by Chuck Yeager

Created on: May 09, 2007

Whether you are a loner or a social animal or something in between, socializing is unavoidable in today's society, so here are a few tips to improve you as an individual to be better in socializing with people.

BE PROACTIVE. The first step toward a successful conversation and a possible friendship in the future is to meet a person that is approachable; however, if you want to socialize with the person of your choice, you have to be proactive and meet with people. That could be done by simply greeting the person you wish to talk to or by talking to the person you want to talk to at the right moment about a specific event that happens to both of you during the same time such as, talking about the ice cream in a birthday party. By doing that, the other person would feels that you want to talk, and if the other person wants to talk, he will give a meaningful respond, and the conversation will start then.

BUILD RAPPORT. After meeting a person, the next step to socialization should be talking with each other and find a common point that you both share. A common point might be that you both go to the same school, or you are both related to somebody in the party. The point of building rapport with another person is to open up yourself, so the other person feels that you are approachable. The second point is to establish a connection between you two, making the other person feels that he is on the same ground with you without feeling inferior or overly superior over you.

BE A LISTENER. Being a listener is an important step toward socializing with other people because not only does listening make you more knowledgeable about the person you are socializing with, it also gives you the opportunity to give constructive suggestions and comments to the other person. By that, the person you socialize with will begin to trust you more and share more of his stories with you. Again, when being a listener, a good tip is to talk about some of your personal anecdote that the person you are socializing with can relate some of his views to.

In conclusion, to be a great friend, not only do you have to make a good first impression, but you have to continue that image throughout the friendship in a certain way. By that, it means to repeat the above step with the people you are socializing with, stay connected, and stay interested in each other. Because only if people are constantly communicating with each other can they stay in a fulfilling friendship.

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