take up a new hobby.
You can listen to a different genre of music.
You can go to a restaurant and order a dish you normally wouldn’t.
Keep in mind that the more experiences you have, the wider your perspective is going to be.
You’ll have more things to say on a variety of subjects.
You’ll also be able to relate to different kinds of people.
If you want to figure out how to not be boring, this is one of the best ways to do it.
2. Stop Filtering Yourself
The fear of being judged prevents most people from speaking up.
They’re so afraid of looking bad that they just keep to themselves to avoid making any mistakes.
If you’re wondering how to interact with people, you have to not care so much.
From Shy To Social
Discover proven steps to approach and talk to anybody no matter how shy you are.
Believe it or not, most people don’t notice you as often as you might assume.
Not to mention, everyone’s so concerned about themselves anyway.
It doesn’t matter if say something silly or do something embarrassing.
I can assure you that others would’ve forgotten about you at the end of the day.
That’s why you need to stop overthinking social interactions.
Quiet your inner critic and always challenge your assumptions.
By doing so, you’ll realize that nothing is ever as bad as you make it out to be.
Keep this in mind if you want to feel less self-conscious.
As a result, you’ll figure out how to relax around people.
You’ll act more like yourself in any social situation as well.
3. Think Of What To Say
Let me ask you a question.
Have you ever written an exam that you didn’t study for?
If so, you probably felt pretty anxious, right?
You see, most individuals who struggle socially approach interacting with others the exact same way.
Because they never took the time to think of what they wanted to say, they feel nervous talking to people.
Check out this video if you want to become more talkative and less quiet.
If you’re wondering how to avoid awkward silences in your conversations, come up with things that you can share.
If you think about it, most people tend to discuss similar topics over and over again anyway.
That being said, prepare some stories regarding your work, your upbringing, places you’ve been to, events you’ve attended, and your interests.
I know it sounds like a lot of work but really take the time to write these stories out.
When you do, you’ll feel more confident talking to anybody.
Because you know what to say, you’ll be able to respond to others in a more compelling way.
4. Stay Relevant
In order to figure out how to interact with people, you need to know a little bit about a lot of things.
That’s why you have to make an effort to stay relevant.
Before you head out to any gathering, I recommend you visit a few reputable news websites.
Check out their social media accounts as well.
And then, pay attention to trending topics, popular shows, and current events.
By doing so, you’ll have no trouble engaging anybody that you talk to.
When you’re in the know, you’ll be able to contribute to any group conversation much easier.
5. Make Time To Socialize
At the end of the day, learning how to build a social circle is still going to be a number’s game.
The more you put yourself out there, the faster you’ll meet like-minded people.
From what I’ve noticed, most individuals who struggle socially just don’t go out enough.
If your typical week consists of going to work, going home, and playing video games, that’s just not going to cut it.
If you want to learn how to interact with people, you have to be willing to make a change.
Stop making excuses and take responsibility for your situation.
Remember, nothing happens when you don’t leave your house.
That’s why you have to limit activities that isolate you for too long.
As intimidating as it could be, accept valid invitations from others and make an effort to socialize.
You don’t even need to be out for too long if you don’t want to.
If you don’t have a lot of experience connecting with others, feel free to start small.
Ease yourself into it so you can build positive momentum and see some quick wins.
Over time, you’ll gather enough positive reference experiences and you’ll actually enjoy the process of interacting with people.
6. Get Good At Making Small Talk
Making small talk comes down to having a polite conversation with someone you don’t know well yet about unimportant things.
That’s why it’s easy to think that it’s just irrelevant chit-chat.
But if you think about it, it’s weird to ask a person you’ve never met before such a big question, right?
Most people, especially introverts, want to jump into deep conversations right away.
But, that’s just not how things work.
You have to be able to exchange small pleasantries at first before getting into more personal topics.
If you imagine great conversations as a ladder, making small talk are the first few rungs.
You can’t really skip them because they’re necessary to get you to the next level.
Making small talk is also a good way to gather information and learn more about the person you’re chatting with.
That way, you can make a decision about what kind of relationship you want to have.
It will also help you determine which direction you want the conversation to go.
As you can see, making small talk is just a means to an end.
Instead of avoiding it, embrace it and take the time to be proficient at it.
The faster you learn how to make small talk with strangers, the more meaningful conversations you’re going to have.
7. Avoid Giving Short Responses
Most people who struggle socially make the mistake of being so brief when they share something.
If that sounds like you, people will find it hard to connect with you.
You’re just not giving them a whole lot to work with.
Check out this video if you want to know how to express yourself with words.
If you’re wondering how to interact with people, avoid giving one-word answers.
For example, let’s say you’re a software engineer and someone asks you what you do for work.
Don’t just give them a short response.
Feel free to discuss what got you into your career and what you like about it.
Leave out unnecessary facts and emphasize how things make you feel instead.
By giving the other person more information, that could trigger other topics that both of you can potentially discuss.
This will prevent any lull in the conversation and will make your interactions feel more effortless.
8. Ask Better Questions
Remember, the quality of your questions will determine the quality of your conversations.
If you want to know how to interact with people, you need to ask more open-ended questions.
By doing so, you’ll prompt whoever you’re conversing with to keep sharing.
That way, you’ll have more information to work with.
For example, instead of asking “Do you like eating sushi?” you can ask “What’s your favorite dish and why?”
Do you see the difference?
The first question can be answered with a “yes” or a “no.”
While the second one encourages the person you’re chatting with to talk about themselves in greater detail.
As mentioned before, the more information you have to work with, the easier it’ll be for you to come up with things to talk about.
You’ll have a better chance of finding commonalities and being able to bond with each other much faster.
9. Lead The Conversation
Most people who struggle in social situations don’t speak intentionally.
That’s why things stall and don’t go anywhere.
If you want to figure out how to interact with people, you have to be able to lead the conversation.
You need to know where you want things to go.
To help you get started, ask yourself:
What are things that you know a lot about and enjoy discussing with others?
Once you’re aware of your preferred conversation topics, all you have to do is to communicate in a way that will bring those up.
For example, let’s say you want to talk about your hobbies.
If that’s the case, feel free to ask the person you’re chatting with what they do for fun when they’re not working.
And now, you’ve easily led the conversation into a topic that you’re interested in.
By doing this, you’ll be able to have more engaging interactions with others.
10. Practice As Much as You Can
Building your social confidence is like a muscle.
The more you use it, the stronger it gets.
If you want to know how to interact with people, you have to practice as much as you can.
The more people you talk to, the faster you’ll figure out how to improve your conversation skills.
On the other hand, if you don’t make time to connect with others, it’s easy to fall back into your loner habits.
That’s why you have to make an effort to have social interactions in your day-to-day life.
Tired Of Feeling Lonely?
If you’re struggling socially and would like some help, let’s connect.
For example, you can chat with the barista the next time you get your coffee.
Have lunch with your co-workers instead of eating by yourself.
Feel free to make small talk with the person you’re sitting with during your commute.
If doing these things make you nervous, take that as a sign that you’re growing and making progress.
Remember, small actions that are taken repeatedly add up to something big eventually.
Once you learn how to be more socially confident, you never have to miss out on opportunities to connect with others.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering how to interact with people, I just shared with you my best tips.
Feel free to go through them again and implement them as much as you can.
And now, let’s turn it to you.
Which one of these tips are you going to implement first?
Are you going to stop filtering yourself or think of what to say?
Send me a message on Instagram and let me know.