How to Make Friends in Person – 10 Simple Techniques to Develop a Friendship

You’re definitely not alone if you have trouble forming new friendships.

While it might be difficult to meet people who truly click with you as an adult, as COVID restrictions expire, we all want social connection more than ever, making this a great time to meet new people.

The following guidelines will help to maximize your chances of making friends…

How to make friend

1. Find a common interest – make friends based on shared interests and values

This is one of the best ways to develop new friendships; finding other people who share your passions and core beliefs.

Search for events and groups related to your favorite activities or hobbies, join volunteer organizations, and attend conferences, seminars, meet-ups, support groups and other events that will enable you to meet like-minded people.

2. Don’t be afraid of rejection and don’t give up

It’s hard, I know; but even if it takes a while for you to find someone who clicks with you, remember that there are plenty of quality people out there.

Just keep at it. The right person will come along when you least expect it, and you don’t want to miss out on potential friends because you were too afraid of rejection.

3. Give yourself permission not to like everyone

Being picky about who we choose as friends is a reasonable thing; we all know that not all people are created equal and that not everyone makes a good friend.

So give yourself permission to pass on certain potential friends; it’s better to be alone than with the wrong people.

On the other hand, you shouldn’t settle for just anyone who offers to be your friend.

Give yourself freedom and avoid making yourself vulnerable to people who don’t truly value friendship.

4. Be open-minded

Having an open mind helps us create new friendships and allows us to make friends in unusual places; like, when you’re learning a new skill, join a group that practices this skill and you’ll meet others who enjoy it as much as you do.

For example, if you want to learn how to crochet, check out your local yarn store and attend beginner classes until you find a group of people with similar interests.

5. Don’t get discouraged by rejection

Again, rejection is a tough but necessary part of the process.

Don’t take it personally or let it discourage you from trying to make new friends.

Every time you go out and meet others, whether it’s going on a trip alone or attending a social event, your chance to make friends gets better.

6. Use the buddy system to meet new people

Whether you go out to events or meetings alone or with a friend, use your friends as an excuse to start conversations with other people.

If there’s someone who looks like they could be a good friend, ask your friend if he/she knows them and then introduce yourself. You’ll get a conversation going and a potential new friend.

7. Find shared interests that you can talk about

Don’t be picky, find something that you have in common with the other person no matter how minor, and focus on talking about this interest as much as possible during your conversation.

This shared interest will help to mold your fledgling friendship into something that will grow and develop, making it more likely that you’ll be able to form a lasting friendship.

8. Use body language effectively

Your tone of voice and your body language is key when it comes to making friends with people;

you can share an interest through words but your non-verbal cues communicate volumes about yourself.

For example, if you’re shy and nervous, your body language might send the wrong signals to someone; they may think that you don’t want to make friends with them when really it’s the opposite.

So even if you are afraid of rejection or failure, take a deep breath and give it another shot.

9. Don’t get discouraged by the seemingly insurmountable barrier

It can seem like a big obstacle to making new friends; it might feel like you don’t know where to start and that making friends is an impossible task.

But keep in mind that rejection and failure are two of the most important steps toward success; if you never fail, you’ll never learn and improve.

Let rejection push you to try new, daring things and if you do fail, don’t be discouraged because it’s all part of the process of learning how to make friends.

• See also: The ways building strong and long-lasting connections
• See also: How commitment phobia is weakening your friendships

10. Don’t feel pressured to go out alone

If you’re not comfortable with going out by yourself, don’t do it just because you think that this is the only way that you can meet people.

Instead, find someone who is also looking for friends and go with them to your favorite event or trip, like the gym or a day at the park.

And don’t worry if there is another person with who you end up making friends, that’s part of the process of forming new friendships.

Take your time and enjoy yourself when meeting others, who knows what can happen?

The more open you are about it the better.

That person may not be your best friend but they may be able to introduce you to someone who is.

If the worst happens, don’t get all down in the dumps about it; just sit back and think of what went wrong so that next time you can try something different.

Summary 

The next step is to do it, try and meet new people.

If you don’t like the results (most likely this will happen) then go back and analyze what went wrong and try again.

Just remember that there is no rush and in the end…you are your company so if you are not having fun, how can you expect your friends to have fun?

There is no rush, just take things slow.

knowing all of this it’s much easier to say the best thing you can do now is try to go out more often and realize that if you didn’t meet anyone today, it doesn’t mean anything tomorrow will be different.