You want to make new friends, but are finding it difficult to take the first steps to get to these meaningful and sometimes lifelong relationships. Following are some suggestions on how to converse with and engage in insightful conversations with potential friends.

The best next step would be to continue your conversations by meeting again in the near future. It may sound difficult, but it truly is not if you follow these ideas for how to make friends with someone you just met.

Ask open-ended questions
You don’t want a conversation to go stale once you meet strangers and begin talking to someone you have just met. The best way to prevent this from happening is to ask open-ended questions that will require the other person to answer at length. These questions could include questions such as:

-What cities have you lived in (or visited)?
-What are your favorite foods?
-What types of jobs and careers have you had in your lifetime?
-Tell me about your favorite hobbies.
As you can see, these questions need more than just one-word answers. After the conversation gets going, you may find that it is difficult to stop. You will begin interjecting your own thoughts and opinions on the subject matter and will soon find yourself conversing on a new level.

Maintain positive body language
When you meet strangers and engage in lengthy conversations, it is important to watch your body language. The other person may pick up on negative body stances and cut the meeting short. For example, do not stand with your arms crossed; it tells the other person that you have put up your defenses and are not sure about this new meeting. Relax your arms and shoulders and, if possible, sit down so you don’t look like you want to run at the first opportunity. Don’t fidget either, as it makes it appear that you have little time and want to be somewhere else.

Suggest future meetings
As soon as you can discern that you and the other person are off to a great start as friends, make suggestions to meet at a future date. Make it casual so you can continue your conversation where you left off. Do not meet at your home until you fully know and trust the other person. A happy hour would be the perfect time and place to explore your friendship more. You can also set up events with a social club app so you and your new friend can meet new people and expand your social circle.

Learning how to meet new people and how to make friends does not have to be a huge challenge. Your efforts may not always be successful, but just chalk them up to practice. Continue your efforts and learn how to make friends, and a whole new world will open up to you.

Making new friends is not an easy task, but it is extremely fulfilling. Once you start learning these steps and utilizing them in your day-to-day interactions, you may find that you truly are a very social person!