People love feeling validated.
It opens them up and instantly transforms a normal conversation into a gab session.
Naturally, this is good for making new friends.
But what the hell does that mean, to validate someone in a normal everyday conversation?
Well, people feel validated when they feel smart, important, and heard.
So the way to create those feelings is to ask people questions that only they can answer. Instead of explaining, I’ll just illustrate. Your friend is a big snowboarder:
Bad: the weather was crap last weekend, huh?
Good: Hey, can you explain why all snowboarders do _____?
Good: What exactly makes a good slope for snowboarders?
Good: In your opinion, what’s the biggest obstacle for people to improve their snowboarding skillz?
If you ask any of the latter three questions, I guarantee they’ll talk your ear off!
Remember, our goal here is to connect instantly with someone – allowing them to feel validated and talk about something that’s important to them lets them know that you are simply on their level.