Member-only story
3 Tips You Can Use to Connect With Anyone
1. Imagine Being Stuck in an Elevator With Them
I once got stuck in an elevator with half a dozen people I barely knew. I later ended up marrying a girl in that group.
It was my second year of college. The night before, I’d met some people in the dorms and thought they’d be fun to hang out with.
The next day we were all standing around after an activity when we decided to see some friends of one of the guys in the group.
The way up in the elevator was just fine, but when we were heading down one kid had the brilliant idea that we should all jump. You know, because it’s fun to feel yourself going higher as the elevator descends while you jump.
None of us thought of what was going to happen when we came down, though, and moments later we were all stuck inside a broken elevator.
Over the next hour or so while we waited for the mechanic to arrive we were forced to get to know each other better.
Going through this difficult thing together let us reveal our individual vulnerabilities faster than we would have otherwise. We got to connect more deeply than you normally do with new people. And it was wonderful.
