Make some time this week to talk with a stranger. This might be difficult for you because you may have had parents that warned you about talking to strangers so you have a mental image of strangers being bad. The reality is you will very rarely encounter a ‘bad’ stranger. Most people are just like you, sharing similar concerns and struggles.

The benefit of talking with a stranger is that it allows you learn the perspective and ideas of a person outside of your daily thought patterns. You probably spend most of your days talking with the same few people and the majority of these people are very similar to you. This causes you to see the world in a limited perspective.

You might feel uncomfortable at first having a conversation with a stranger or not know where or how to start. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what to say I recommend you use the ‘FORD’ mental device to jog your brain.

Family

Occupation

Recreation

Dreams

People love talking about one or all of these subject and the better you get at talking with strangers the easier it will become to guide the conversations through these 4 subjects. Try using this mental device at first with people you know and then go talk with a stranger.