1) Start talking!
Small talk often scares people. It is perceived as being the trickiest of all types of conversation. But it truly is not. Do not be afraid of small talk! Talk about something obvious. It could be anything; just say whatever pops into your head at this stage it does not matter. All you are doing at this stage is breaking the ice. Talk about something close by to you both and not something a long way away on the horizon that they will need binoculars to see!
A compliment always goes down well at this stage.
2) Smile
So simple but many people fail to smile when they meet new friends in London. When you smile it helps to put the other person at ease and make them feel you are friendly and approachable, which of course you are!
3) Speak at the right volume
Do not speak too loud or too softly. You must try and speak at an appropriate sound level. If you speak too loudly then you might scare the person. If you speak too softly you might risk not being heard and you might miss your chance to get the conversation going. If you are on a busy London street get a little closer to the person so you do not have to shout.
4) Be interested in the other person
This is critically important. How must come across genuinely interested in the other person as soon as the initial ice breaking part is over. The new friend you meet might be new to London too so ask them where they are from, that is always a great way to get things going. People love to talk about their home town.
5) Keep conversation topics short and pause between subjects
Do not talk on and on about the same subject when you first meet someone in London. Remember this is the first time you have met them. You need to find out as much about them in a short period. It is not a time for a lecture on the London congestion charge! You can save in depth conversations for when you know the person a little better.
6) Choose a safe subject
When you meet a new friend in London you will not know what their interests are at the start. They might love sport, eating out and film, you might hate these things. Try to avoid controversial subjects such as religion and politics. Save these subjects until you know them better.
7) Have a temporary chameleonic persona
Try and appear to be of a similar personality to your new potential friend in London. This is our secret tip. It takes a little practise but try it when you next meet someone new. Naturally, people are attracted to other people who are similar to them. This is human nature. So if you meet someone new in London and they like to laugh and joke when they speak, then try and do the same with them, even if you are not normally like that. This is not such an easy thing to master but see what effect it has. If you really cant emulate someone elses personality even for a short period at least try and pretend you are interested in the same things that they are. You will be amazed by the results. You do not have to keep this up forever. Just for the initial short period when you first meet someone in London. You can become more like yourself later.
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