Interaction with a stranger

3.2 Interaction with a stranger

 Today the topic is about how to communicate with a stranger in a foreign country.

First, meet with people If you are new in a country, say Canada or the U.S.A., and want to make acquaintance with local people, you need to seek for opportunities of meeting with people by signing as a member of a professional association, join a hobby group, or go to church.

Start a conversation. Take the first step, approach someone standing alone, or in a group of three or more people.

Introduce yourself. Help people to remember your name by spelling it, writing it down, handing them your business card, or associating your name with something.

Using a surrounding object as an anchor. At a talk, you can say, “The speaker is doing a great job. What do you think about that?”

At a cafe, while queuing up to get your drinks, you can say, “I love the dark chocolate mocha here. Have you tried it before?”

Drop a compliment. Compliments are a great way to reduce social distance, remove tension, and open someone up. Drop a compliment to other people and make them smile. You can say.

"I like your bag! Very classy. Did you just buy it?" You can also compliment on a person’s performance. “Great job on the presentation this morning, Max. Everyone was talking about it just now!”

During the conversation, you can talk about yourself. What did you do recently? What are your goals for the next three months? You can ask for advice. People love to help. Helping makes them feel important. You can ask, “I’m currently working on this project and I hope to achieve it. What do you think?” Or, “I’ve been thinking about something for the past few days. I could use with a new perspective. What are your thoughts?”

During the conversation, be a good listener. Listen carefully, smile, make eye contact, show sincere warmth and interest in the topics that your conversation partner brings up.

Don’t ask about religious beliefs.

Don’t ask about weight.

Don’t discuss health problems. Don’t say, “What’s wrong? You look so tired. Are you okay?” It will only make western people feel bad.

Don’t ask why someone isn’t married, or childless.

Don’t ask about how much someone paid for car, house, jacket or shoes

Don’t make negative remarks about what people say. Don’t say, “I tried that. It did not work.”

Rather, you could say, “How would that work?”

Laughing with people is a wonderful way to create friendship with a stranger. Tell jokes and laugh at yourself, but never at other people. Avoid telling jokes related to sex, politics and religion. It is easy to offend somebody without realizing it

Finally, how to end a conversation? A good way to end the conversation is to say, “That’s a good point, Bill. I’ve really enjoyed our conversation.” When you leave, you don’t need an excuse. Simply say, “It’s been a pleasure talking to you.” Shake hands, and move on. If possible, introduce your conversation partner to someone else, so you don’t leave him hanging.

In sum, if you know how to tell about yourself, ask for advice, give compliments, tell jokes, you will definitely have a happy conversation with a stranger.

Thank you for your attention. Have a good day!  

Practice