Tips for Building Meaningful Social Connections

Building meaningful social connections requires specific conversation skills and confidence-building techniques, while professional therapy can help overcome social anxiety, develop authentic communication strategies, and foster more fulfilling relationships through evidence-based therapeutic approaches.

Ever feel like starting a conversation is harder than climbing Mount Everest? You're not alone. Social connections may not come naturally to everyone, but they're a skill we can develop—just like learning to ride a bike or master a new hobby. Whether you're dealing with first-date jitters or workplace networking nerves, these practical strategies can transform how you connect with others.

Navigating Social Conversations: Tips for Building Meaningful Connections

Many people find that making new connections, especially with those to whom they may be attracted, can feel overwhelming. However, from adolescents to adults, forming these social connections is vitally important to one’s social and emotional development. Learning how to enjoy talking to others can help foster more fulfilling relationships and enhance overall quality of life. It’s also a valuable soft skill that can have positive implications in the workplace.

Below, we’re covering possible roadblocks to forming meaningful connections and ways to make conversations easier. You may find these tips helpful, especially if your goal is to foster conversational opportunities and understand how therapy can help you practice conversational skills.

Why social conversations might be difficult

For some, being able to engage in conversation may not come naturally due to limited experience. This can be especially prevalent for those in younger age brackets who may find it hard to stay relaxed while talking to someone they view as a potential love interest. Dating can be an intimidating prospect for many.

Experience matters in communication

Young people generally are experiencing the world for the first time and may lack certain experience in social contexts that can make communication easier. Some may still be learning the “rules” or social norms of interaction, which can result in misunderstandings during first conversations. This lack of knowledge about societal norms may also lead you to feel awkward which, while normal, can be uncomfortable or discouraging. It can make it difficult to start a conversation, break the ice, and maintain eye contact.

Beyond this, different individuals may have different communication styles. According to a 2016 study, when comparing conversations surrounding emotional problems, it was found that while people of different genders can be equally effective at resolving issues, they often resolve them in completely different ways.

Some individuals tend to solve problems through empathetic active listening — offering supportive statements, asking follow-up questions, etc. — while others tend to solve problems through humor and more direct statements. More research is still needed to understand the variation of communication within a broader context of gender identity and expression.

Beyond communication differences, you may find it difficult to talk to people if you experience social anxiety disorder, which can cause an intense, disruptive, and persistent fear of social situations and interactions. Anxiety disorders can change how you interact with the world as a whole, which may directly impact your relationships. These disorder-related symptoms usually aren’t based in reality but can feel incredibly real — and may cause you to seek out social interactions less or actively avoid them.

How to improve your conversation skills

If you’re looking to talk to someone you have a genuine interest in romantically, or simply make more social connections, here are some things you can do to help conversation flow and make interactions easier.

Be yourself

As cliché as the advice may seem, it’s true: the best way to interact with others is to simply be yourself. People are often drawn to those who are confident in who they are. This means allowing yourself to express sincere interests and opinions instead of trying to offer those that you believe will appeal to your audience. You’ll also want to try and be comfortable and express positive body language. By being genuine from your first interaction, you can build a more stable long-term relationship, whether romantic or platonic.

It may seem tempting to misrepresent yourself on a dating app to make a good impression. However, if you feel like you need to lie or change yourself to attract someone’s interest, it’s unlikely the relationship will last. Be honest in online chats and you’ll be able to build more authentic connections with others.

Just start talking– and listening

Conversation should be a two-way street. During an interesting conversation, both parties contribute their thoughts. Even if you’re nervous, try to avoid giving one-word answers or shying away from deep questions. These conversations are how you will get to know someone and develop a relationship.

In addition, you don’t want to dominate the conversation. When the other person is talking, listen actively and show you’re paying attention using nonverbal cues like nodding your head. A healthy conversation will involve back and forth. Some people tend to talk less about personal topics, so consider how you might draw them out of their shell with some engaging questions.

Remember that they’re human, too

In tense situations where we feel uncomfortable, we may forget that the person we’re talking to is a person. Take a few deep breaths and remember that the individual you’re making eye contact with is human, and just like you, they also make mistakes and are likely to be forgiving if you fumble during your conversation. Thinking of the other person this way can also help alleviate that sense of otherness that may come from different communication styles.

