![]() ![]() But she also found that in all her own attempts to speak to strangers, the vast majority of those interactions were substantial, and many went great. She found that older people are much more likely to initiate a conversation, for instance, whereas younger people require a little more assurance. ![]() Nightingall has learned that, for a lot of people, the hardest thing about talking to strangers is initiating the conversation: approaching someone, making them feel safe, and quickly conveying the idea that you don't have an agenda, that you're just being friendly or curious. Related: How to Start a Conversation With Strangers at a Networking Event Since she founded it in 2016, Nightingall has done more than 100 events and many training sessions - with strangers, companies, communities, universities, and conferences, both in London and around the world. She's the founder of Trigger Conversations, an acclaimed London-based "human connection organization" that hosts social events and immersive workshops aimed at helping people have meaningful interactions with strangers. Our teacher is an energetic 20-something named Georgie Nightingall. (I detail this all in my new book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World.) They all taught me that talking to strangers can not only be fun but also enhance our sense of well-being, make us smarter, expand our social and professional networks, and even help us overcome some of our most intractable social problems. I started flying around the world to meet them: psychologists, evolutionary scientists, historians, urban planners, entrepreneurs, sociologists, and - you guessed it - a ton of fascinating strangers I met along the way. Related: 3 Ways to Make Memorable Small Talk That Gets People Interested In Working With YouĪfter my epiphany, I got to wondering: Why don't we talk to strangers more, what happens when we do, and how can we get better at it? It turns out, many researchers are asking the same questions. I was saving myself a bit of effort, but I also noticed that my life was becoming less interesting, less surprising, maybe even a little lonely. But psychologists have found that talking to a stranger actually boosts your mental performance - for that same reason: It's a workout. ![]() You don't know the person, you don't know where the conversation is going, so you must pay closer attention than you would if you were talking to someone you know well. Psychologists have found that just making small talk with a stranger can be cognitively demanding, tiring, and even stressful. And talking to strangers can, as it turns out, be taxing. I was overwhelmed, so something had to go. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |