How to Interact With People
Identify your hesitancy., Overcome your social anxiety., Believe in yourself., Build your self-esteem., Be confident., Practice., Introduce yourself., Talk to strangers., Make friends., Treat your friends well., Talk with your friends., Make your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Identify your hesitancy.
Why aren't you interacting with people now? Are you interacting with people but feel like you're doing it wrong? If you can identify the problem, it will go a long way towards helping you overcome it.
In the meantime, try the advice below. -
Step 2: Overcome your social anxiety.
For many people, interacting with others is stressful.
If you get worried about talking to people, you may want to focus on coping with your anxiety first. , If you are afraid that you will fail to make friends, or that you will constantly upset people, you're going to have a very hard time interacting with others.
Believe in yourself and you will find interactions getting easier and easier. , If you spend a bunch of time thinking that no one will want to talk with you because they're so much better than you are, you'll miss out on a wonderful world of interaction! Spend some time realizing how amazing you are and you'll see the world in a different light. , Lack of self-confidence can make it really hard to interact with people, often because others sense that you are not confident and that makes them nervous.
Build your self-confidence or at least learn how to fake it in order to make others like you more. , As with any skill (and social interaction is definitely a skill), you can get better at it by practicing.
Practice your social skills by using them as much as possible.
You can start by interacting with family members or even just strangers that you see, like grocers and bank tellers. , When interacting with someone for the first time, it's a good idea to introduce yourself.
Where in the conversation you introduce yourself, however, will depend on the individual conversation.
Walking up to a stranger and introducing yourself before saying anything else makes it seem like you're selling something (or just weird).
Introducing yourself when you first meet someone at a party, however, is a good idea.
Especially if it's an official function, like a work party. , If you're not interacting with people much now but you'd like to start, chances are you're going to have to talk with some strangers.
It's not as bad as it sounds! Find a reason to speak up and just let things happen naturally.
Who knows: maybe you'll meet a new friend! , The best people to interact with are friends and having more of them can only improve your life.
For people who are shy or not that social, however, making friends can seem really hard.
But with some perseverance and patience, you can make lots of friends.
Just remember to be yourself and only keep friends in your life that make you a better person! , As for the friends you have, treat those friends well.
This will help with many interactions.
Help people that are having a hard time by talking with them.
Listen to them when they tell you a story about their day.
You get the idea. , Even when you feel like you don't really have anything to talk about, you should try to start conversations.
Awkward silences can cause your friends to worry or get nervous...even make them feel ignored! , Make the conversations that you do have good ones.
Ask questions, really listen, and take an active role in the conversation.
Don't hog the talk time and don't be too quiet either.
Conversations require teamwork! , Whether you're a student or an adult, you should have people in your life that you can interact with: peers.
Your fellow students or coworkers make great people to interact with. , Especially for people with a lot of social anxiety, online communities can be a great place to practice social interaction.
You can find a fan group for a TV show or book you like or you can volunteer with sites like LifeGuide Hub! , There are real-life clubs and groups as well.
These are even better for practicing your social interactions.
Most schools will have a variety of clubs, but adults can also find clubs (often through a local library or community center). , Volunteering is a great way to meet people and also give back to your community at the same time.
From soup kitchens to fundraisers, building homes to sheltering animals, there are lots of ways to help out your community and you'll get the chance to meet people with similar values! , Whether it's a church, temple, or other religious congregation, these places can provide a safe environment in which to meet people and interact, making new friends with similar interests and values.
There is a group for almost any belief system, so give it a try. , If you don't like the sounds of these, you can always just be more social with the friends you have.
Try to throw a quiet party or start a book club.
Whatever sounds good to you and is fun for your friends! , Be nice when you talk to other people.
Acknowledge them and be positive in your interactions.
Don't lie or talk about them behind their backs.
Basically, treat them the way that you would want to be treated! , Be polite when you talk to people.
Importantly, be polite to everyone.
Always.
Even when they're rude to you.
Say things like "please" and "thank you"
and let them finish speaking before you start talking.
You should also be patient with them.
Just like you have a hard time interacting with people, they might too (or even have other problems, like disability or mental illness).
Act in a way that would make your grandmother proud and you should be set. , When you talk with people, be humble.
Don't brag or spend a bunch of time talking about yourself.
This makes people not like you and not want to talk with you anymore.
Give everyone a chance to talk and don't try to one-up them when they tell you something. , Be friendly when you talk to people.
Don't seem disinterested or like you don't care about them.
Keep eye contact, smile, listen, and project a positive mood (even if you're in a bad one). , Be respectful to everyone you interact with.
Give them a chance to talk, don't say or do anything insulting, respect their differences, and generally treat them the way that you would want to be treated. , The most important part of interacting well with others is to listen to them.
It's a lot less about how much you say or how you say it, and mostly down to how you respond to the things that you really hear them say.
Practice your basic listening skills, as well as your ability to read between the lines, and you'll be interacting like a pro in no time! -
Step 3: Believe in yourself.
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Step 4: Build your self-esteem.
-
Step 5: Be confident.
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Step 6: Practice.
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Step 7: Introduce yourself.
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Step 8: Talk to strangers.
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Step 9: Make friends.
