
Seven Tips for Making Good Conversation with a Stranger. - Anon84
http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2009/05/seven-tips-for-making-good-conversation-with-a-stranger.html
======
physcab
I am always astounded by those who don't have very good "people skills." I
guess I take mine for granted.

As much I'd like to say that these tips should be common sense, I have begun
to recognize that for many people, social skills need to be practiced.

I'd like to add a Tip 0: Be brave. Recognize that both parties feel an unease
and that ultimately someone has to make the first move. I promise you will be
happy it was you.

~~~
alexkay
> I am always astounded by those who don't have very good "people skills."

Perhaps they don't have "the skills" because they don't think they need them.
Spending 10 minutes of one's life chit-chatting with a complete stranger feels
like a waste of time to me.

~~~
GeneralMaximus
But what if that stranger turns out to be another hacker? An entrepreneur?
What if you hit it off really well with that stranger and end up being great
friends? What if that person ends up getting you your next job?

Granted, the probability any of the above happening is quite low, but just
having a chat with someone when you're, say, waiting for a bus is not going to
waste your time. You don't have to actively seek out strangers to talk to.

BTW, when it comes to social skills, I give myself 1 out of 10.

~~~
theblackbox
to me, "whoring" myself around socially has always been about practice and
experience of other minds. I like to talk and often bore my friends to tears
trying to refine my stock of "interesting things" to babble about, to the
point where I sometimes don't get the feedback I require. So just throwing it
out there with a complete stranger while having a rollie outside a club can be
surprisingly profitable.