This can also help prevent you from putting someone up on a pedestal, which can cause your perception of a person to be overinflated. This common fallacy involves subconsciously reducing someone we are attracted to into something less than human or turning them in our minds into a somehow “perfect” archetype of the person we want to see. For example, you might see the person you like as a knight in shining armor, coming to rescue you from a bad situation. This can make interacting with them difficult, as we may expect ourselves to fall into perfect mythological or literary romance and not only become your partner but also your best friend. Having expectations that may be impossibly high could be a good sign that you’ve formed an idealized version of a person.

You can also reduce pressure by having a conversation starter beforehand. A great conversation starter can help break the ice and take away the feeling that someone you’re interested in is above you in any way. Here are a few topics you might use as a good starting point for an enjoyable conversation:

• a common interest you have
• a particular topic you’re comfortable talking about
• your favorite hobby
• current events that have impacted you both
• a funny meme you recently saw
• the travels of a mutual friend

By remembering that we’re all human and we all have flaws and weaknesses, you can keep a more realistic version of the person in your head, start talking, and focus on the conversation in front of you.

Practice confidence with positive self-talk

An important factor in talking to anyone is building your confidence and self-esteem. Self-esteem involves your general feelings about yourself and your relationship to the world and can be influenced by a wide range of factors from family and home life to social interactions and professional settings.

Having better self-esteem often leads to better mental health. You may worry less about inconsequential things like people staring at you, adapt easier to new social environments, and gain more confidence in your own capabilities. When you love and value yourself, it can be easier to start a conversation with anyone.

With higher self-esteem, you’ll also feel better about ending conversations with people who don’t express interest in chatting. Not everyone wants to engage in conversation or talk about the same things. If someone isn’t showing a genuine interest in you and what you have to say, you’ll feel comfortable excusing yourself from the conversation.

Fake it

There are many ways to build confidence and self-esteem, including the popular method of “fake it ’til you make it.” Though it may seem counterintuitive, the act of telling yourself to be confident is a small favor that, in some cases, can result in actual confidence shining through. According to Health Direct, practicing positive self-talk (saying to yourself, “I am capable of this” or some similar positive affirmation) can help overcome negative self-esteem issues and improve self-image. It may help you feel more confident over time, even if it seems silly at first.

You can practice positive self-talk by taking some of your free time and using it to recognize how you talk to yourself in your own head. During this time, you can pay attention to and challenge negative thoughts to see if they’re true or exaggerated, offering yourself perspective on challenging situations by considering the likely outcomes and reminding yourself of what you know you are capable of.

Monitor your body language like eye contact

Researcher Albery Mehrabian suggests that 55% of our communication is nonverbal. Here are a few ways your body language can convey your interest in carrying on a conversation with someone, whether you have a romantic interest in them or not.

• Maintain eye contact when the other person is speaking
• Respond with facial gestures
• Slightly lean in when listening or speaking
• Try to avoid crossing your arms
• Use mirroring

Online therapy can help you have more meaningful conversations

If you find talking to others or making small talk during social interactions difficult in general, then online therapy may be able to help. Research has found that online therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy in many cases of self-esteem issues and similar mental health challenges. This form of therapy is more available than traditional therapy and can be easier to maintain as a busy teen or young adult.

Online therapy with ReachLink

ReachLink can connect you with licensed clinical social workers who specialize in helping people with concerns similar to the ones you face. Using their secure telehealth platform, you can speak with your therapist through video sessions and receive ongoing support. You can choose the setting you communicate in, including at home or any private space where you feel comfortable. Their scheduling is flexible, and they work with numerous insurance providers to make services more affordable and accessible.

Takeaway

Social conversations can be intimidating for a multitude of reasons. You may feel inexperienced, nervous, or worried that you’ll make a mistake when talking to someone new. This is perfectly natural and can be helped with confidence exercises, conversation starters, practice, and reminders that everyone is human. If you need more professional help, online therapy through a service like ReachLink can give you the tools you need to build your confidence and develop meaningful connections.