10 Ways To Meet New People

It’s always great to make new friends and meet new people, whether you’re new in town and don’t know anyone, or you already have a group of friends. It’s awesome to meet new people and add to the diversity of relationships that you have. But meeting people can seem daunting when you first start out. Here’s 10 ways to meet new [people and make new friends.



1.    Get out. This is probably the most important thing you need to do to meet people. You’ll never meet anyone if you’re sitting at home by yourself. New friends aren’t going to just come knocking on your door. There are tons of cool people out there that will make awesome friends for you, but you need to get out to find them. It might be tempting to just veg out at home in your sweats every night, but you’ll never meet anyone that way. Even if you’re just studying or want to read, go out and do it at a coffee shop. You’re at least out in the world and have increased your chances of interaction with other people, which is the first step to making new friends.

2.    Make conversation. You’ve got to talk to people in order to make friends, so just get into the habit of chatting with people wherever you go. Talk to the barista next time you get coffee, the guys at the bike shop next time you go for a tune-up, or the person in line behind you at the Apple store. Talk about the weather, movies, upcoming holidays – anything. The key is to get into the habit of talking to people that you don’t know and getting comfortable with it. It also shows other people that you’re friendly and inviting, making them want to get to know you better.

3.    Look around you. You might have some really cool people around you that you already know, but you’re too focused on your existing friends to notice. There might be a cool girl on your softball team that you could get to know better or a guy in your running group that seems interesting. Open your eyes and look around at who you already know.

4.    Expand your circle. Get into the habit of making your hangouts with your friends have a “the more the merrier” policy. If you and your friends are really closed off and exclusive, it makes it hard to meet new people. But if you get into the habit of everyone feeling comfortable enough to bring their cousin along or another friend to the things you do together, you’ll quickly expand your circle of friends.

5.    Try something new. Have you always wanted to take a kickboxing class or photography lessons? Now is the time to get out there and do it. Trying something new will open you up to a whole new group of people that you weren’t exposed to before, so you never know who you’ll meet.

6.    Socialize your hobbies. If you’re into knitting or mountain biking or any hobby that you usually do solo, consider making it more social. Is there a club or a group that you could join instead of just doing it by yourself? This is a great way to meet other people that you’ll instantly have something in common with, which is often the basis for great friendships.

7.    Say “yes”. Make a habit of saying yes to every invitation you receive for the next month. When your neighbor invites you to their BBQ or your friend invites you to watch their kid brother’s little league game, just say yes. You’ll expose yourself to a ton of different scenarios and will open yourself up to meeting lots of new people.

8.    Be open-minded. Don’t judge someone before you have a chance to talk to them or get to know them. You might be missing out on some great potential friends because you don’t love the way the dress or you make assumptions about them. Be open-minded and give everyone a fair chance. You’ll be surprised that some of the coolest people you get to know might not be the ones that you thought.

9.    Check your body language. Attract others to you by being open and friendly. Sitting in the back of the room with your arms crossed and your headphones in is usually gives off the vibe that you want people to stay away. Notice your body language and what impression you’re giving off.

10.  Smile. This is such a simple action but it goes a long way in meeting new friends. It shows that you’re friendly, inviting, happy, unintimidating, and on and on. The list of positive attributes that a smile can convey is endless. It’s an easy way of letting people know that you’re a nice person that they’ll want to get to know.