“Only connect” said the British novelist E.M. Forster. But how exactly do we reach out to strangers?
We may get some inspiration from a wildly popular blog called Humans of New York. Since its 2010 launch, it has accumulated millions of followers on social media and is now a bestselling book.
Brandon Santon, 30, is the creator of the blog. He has made it a habit of approaching people on the streets of New York City and asking them for a photograph and a chat. He has managed to get thousands of complete strangers to open up to him with personal stories of their friendships, struggles, fears, loves and losses.
In a recent talk he gave at University College Dublin, Ireland, Stanton explained how to strike up a relationship with strangers. A piece of important advice is that reaching out to strangers is all about the energy.
Actually, what you say isn’t really important. Socializing is not about showing off how well you can speak. Stanton says he realized that “after repeated attempts, it had not much to do with the words I was saying. It’s all about the energy that you’re giving off”. The worst energy you can give off is nervousness, Stanton said. Be calm and try to “turn the atmosphere of fear, strangeness and uncomfortableness into an atmosphere of intimacy”.
When starting a conversation, keep it simple. Try beginning with an experience that you and the stranger are both experiencing together. Breaking the ice is easier when you can create a connection with the stranger.
And don’t be afraid of rejection. Confidence can’t be taught in a classroom, Stanton says. You have to earn it. People also subconsciously evaluate you according to how you act, he added. So practice, practice and practice.
Challenge yourself to talk to one stranger a day, every day, for 30 days. If you’re walking past someone on the sidewalk, say “Hi”. Even if he or she doesn’t stop for a chat, your job is done for that day. This exercise will help you get used to talking to people you don’t know and form the habit of being more social.
70. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Friends benefit us in general. B. How to communicate with others?
C. How to break the ice with strangers? D. Strangers offer help to us sometimes.
71. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
A. It may be beneficial to us to read through Humans of New York.
B. Giving out energy will help us make friends with strangers we meet.
C. Brandon Stanton is a man who is good at communicating with strangers.
D. We should start conversations with something in common with strangers.
72. Why should people start a conversation with something in common with a stranger?
A. Because they always keep a conversation simple.
B. Because the strangers are always afraid of unfamiliar topics.
C. Because it is easier to form a friendly connection with the stranger.
D. Because it will make the conversation more interesting than unfamiliar topics.
73. How should you begin a conversation with strangers?
A. By talking with them cautiously.
B. By sitting down in a quiet atmosphere.
C. By challenging them with a tough question.
D. By greeting them regardless of their responses.
74. What important qualities should people have when talking to a stranger?
a. calmness b. rejection c. confidence d. honesty
A. a, b, c. B. b, c, d . C. a, b, d. D. a, c, d.
75. What can we infer from the passage?
A. People should be tolerant and patient when talking with a stranger.
B. Humans of New York has sold millions of books since its founding.
C. What people say isn’t important at all when communicating with strangers.
D. Greeting a stranger every day will surely make people sociable in the future.