Behaving Appropriately With New Friends

Adding to your social network can be a rewarding and incredibly fun process.

But once you have been introduced to someone new and you've decided there's 'new friend' potential, you should make a quick check of your surroundings before you find your foot in your mouth or wake up totally embarrassed by your previous night's antics.

Behaving appropriately

Behaving appropriately in the presence of new friends can be more complicated than you think, and although no one's perfect, there are some important things to consider with regard to what you say and how to act when meeting new people.

Language (and your choice of it), is vital in the initial stages of friendship. It's true, no one likes a bore; but if you've a tendency to waffle-on or curse obscenities openly, you should immediately remind yourself that you don't actually know the person well enough to resort to such vocab choices.

Most will agree that political correctness has gone too far, however it is best to keep clear of any comments which might be misconstrued or slightly offensive – at least until your second catch-up where you can 'suss out' their sense of humour.

Behaviour

Your general behaviour in the first few meetings should be as close to impeccable as you can manage. Good manners are timeless, and although no one's expecting a chivalrous knight or courteous maid, there are some very simple things you can do to make a good impression.

Offering your new friend a drink (be careful not to offer an alcoholic drink first, as some Muslims may not drink), standing up to greet them or waiting for their meal to arrive before shoveling it in, may seem obvious;  however, when you're nervous they're the first things you forget.

Drinking

In direct relation to appropriate behaviour, pre-drinks or 'dutch courage' before you meet a potential friend might sound like a good idea at the time, but unless the setting allows it (this is rare), than you should avoid doing this at all costs. And yes, it will be noticed and most probably frowned upon! 

No in-jokes!

If you're fortunate enough to be adding to an existing social circle and you're meeting up as part of a group, think about how the other person may feel if subjected to an hour of 'in-jokes' or comedic repertoires. There is nothing more anti-social than being the only one unable to share in the overall jokes of the evening.

Be considerate, and remember that they are there to meet new people and make friends; not to hear about what you're all getting up to in the office or who did what three months ago on a night out.