How Do I Break the Ice When I'm Talking to Someone New?

Make sure your greeting is appropriate to the situation or occasion.

Breaking the ice is an idiom that refers to the process of the interactions between two people who do not know each other to become more relaxed with each other. Being that our social interactions are unique to the people that we interact with, it may be difficult to determine how to break the ice when you meet someone for the first time. Knowing how to do this will come in handy the next time you meet someone new.

Instructions

1. Relax and be yourself. It sounds like a given, but often when we meet others we want to be accepted and that leads us to conform to a persona that we think is more desirable. When you drop any of that pretense you will come off as more genuine, which can result in the other person feeling more comfortable with you. If you are someone who is usually extroverted, consider toning it down for the initial ice-breaking stage.

2. Be a good listener. Show a sincere interest in what the other person is talking about. Maintain good eye contact. Smile and nod, when appropriate. Engage by asking follow up questions or inputting appropriate feedback to the conversation.

3. Be funny. Using a natural ability for making people laugh is always a good way to break the ice. If your humor is more of an acquired taste, you may want to tread carefully in the ice-breaking stage. Stay away from making jokes about people that come across as mean. Also avoid making jokes about race, religion or politics, as these subjects can be considered offensive.

4. Find out about out of the ordinary interests. There are a few basic talking points to get to know someone new, such as what they like to do for fun, what they do for work, how long they have lived in the area or if they have seen any good movies lately. These are fine talking points, but don't be afraid to get creative and branch out a little. The idea is to get to know about each other, so subjects like most hated food or weirdest thing ever seen are examples of how to broaden the scope of what you know about each other.

5. Don't brag or be self-effacing. When talking about yourself to someone new, there is a fine line that you want to walk. You do not want to come off as too self-involved by bragging about your accomplishments, what you drive or how much money you make. You also don't want to be too down on yourself. Somewhere right in the middle is where you should keep the conversation about yourself.

6. Stay positive. Try to maintain a smile and never frown when meeting someone new. Don't derail the conversation into negative grounds, at all costs. If a touchy or uncomfortable subject is inadvertently brought up, attempt to divert the conversation in a different direction.

References

• All Women Stalk: 10 Tips to Break the Ice with Someone New