Meeting other people for the first time is awkward. You don’t know how to start a conversation. You also don’t know if you will show your real self or hide your true personality. Hence, you avoid going to parties if you don’t know the people who will be there. The truth is that even if you try to evade social gatherings, it won’t be easy. You will always have an opportunity to meet others. Whether it’s due to your job’s nature or some random events, you will meet strangers and force yourself to talk to them. You should be confident in any setting, and it helps if you grab a glass of drinking water. It calms you down and makes you feel less stressed out. You can invest in the Big Berkey filter if you want to have access to clean drinking water all the time. Apart from drinking a glass of water, these are the other tips to help you stay confident when meeting other people for the first time.
Don’t predict what they’re thinking about you
One of the reasons you lack confidence when talking to other people is that you don’t think they like you. Even before they start to say anything, you already guessed their thoughts. The problem is that you could be wrong. You don’t know these people, and there’s no point in guessing their view of you. Besides, most people don’t form judgments the first time. If you’re in a social gathering, there are other things to think about, and judging every person in the room isn’t one of them.
Prepare conversation starters
A good conversation needs to start somewhere. You can’t expect that things will turn out well, but you should try. Having conversation starters will come in handy. You will know where to begin the discussion. If the first topic didn’t turn out the way you wanted, you could always proceed with the next topic. Just make sure you avoid divisive topics such as politics and religion. You don’t want to have a conversation with another person for the first time, and it ends in insults. You can bring up intellectual topics, though, if you deem them appropriate or if you want to impress the other person.
Don’t compare yourself with others
You might lose confidence when talking to others because you compare yourself with them. You think that you’re not good enough. You don’t have the same credentials. You also feel inferior because of their wealth or power. If you have that mindset, you will immediately lose your confidence. You should think that you’re a human being like everyone else in the room. You deserve respect, and you can have a wonderful conversation. Besides, you attended an event to have fun or celebrate with someone else. It’s not a competition.
Feel good about your appearance
It might be shallow, but you will feel better if you know that you look good. Of course, you don’t want things to boil down to a comparison of appearance, but if it makes you feel more confident about holding a conversation, you should do it. When you look presentable for the night because you decided to dress up (when you normally wouldn’t), you should be confident in yourself. You can face anyone in the room, regardless of societal status.
Just be nice
If you can’t be confident right away, you can at least be nice. If someone approaches you for a conversation, you have to respond well. You don’t have to make friends, but you can have polite greetings. It doesn’t matter if you failed to establish a relationship with anyone as long as you didn’t make anyone feel bad. Sometimes, smiling at others is already a good thing to do. You might cross paths with the people in the room in the future, and you want them to recognize you as someone nice to them. Who knows? You might ask them for some favors, and you can’t afford for them to turn you down because of your attitude.
Enjoy the moment
Don’t overthink. When you find someone to talk to, go ahead and talk. If there’s nice music, you can dance to the tune. You can also enjoy performances. Even before the event, you should know why you’re there in the first place. You will enjoy every moment, and you can celebrate with everyone. When you already set your mind that you will have a good time, nothing can stop you.
Compliment the other person
When you start with the right foot forward, everything else will fall into place. You can say something nice about what the person wears or how the person looks. If you know some credentials or achievements, you can also talk about them. Just don’t go beyond the line since it might seem like you’re a stalker. If not, you could put the other person in a position of praising you back, and it’s hard.
Think about the benefits of the conversation
If you lack confidence right now, you should start to think about the benefits of having a wonderful conversation. Some people you meet could end up as your future boss or business partner. Some of them might have connections to the people you need. You want to be in their good graces so you can ask for help when needed. Even if you’re not too confident, you will forget it. You will only think about the benefits that you might enjoy soon.
It takes time to build confidence. Some people are naturally confident, and they can have a conversation with any person in the room. Others wait for a while because they have too many fears. You don’t have to push yourself to be confident right away. It’s a process, and you will learn with every experience. Pat yourself in the back of you did a great job and try to use your experience to do better in future interactions with strangers.
