It’s not easy meeting new people, especially if you feel particularly shy. It is much easier to just walk by a person and never make eye contact. This may be OK at the store, but what if you’re at a convention, a trade fair or even a local festival. That person that you just walked past could be a valuable contact. Or they could know someone you want to know. They also could be a jerk. But you’ll never know unless you put yourself out there and find out for sure.

　　結識新朋友并不容易，如果你又是個害羞的人，那就更難了。直接從別人身邊經過并避開眼神接觸要自在得多。倘若這是在商店，那倒也無所謂;但若是參加會議、商展或當地節日，可就不太好了，你剛剛經過的那個人說不定就是潛在人脈，或許他們甚至認識你一直想結識的人，當然，他們也可能只是傻逼。可是，除非主動跟人搭話，否則你永遠也不知道他們究竟是怎樣的人。

　　Will some people reject you and not want to talk to you? Yes. But who cares? For every 10 people you talk, one or two of them could become valuable connections — or lifelong friends. What have you got to lose?

　　會不會有人直接甩臉懶得跟你搭話呢?當然會，可誰在乎?你跟10個人搭話，就有一兩個人可能是潛在人脈——甚至終生朋友。你還有什么好吃虧的?

　　Here are a few ways you can overcome your fear and turn strangers into new connections:

　　學習下面幾個方法，你就可以克服恐懼，把陌生人變為新朋友啦!

　　1. Say “Hi.”

　　說“嗨!”

　　Just say “Hi,” to someone. You’d be amazed at how quickly you get a friendly response. When I worked in restaurants, we often had rules like, “say hello within a minute of someone walking in” or “answer the phone within three rings.”

　　僅僅“嗨”一聲打個招呼，你也會發現對方竟很快報以友好回應。我在酒店工作時，酒店里的規定就是“客人進門一分鐘內要打招呼”或“電話鈴響三聲就要接應”。

　　Practice with people wherever you are – the grocery store, the bank, the farmers’ market. Just say “hello” and smile. You’ll be amazed by how many people respond.

　　請學著隨時隨地遇人打招呼。去雜貨店、菜場或銀行時，請微笑著說“你好”。你會驚訝地發現，很多人都會友好地回應你。

　　2. Look Approachable

　　表現得可親可近。

　　How you look and act says a lot about how people react to you. No, this doesn’t mean you have to wear a coat and tie. In fact, being in more relaxed clothing might make you seem more approachable. Your body language is key. Are slumped over, looking at the ground? Straighten up! Look ahead and make eye contact with people as you walk by, even if you don’t stop to talk.

　　你的言行舉止很能反應別人對待你的態度。別誤會，這不是說你必須穿得西裝筆挺。其實，著裝休閑點反倒會讓你看上去容易親近。肢體語言很關鍵。是不是萎靡不振盯著地面了?趕緊挺直腰板吧!就算不準備搭話，也請抬頭挺胸，跟經過的人眼神接觸吧。

　　When someone is near you, make sure you look receptive. Don’t cross your arms over your chest. Instead, put your arms down, or behind your back, making your body look more open. Smile or at least relax your face so you don’t look tense.

　　當有人靠近時，請表現得可親些。不要胳膊交叉著抱胸;相反，你應該放下胳膊，或背到后面去，讓整個人顯得開放些。請微笑，或者至少放松面部表情，以免顯得太緊張。

　　3. Assume the other person is shy

　　假設對方比較害羞。

　　So if you’re shy and they’re shy, how are you going to meet? Well, since you’re the one reading this article, you have the advantage and can assume the other person is too shy to say anything. So, overcome your fear and walk over to them. Talk about the weather or baseball or if they’re holding a book or magazine, ask what they’re reading. You’d be amazed at how many connections are made by simply saying, “some weather we’re having, huh?”

　　如果你很害羞，對方也很害羞，相互還怎么去認識呢?既然你看到了這篇文章，何不學學這招：假設對方太害羞，都不敢輕易開口講話。這樣，你便能戰勝恐懼，勇敢向對方走去了。你可以先談談天氣或棒球，如果對方手里拿著書或雜志，那就問問他在讀什么。你會訝然發現，其實有時候一句簡單的“天氣真糟糕，是吧?”就能開啟一段新友誼。

　　4. Practice

　　多加嘗試。

　　Just like anything else, you can’t get good at something until you practice it. Take the opportunity, wherever you are, to talk to strangers (yes, I know what your mother said. I say the same thing to my kids). You will probably feel awkward at first. Perhaps even a little bit silly. But you will find that after a while, it becomes almost second nature to talk with people at the store or the park.

　　和其他事情一樣，交朋友也需要“熟能生巧”。不管什么時候，只要有機會就請嘗試跟陌生人搭話。(好吧，我知道你老媽告訴過你什么，因為我也跟我家小孩說過不要和陌生人說話。)剛開始你可能會覺得怪怪的，甚至有點蠢不拉幾;但過不了多久你會發現，跟商店或公園里的陌生人攀談幾乎成了自來熟的事兒!

　　5. Find common ground

　　尋找共同點。

　　While you’re chatting with someone, pay attention to the things they seem to like — or notice where you are. If you’re at the car parts store, ask about their car interests. If you’re at the farmers’ market, ask if they have a garden. Find out if they have kids, go fishing, whatever. Most likely, you will have something to talk with this new person about.

　　當你跟人攀談時，要留心對方可能喜歡什么，或注意一下當時的場合。如果是在汽車零件店，你可以跟對方談談車子話題;如果是在菜場，你可以問他是不是自己種菜。你還可以問問對方有沒有小孩啊、釣不釣魚啊之類的，這樣你們就能有更多話題談啦。

　　6. Decide if you’re interested in pursuing

　　想清楚自己是否愿意積累這個人脈。

　　At the end of a conversation, you have to decide whether or not you want to pursue this relationship. If you do, present the person with your card or ask for theirs. Alternatively, ask for an email address or Facebook connection. Say something cheery like, “we should meet up sometime and talk more.” If you don’t want to pursue this connection, just be gracious, say “good talking to you.” And chalk up the conversation up to experience.

　　攀談之后，你應該想清楚要不要培養這個人脈。如果有心交往，可以相互留下名片，交換郵箱地址或加Facebook好友也行。說點熱情話，比如“我們以后有空多見面聊聊唄”。要是你不想和對方深交，可以直接親切地說“跟你聊天真有意思”，然后到此為止吧。

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