How often have you met someone in a coffee shop, on the train, in the park, etc. and shared a smile or even a small hello or chat and then ended up simply walking away never to see this person again? I am not just speaking of a love connection, but any type of relationship, friendships, getting to know people in a community. This has happened to me many times and I always wish I could have done more to keep in contact with some of the people, but it simply ends right then and there.I think even that small bit of contact is good, but what if you want to get to know people better and have a longer term relationship? I do have business cards and have handed them out from time to time. What about people who don't have or just not sure how to keep in contact? What if people are just shy and don't even know how to start up a conversation, but really want to connect?
Last week I was designing a business card for myself. One of my roommates was talking to me about meeting new people. She is 29 years old and a student at the university as well. We have both been here since last September. She is from China and having a great deal of trouble finding people she can confide and connect with here in London. She often talks to me when she is sad and talks about her friends back home. I suggested she get a business card and if anything she could hand one to someone she is interested in getting to know them better. She said she had a problem with just walking up to someone on the street and giving him or her a card. I started thinking of ways in which people could hand a card without being too forward.
The metro newspaper came to mind. All those people that write into the Metro paper in the personal adds. There is a free space there for people actually write in with hopes that they can connect with someone they previously encountered on travels on the train.
For example;
"To the blond woman with the blue dress at St. Pancras station on Monday morning. I was the man in the dark blue suite, dark hair carrying a tan briefcase. You picked up my newspaper for me and smiled. Fancy a cup of coffee some time?"
This is a great example in which people of a younger age group are trying to meet people and desire to get the word out, but not sure about the best means to go about it.
Why not have a quicker means as to do this instead of having to rely on a paper and hoping that that person actually reads it! I thought about my card idea for communicating. The actual process of giving someone a card, it is tricky because people most likely don't just walk up to someone on the street or in the train and hand a card over.
I have thought about it and it has been brought to my attention that most people may not want to be approached or that this means of connecting with people may be a bad approach to the problem. On the other hand, if people are willing to write into a newspaper with a remote chance that they will get a response I feel they may be more reassured using the card method they will actually be able to get a result straight away, or at least that person knows that you exist and they have a means to contact you.
This can be designed for all types of meetings; friendships, love connections, I am new in town and looking to meet new people, networking, etc. There is an “exit” to this method as asking a person if they dropped this gives them the option to say no and simply walk away or to question more about the situation.
I want to start with the worst case scenario.
Worst-case scenario: Some people don't want to be bothered and are happily connected in their lives and relationships. They have no desire to meet anyone and would be greatly upset if someone were to approach them. I could hand someone a card and they could laugh in my face or tell me to bugger off.
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