The shy connector: How to get strangers to talk to you

Re:The shy connector: How to get strangers to talk to you by jamesbritt on Wednesday August 12, 2009 @01:25AM (#757358)

Most helpful thing I found is to ask ask people about themselves. A corollary is to avoid referring to "I" , "me", and so on. (Not always so easy of you've been spending a lot of time on your own, doing whatever drives you.)

Most folks a) like to talk about themselves (or their interests), and b) are flattered that someone is interested.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The shy connector: How to get strangers to talk to you by antaeos on Wednesday August 12, 2009 @04:21AM (#757592)

I second this. People seem to come with a built-in affinity for probing just how amazing they are. Depending on your agenda, all you really have to do is help them explore that space.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The shy connector: How to get strangers to talk to you by jamesbritt on Wednesday August 12, 2009 @01:55PM (#758710)

Sometimes I put myself in the "interviewing for a magazine" mindset to keep me rolling.

I confess that encouraging people to talk about themselves when instead I could be talking about me is a habit I keep working to develop.

Do geeks have a greater tendency to talk about themselves than the general population, or is this pretty much everybody?

I do think that geeks have a warped idea about what normal people will think interesting. :)

[ Parent | on HN ]