By: Cami Lewis
I noticed 3 major things when I attempted this:
1. People love to talk about themselves
I noticed that every time I tried talking to someone new, the easiest way to get them talking was asking them something about themselves. I think this is because it is easy to talk about yourself. It’s easy to go on and on because there are endless conversations there. People also feel comfortable talking about themselves because it is one of the few topics they are fully educated on, and won’t get wrong. When you are first meeting someone, the last thing you want to do is say something incorrect, have them correct you, then be afraid that they think you’re stupid.
2. The easiest way to establish common ground is to say “I want to go home”
For the most part, everyone responded “me too” and then described why they wanted to go home. Some conversations were just small talk, while others felt more real. I found that this was one of the more successful conversation starters I tried.
3. Compliment them once and they will love you forever
One compliment can make someone’s entire day. Complimenting them made them more prone to open up and have a conversation that was more than just small talk.
This was a challenge. Going in, I thought it would be easier to make friends with the girls who sit near me. I found it was much easier to talk to girls rather than boys. I think this is because most girls are way nicer than boys can be. Also, I had mutual friends with some of the girls in my classes, so I figured they would be the best people to try to become friends with.
First and second period were probably the easiest, because I have the most down time/independent work time.
I noticed people are much less talkative in more rigorous classes, such as Math or English. This could be because they don’t enjoy the class, so are not really in the mood to chat it up. It could also be because they really need to focus in order to be successful, and don’t have time or energy to have a full conversation/develop a friendship.
While trying this, I really noticed how much effort goes into creating new relationships. It started to feel like a chore, taking time out of class every day to attempt to start a relationship that probably wouldn’t last. Despite this, I continued. I kept talking to the girls around me, starting conversations, giving compliments, everything.
I told myself I would continue to try to forge real friendships for a month. Once the month was over, I found that I was mostly successful. I had more people to wave at in the hallways, more people to walk with to class, and overall just a more positive school experience. So if you’re ever bored in class, I highly recommend giving this a try.
Camryn Lewis
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