-
Step 10: Treat your friends well.
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Step 11: Talk with your friends.
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Step 12: Make your conversations great.
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Step 13: Take advantage of your peers.
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Step 14: Join an online community.
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Step 15: Join a local club.
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Step 16: Volunteer.
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Step 17: Join a religious group.
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Step 18: Be more social with existing friends.
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Step 19: Be nice.
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Step 20: Be polite.
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Step 21: Be humble.
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Step 22: Be friendly.
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Step 23: Be respectful.
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Step 24: Listen.
Detailed Guide
Why aren't you interacting with people now? Are you interacting with people but feel like you're doing it wrong? If you can identify the problem, it will go a long way towards helping you overcome it.
In the meantime, try the advice below.
For many people, interacting with others is stressful.
If you get worried about talking to people, you may want to focus on coping with your anxiety first. , If you are afraid that you will fail to make friends, or that you will constantly upset people, you're going to have a very hard time interacting with others.
Believe in yourself and you will find interactions getting easier and easier. , If you spend a bunch of time thinking that no one will want to talk with you because they're so much better than you are, you'll miss out on a wonderful world of interaction! Spend some time realizing how amazing you are and you'll see the world in a different light. , Lack of self-confidence can make it really hard to interact with people, often because others sense that you are not confident and that makes them nervous.
Build your self-confidence or at least learn how to fake it in order to make others like you more. , As with any skill (and social interaction is definitely a skill), you can get better at it by practicing.
Practice your social skills by using them as much as possible.
You can start by interacting with family members or even just strangers that you see, like grocers and bank tellers. , When interacting with someone for the first time, it's a good idea to introduce yourself.
Where in the conversation you introduce yourself, however, will depend on the individual conversation.
Walking up to a stranger and introducing yourself before saying anything else makes it seem like you're selling something (or just weird).
Introducing yourself when you first meet someone at a party, however, is a good idea.
Especially if it's an official function, like a work party. , If you're not interacting with people much now but you'd like to start, chances are you're going to have to talk with some strangers.
It's not as bad as it sounds! Find a reason to speak up and just let things happen naturally.
Who knows: maybe you'll meet a new friend! , The best people to interact with are friends and having more of them can only improve your life.
For people who are shy or not that social, however, making friends can seem really hard.
But with some perseverance and patience, you can make lots of friends.
Just remember to be yourself and only keep friends in your life that make you a better person! , As for the friends you have, treat those friends well.
This will help with many interactions.
Help people that are having a hard time by talking with them.
Listen to them when they tell you a story about their day.
You get the idea. , Even when you feel like you don't really have anything to talk about, you should try to start conversations.
Awkward silences can cause your friends to worry or get nervous...even make them feel ignored! , Make the conversations that you do have good ones.
Ask questions, really listen, and take an active role in the conversation.
Don't hog the talk time and don't be too quiet either.
Conversations require teamwork! , Whether you're a student or an adult, you should have people in your life that you can interact with: peers.
Your fellow students or coworkers make great people to interact with. , Especially for people with a lot of social anxiety, online communities can be a great place to practice social interaction.
You can find a fan group for a TV show or book you like or you can volunteer with sites like LifeGuide Hub! , There are real-life clubs and groups as well.
These are even better for practicing your social interactions.
Most schools will have a variety of clubs, but adults can also find clubs (often through a local library or community center). , Volunteering is a great way to meet people and also give back to your community at the same time.
From soup kitchens to fundraisers, building homes to sheltering animals, there are lots of ways to help out your community and you'll get the chance to meet people with similar values! , Whether it's a church, temple, or other religious congregation, these places can provide a safe environment in which to meet people and interact, making new friends with similar interests and values.
There is a group for almost any belief system, so give it a try. , If you don't like the sounds of these, you can always just be more social with the friends you have.
Try to throw a quiet party or start a book club.
Whatever sounds good to you and is fun for your friends! , Be nice when you talk to other people.
Acknowledge them and be positive in your interactions.
Don't lie or talk about them behind their backs.
Basically, treat them the way that you would want to be treated! , Be polite when you talk to people.
Importantly, be polite to everyone.
Always.
Even when they're rude to you.
Say things like "please" and "thank you"
and let them finish speaking before you start talking.
You should also be patient with them.
Just like you have a hard time interacting with people, they might too (or even have other problems, like disability or mental illness).
Act in a way that would make your grandmother proud and you should be set. , When you talk with people, be humble.
Don't brag or spend a bunch of time talking about yourself.
This makes people not like you and not want to talk with you anymore.
Give everyone a chance to talk and don't try to one-up them when they tell you something. , Be friendly when you talk to people.
Don't seem disinterested or like you don't care about them.
Keep eye contact, smile, listen, and project a positive mood (even if you're in a bad one). , Be respectful to everyone you interact with.
Give them a chance to talk, don't say or do anything insulting, respect their differences, and generally treat them the way that you would want to be treated. , The most important part of interacting well with others is to listen to them.
It's a lot less about how much you say or how you say it, and mostly down to how you respond to the things that you really hear them say.
Practice your basic listening skills, as well as your ability to read between the lines, and you'll be interacting like a pro in no time!
About the Author
Janice Coleman
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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