The concept of being friendly is something that most people encounter every day. Most dictionaries define the word friendly as being warm, open, and comforting, as opposed to argumentative and antagonistic. As individuals deal with waking up spouses and children in the morning, interact with their people with diverse personalities at work, and come across people in grocery stores, at traffic lights, and in coffee shops, being friendly becomes even more apparent. If a person is friendly towards somebody, life is usually a bit better. Non-friendly people can make life miserable and uncomfortable for people, as people’s negative attitudes and bad moods influence other people who are in their company. Most individuals in the workforce have met the person who never says “Hello” to anybody in the morning and slams one’s office door shut.
A friendly person shows this trait by engaging in a variety of actions that invite and welcome individuals to become closer with somebody. According to the article “How to Be More Friendly and Social,” there are several things that friendly people do to show friendliness. One of the key things is increasing and improving one’s positive interactions with people (How to be more friendly and social, 2014). A friendly person knows how to initiate conversations with people that they do not know. Saying “hi” to somebody, asking someone’s name, or what a person does for a living with a pleasant tone and smile, are good signs that people are friendly. “Have you ever tried making pleasant conversation with someone you’ve run into, and they blew you off by giving one-word responses and obviously looking like they don’t want to be spoken to?” (How to be more friendly and social, 2014, paragraph 7). The above passage is describing somebody who is not acting in a friendly manner. A friendly person would offer more detailed answers, the person’s probably showing some eye contact and positive interest in what the other person is asking or saying.
Another way to show friendliness is to invite new people and acquaintances to events and social activities with friends that one already has (How to be more friendly and social, 2014). For example, a person who says “Hey, come on out and play some board games at my house this Sunday. A group of us get together every week, have some chips and beer, and just relax!” Instead of waiting for somebody else to make the first move, a friendly person will make the effort first to organize a get together, meeting, or social gathering. Even just inviting somebody out to coffee is a way to show friendliness.
However, being friendly also entails nurturing and keep up with the friends that one already has. Maintaining current and long-standing friendships entails taking the time to ask how people are doing and what has been going on in one’s life. A friendly person who sees someone that they know out at the bar will probably walk up to that person, say “hi,” and talk with that person for a bit, even making future plans with the person (How to be more friendly and social, 2014). On the contrary, a non-friendly individual would proably not say hello or just give a quick nod and not engage in any further conversation.
The environment that one chooses to visit denotes the friendliness of somebody. Going to where people are shows that one is friendly. If a person eats lunch with people in the break room and watches football with neighbors at the local bar, enjoying the encounter, then one is probably friendly. Another way to show friendliness is to call people on the phone, send nice text messages, and make plans with people. Spending more time with people, such as hanging out with co-workers outside of work environment shows friendliness. Showing manners, such as holding doors open and giving compliments also reflects a friendly person.
Friendliness is shown by many actions that increase positive engagement with other people. This includes starting conversations, making plans, and being around other people.
