WEBVTT - Make it easy to strike up a conversation

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 2>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 2>tip is to offer little, visible hints about what you're

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<v Speaker 2>interested in. This will make it easier for people to

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<v Speaker 2>strike up a conversation with you, which can make the

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<v Speaker 2>world feel a little smaller and more warm. Today's tip

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<v Speaker 2>was inspired by an article in The New York Times

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<v Speaker 2>by Jillian Sandstrom. She recommends initiating conversations with people whose

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<v Speaker 2>interests are visible.

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<v Speaker 1>As she puts it. To illustrate what she means, the

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<v Speaker 1>article offers the example of a band, t shirt, a

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<v Speaker 1>museum tote bag, an antique brooch, or a book the

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<v Speaker 1>person is reading. Each gives a little window into what

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<v Speaker 1>the person likes in starting a conversation. It would seem

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<v Speaker 1>to help if you also like that band or museum,

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<v Speaker 1>or into classic jewelry, or have read something by the

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<v Speaker 1>author of that book. But even if the visible interest

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<v Speaker 1>isn't one you share, you can feel reasonably confident that

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<v Speaker 1>the other person may be open to chatting about it

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<v Speaker 1>if you mention it. This seems like a great idea,

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<v Speaker 1>and I would propose a twist on it, which is

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<v Speaker 1>an additional way to invite connection, make your own interests

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<v Speaker 1>visible to the broader world. For instance, if you love

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<v Speaker 1>talking about your cat, make a photo of your cat

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<v Speaker 1>the wallpaper for your cell phone. Use a keyring promoting

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<v Speaker 1>an arts organization you love. Sport a conversation starter scarf

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<v Speaker 1>that you bought when you were trapped in a place

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<v Speaker 1>you find special. Carry a tope bag with a quote

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<v Speaker 1>from the obscure Victorian novel that you have read a

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<v Speaker 1>dozen times. Where athletic attires celebrating your favorite team or

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<v Speaker 1>your alma mater. Little hints at what you're into can

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<v Speaker 1>serve as invitations for like minded people to say hello.

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<v Speaker 1>I can tell you, for example, that when my husband

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<v Speaker 1>wears a Texas A and M T shirt, people randomly

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<v Speaker 1>come up to him on the street and say gig em.

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<v Speaker 1>Most of these actions are fun but brief. Occasionally, though,

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<v Speaker 1>people connect with him about someone they both knew, or

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<v Speaker 1>an era at the school. Not only do visible interests

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<v Speaker 1>make it easier for strangers to strike up a conversation,

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<v Speaker 1>they can also seed conversations with acquaintances. Swag from the

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<v Speaker 1>college you attended, or photo of you and your family

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<v Speaker 1>at a favorite travel desc nation or calendar with images

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<v Speaker 1>from an artist you love. Items like these on your

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<v Speaker 1>desk or in your zoom background can offer a starting

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<v Speaker 1>point for chitchat with people you already know. Suddenly Mark

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<v Speaker 1>from accounting becomes Mark who also loves Matisse and wants

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<v Speaker 1>to know if you've ever been to the Barns. You

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<v Speaker 1>and the quiet assistant from the marketing team start trading

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<v Speaker 1>recommendations of your favorite New Orleans restaurants, and you eagerly

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<v Speaker 1>await her report before that Monday meeting. When you know

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<v Speaker 1>she recently went back there for a weekend. Your fellow

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<v Speaker 1>Alabama alum starts signing her emails to you roll tide role,

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<v Speaker 1>and your world starts to feel pleasantly small. So if

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<v Speaker 1>you want more connection in your life, try making your

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<v Speaker 1>interests visible. Consider what you like to chat about, and

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<v Speaker 1>identify cues to let people know of those interests. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening

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<v Speaker 1>to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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