How to Make Friends in a New Place

Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People is easily one of society's most popular books over the course of time. This is no accident. Most people are concerned with making good friends. In this article, I will give some tips for making friends.

The key to friends is choosing the right friends. Before you can make any friends, you should sit down and try to figure out what kind of friends you want to associate with. This is especially a good idea for a person who is embarking on a new experience, such as going to college for the first time or starting a new life in a new city. If you are anything like me, then you want to associate with people who are similar to you. Do you want people who do the same sort of things that you do? Think about the identifying characteristics of your old friends and try to find people who are similar to that.

One great way to find friends is to look for groups that are in your local area that focus on a certain skill or bring together people who are like you. Is there a religious group that your are associated with? At my college, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes group brought together people who were interested in the same things. This made for some great and meaningful friendships. Never join in with a group of people just because you want to be a part of the crowd. If you do not like what they are about, then do not hang out with these folks.

Be yourself around the people that you meet. This is a good way to set a nice precedent for later experiences. If you make friends based upon some false pretense, then your friendships will never last. If the people like you for whom you are, then you will have something meaningful. If you are a goofy guy or gal, then continue to be that same goofy person when you meet new people.

A great thing to remember when trying to make friends is to remember people's names. People often love their names and because of that, it will be important to them. Repeat a person's name a few times in order to remember it. When you get done talking to a person, write down his or her name for your own personal recollection. This is a great way to make sure you stay on top of these things. This way, when you see that person again, you will be able to identify them by their name. This goes a long way in making a favorable impression.