How to become more open to communication

In today’s world, where social networks and messengers are actively developing, people have almost completely switched to virtual communication. In this regard, it has become much more difficult for them to build a dialog and find a common language in real life. Many people also have difficulties in expressing their opinions or speaking in public.

But it is quite possible to cope with this problem, if you set a goal and make every effort. But what do you need in order not to feel awkward when communicating? First, let’s try to understand what the term “open person” means.

Openness – what is it?

There are certain character qualities that distinguish an open-minded person. These include, for example, responsiveness and kindness, as well as honesty, freedom and sincerity. Such people easily express their opinions and thoughts about any situation, share their experience and knowledge, helping others in difficult circumstances. They never hide their defeats or victories, they can quite tell about weak or strong features of their personality.

An open-minded person likes to communicate with people, and gladly makes new acquaintances. He can easily support any conversation, can also become someone who will listen to the interlocutor and support, if necessary. Therefore, openness is considered to be the ability to accept another person’s view of the world, as well as the ability to easily tell about their view of the world to others.

What traits can be used to identify an open-minded person

Psychologists distinguish the following list of characteristic features that are peculiar to open-minded people:

• Optimistic, with his own personal opinions that he is not afraid to express, outgoing, who enjoys contact with other people;
• Mercy and humanity in all its manifestations;
• Curiosity and interest in learning about and trust in the world;
• Such people are free from various prejudices and complexes, as well as quite stable in psychological terms;
• Positive Attitude;
• Confidence in yourself and your own abilities;
• The ability to recognize your mistakes as well as draw the right conclusions from these situations;
• Honesty – both with yourself and those around you;
• Emotional stability and psychological flexibility;
• Ability to find an approach to each person during communication;
• Negative attitudes toward prejudice;

But there are some nuances, because sometimes people consider themselves open, but in fact, their behavior is more about intrusiveness or tactlessness. An open person never interferes with unsolicited advice or help. He is well aware of personal boundaries, so he clearly built his own, but also tries not to violate others. There are situations when it will be appropriate to behave more restrained than by habit to show openness and sincerity.

How do you become an outgoing person?

Communicating with people can be compared to sharing your worldview with them. And it is up to you to decide how much you are ready to open up to others.

Sociability is not innate, it is a skill that everyone can develop if they want to. It is important not to stop if you encounter failures, you should not give up. It is always worth going to your goal, despite the number of failed attempts. It is necessary to follow the recommendations of a psychologist, and then everything will work out:

• Start communicating more with different people. If it is difficult for you to realize this point in real life, you can start with social networks or thematic forums. You should not choose all the topics in a row, but only those that are really interesting to you, and you will be able to support the conversation. By sharing your opinion or experience from life, most likely there will be many like-minded people with whom you can establish contact and continue the conversation. Many new acquaintances and even friends can be found on com. In ordinary life, this advice will also be relevant, because in any company you can find points of contact with people or opinions similar to yours.
• Try to be sincere and honest. If you tell a story that did not really happen, sooner or later it will become clear to the others. Then you may get into an unpleasant situation, and there will be obvious tension in communication. Interlocutors will stop trusting you, and there will be no further conversation. If you find it difficult to open up, it is better not to make up facts, but to tell something more realistic, albeit less vivid.
• Share more information about yourself. Of course, you should not tell everything, but some key and interesting moments from your biography will be quite appropriate – it will help to make the interlocutor feel at ease.
• Treat the people you are communicating with with respect. Don’t interrupt people and don’t talk endlessly without letting others say a word. Learn to listen attentively to the storyteller, because sometimes it is so important that someone just listens to the person. Perhaps you can help the person in his situation or give advice.
• Show interest in the affairs of the other person. However, do not be too intrusive, your questions should not strain the interlocutor, do not violate his/her boundaries.
• Smiling is an important element in communication between people. You can also use self-irony and humor, so you can make a new person feel at ease and build rapport.
• It will never be superfluous to compliment or praise the person with whom you are having a conversation. However, it should be sincere, because if in reality you do not think so, the person will definitely feel this falsity.
• Gestures and facial expressions are also important in a conversation. When you sit in an open posture – it is immediately clear that you are honest and quite friendly. If your legs are crossed and you are constantly looking at your watch, your interlocutor will realize that your conversation is boring.
• Addressing people by their first name is a confirmation that you are showing sincere attention to the person. Even Dale Carnegie once said that more than anything else in the world any person likes to hear his or her name from others.

These tips will definitely help you to become more open and free, easily find common language with any interlocutor, establish both personal and business contacts. And remember that any skill can be developed – so try and you will succeed!