How do you feel about talking to strangers? It's one step deeper than people watching, but it is quite a leap forward. I enjoy it. I also make sure I cut the conversation off fairly early in the game, and there are exceptions. Keeping the conversation short (1.) doesn't creep out the stranger, invading their privacy and (2.) keeps a sense of mystery that allows me to hypothesize the stranger's life. In the short amount of interaction time, I am also careful to convince the stranger that I have no ulterior motives for talking to them.
With my heavy traveling these past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to observe some interactions at the airport and on the airplane. People's reactions are difficult to generalize. I met a flight attendant traveling as a passenger and a man and his sister on their way to vacation in Santa Fe who were all conversation initiators. That makes it easy for me. I insert a few questions and comments and these conversation initiators keep on going. The airplane is a great place for perfect strangers. The storytellers come from all different cities going to a new city with a mission in mind. So, there is always a topic to talk about and a new perspective to learn from.
I met a twenty-something hippie (who was reading The Story of B and instantly earned cool points) and a late forties woman that I initiated the conversations by sharing the delicious, Christmas cookies my friend generously sent me. Both reactions were very inviting and a bit shocking that I would share my cookies. I certainly didn't stick around to swap life stories, but these small interactions have big impacts. I could tell they both felt more comfortable sitting near me on the plane. The hippie and I silently nodded a farewell as I walked off the plane and the woman made short comments throughout the flight to me.
People love to connect with one another, but it is difficult for some people to break the initial barrier of conversation. For some, to do so is even abnormal and makes them uncomfortable. I hope more people open up the opportunity to meet others in our daily, physical lives to the point that talking to strangers is as unintimidating as friending a new person on an online social network. Meeting people the old fashion way is so much more rewarding than the online avenues.
With my heavy traveling these past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to observe some interactions at the airport and on the airplane. People's reactions are difficult to generalize. I met a flight attendant traveling as a passenger and a man and his sister on their way to vacation in Santa Fe who were all conversation initiators. That makes it easy for me. I insert a few questions and comments and these conversation initiators keep on going. The airplane is a great place for perfect strangers. The storytellers come from all different cities going to a new city with a mission in mind. So, there is always a topic to talk about and a new perspective to learn from.
I met a twenty-something hippie (who was reading The Story of B and instantly earned cool points) and a late forties woman that I initiated the conversations by sharing the delicious, Christmas cookies my friend generously sent me. Both reactions were very inviting and a bit shocking that I would share my cookies. I certainly didn't stick around to swap life stories, but these small interactions have big impacts. I could tell they both felt more comfortable sitting near me on the plane. The hippie and I silently nodded a farewell as I walked off the plane and the woman made short comments throughout the flight to me.
People love to connect with one another, but it is difficult for some people to break the initial barrier of conversation. For some, to do so is even abnormal and makes them uncomfortable. I hope more people open up the opportunity to meet others in our daily, physical lives to the point that talking to strangers is as unintimidating as friending a new person on an online social network. Meeting people the old fashion way is so much more rewarding than the online avenues.
