6 Tips to Boost Connections

"You bring out the best in yourself by looking for the best in others." – Gene Bedley

I have always been the type of person to overly compliment other people. I always get that warm and fuzzy feeling by making someone else feel better about themselves. Below are my favorite tips to boost connection when meeting new people.

1. No small talk, only big talk: Learn to get more personal with people. This intentionality makes a better impact on how they view you and their willingness to open up. Speak about unique topics, not just surface topics.

2. Seize introductions to highlight people: Recently, I attended a baby shower. Before I attended the baby shower, I made sure to ask my girlfriend who would be in attendance. Without realizing it, she had given me the rundown of everyone who would be there. So, I took a mental note. While I went around and introduced myself, I made sure to highlight a few things about the people I met. For example, an amazing photographer was there as a guest, and during the introduction process, I made sure to say, “It’s so nice to meet you. I heard so many great things about you. I heard that you are an amazing photographer. I would love to see some of your work later.” As soon as the photographer and I met, we instantly connected.

3. Listen to learn more about the person you meet instead of listening to respond: When you listen and let people talk, they feel pleasure.

4. Highlight awesomeness and emphasize their strengths: Humans love positive labels. Labels improve our self-image and gently push us to be better.

5. Be excited when others are excited: Mirror their positives. For example: When someone says, “It’s so nice to meet you,” I would give a similar response such as “It was so nice to have chatted with you!”

6. Do not try to impress people: You can accelerate your learning pace by drawing from the strengths of others. I love walking away from convos with extra knowledge because I listened vs. talked.

We remember people who make us feel good and make us want to be the best version of ourselves. A few months, back a girlfriend and I were talking, and this particular talk lasted for a good hour. We talked about upcoming projects and career goals we were working towards. I remember walking away from that conversation feeling so energized and inspired. In that hour-long talk, my friend listened to me and “highlighted my awesomeness.” Two things she said that inspired me were, “Brittany, you don’t give yourself enough credit. You downplay yourself.” In that convo, she was an amazing listener. It wasn’t about what she heard but how she responded. That conversation made me want to become better.