Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 2: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 2: tip is to offer little, visible hints about what you're
Speaker 2: interested in. This will make it easier for people to
Speaker 2: strike up a conversation with you, which can make the
Speaker 2: world feel a little smaller and more warm. Today's tip
Speaker 2: was inspired by an article in The New York Times
Speaker 2: by Jillian Sandstrom. She recommends initiating conversations with people whose
Speaker 2: interests are visible.
Speaker 1: As she puts it. To illustrate what she means, the
Speaker 1: article offers the example of a band, t shirt, a
Speaker 1: museum tote bag, an antique brooch, or a book the
Speaker 1: person is reading. Each gives a little window into what
Speaker 1: the person likes in starting a conversation. It would seem
Speaker 1: to help if you also like that band or museum,
Speaker 1: or into classic jewelry, or have read something by the
Speaker 1: author of that book. But even if the visible interest
Speaker 1: isn't one you share, you can feel reasonably confident that
Speaker 1: the other person may be open to chatting about it
Speaker 1: if you mention it. This seems like a great idea,
Speaker 1: and I would propose a twist on it, which is
Speaker 1: an additional way to invite connection, make your own interests
Speaker 1: visible to the broader world. For instance, if you love
Speaker 1: talking about your cat, make a photo of your cat
Speaker 1: the wallpaper for your cell phone. Use a keyring promoting
Speaker 1: an arts organization you love. Sport a conversation starter scarf
Speaker 1: that you bought when you were trapped in a place
Speaker 1: you find special. Carry a tope bag with a quote
Speaker 1: from the obscure Victorian novel that you have read a
Speaker 1: dozen times. Where athletic attires celebrating your favorite team or
Speaker 1: your alma mater. Little hints at what you're into can
Speaker 1: serve as invitations for like minded people to say hello.
Speaker 1: I can tell you, for example, that when my husband
Speaker 1: wears a Texas A and M T shirt, people randomly
Speaker 1: come up to him on the street and say gig em.
Speaker 1: Most of these actions are fun but brief. Occasionally, though,
Speaker 1: people connect with him about someone they both knew, or
Speaker 1: an era at the school. Not only do visible interests
Speaker 1: make it easier for strangers to strike up a conversation,
Speaker 1: they can also seed conversations with acquaintances. Swag from the
Speaker 1: college you attended, or photo of you and your family
Speaker 1: at a favorite travel desc nation or calendar with images
Speaker 1: from an artist you love. Items like these on your
Speaker 1: desk or in your zoom background can offer a starting
Speaker 1: point for chitchat with people you already know. Suddenly Mark
Speaker 1: from accounting becomes Mark who also loves Matisse and wants
Speaker 1: to know if you've ever been to the Barns. You
Speaker 1: and the quiet assistant from the marketing team start trading
Speaker 1: recommendations of your favorite New Orleans restaurants, and you eagerly
Speaker 1: await her report before that Monday meeting. When you know
Speaker 1: she recently went back there for a weekend. Your fellow
Speaker 1: Alabama alum starts signing her emails to you roll tide role,
Speaker 1: and your world starts to feel pleasantly small. So if
Speaker 1: you want more connection in your life, try making your
Speaker 1: interests visible. Consider what you like to chat about, and
Speaker 1: identify cues to let people know of those interests. In
Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's
Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening
Speaker 1: to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
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Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.