Even if you’re not naturally an outgoing person, there are things you can do to make yourself appear to be outgoing. It can be hard in university to stand out or to make friends when you’re shy or have trouble talking to people, but when you appear more outgoing or confident, this can initiate others to want to talk to you. In high school, I was always jealous of the people who could go up to others and have a conversation without being uncomfortable. I still struggle with this, but I think that I have become more comfortable with talking to new people and continuing the conversation.
- Smile!
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Smiles naturally make others comfortable and attracted to you, not necessarily in a romantic way, but it draws others attention towards you. Maybe you shouldn’t walk around all the time smiling, cause this may seem creepy, but if you pass by someone, flash a smile. It might seem weird, but it really makes a big difference and you seem happier and more confident. It also makes it easier for others to approach you rather than when you’re frowning or have a “resting bitch face”. Another benefit of smiling is that if you are sad, even forcing yourself to smile helps you feel better.
- Eye contact
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People who are more confident and outgoing aren’t afraid to make eye contact with people when having a conversation. If someone’s talking to you remember to look them in the eye and it will automatically make you seem more outgoing.
- Posture
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This one might not seem like it’s related to being outgoing, but when you look at someone who stands up tall instead of slouching over, you automatically assume that the person is confident and therefore is not shy to talk to people. This may not necessarily mean you’re outgoing, but if you seem confident it makes people believe that you are confident enough to talk to strangers if need be. Think about people’s posture when you walk on campus or in the city and see how it affects your view of their confidence levels.
- Introduce yourself
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If you are at a party or just with a group of people and you only know a handful of them, don’t be afraid to introduce yourself. This can be intimidating to do because you have to put yourself out there, but this is a great way to start a conversation and appear more outgoing. Even if you don’t have a long conversation, introducing yourself helps you become more confident and outgoing.
There are many other ways to become more outgoing, such as holding the door for someone or simply asking how someone’s day is, but by doing some of these things while walking on campus or at a party, it is a sure-in way to be more outgoing even if you’re actually quite shy.