all alone in the big city? whether it’s first of fiftieth move, our principles for connection can help you make friends and build a well rounded life.
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you know those couples and throuples that just emerge from nowhere out of concerts and video game nights? yeah. friendship can really start off those romantic connections - and keeps them durable.
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guest post from Rhaina Cohen on asking better questions, the vulnerability paradox, and what actually makes people want to befriend — or date — you.
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we can all end up in conversational and relational auto pilot, but there are some relatively simple tricks to getting out of the rut and into deeper connection
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over our lifetimes and across our relationships, we play many roles. we explore the strengths, weaknesses, and impacts of caretaker and peacemaker roles on our connections with others
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Skip the Small Talk’s own Ashley Kirsner sat down with Love Letters podcast to discuss the important of structure and support to make vulnerability possible.
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the little things in life - and our own tendency to hang back - can make it hard to turn our acquaintances into real friends. but just like growing orchids, we can take the right tools and right conditions, and grow something beautiful.
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our sense of awkwardness can hold us back from going out to social events on our own. Here are some strategies to try to get yourself out the door
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It’s surprisingly hard to meet people in your 20s and 30s—especially if bars aren’t your thing. Here are some options that make it a lot easier.
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we’ve been hearing a lot that folks feel lonely in a crowd, or even with a friend. we take a look at this common problem.
feeling lost in a crowd may not mean what you think.
and there’s plenty you can do about it to find your way to deeper connections.
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Juggling our lives and relationships can lead to emotional burnout. We look at causes of emotional burnout and bring forward 4 strategies for approaching healthy relating without making the burnout worse.
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Juggling our lives and relationships can lead to emotional burnout. We look at causes of emotional burnout and bring forward 4 strategies for approaching healthy relating without making the burnout worse.
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How do you build adult friendships amid all the…adulting? the key is balance, persistence, and being true to what you actually want! These are skills learned and re-learned over and over again in life. This week we expand on these three tips to help you go deeper with new and existing friendships.
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Talking to strangers often feels awkward or risky — but research tells a different story. In my conversation with social psychologist Dr. Gillian Sandstrom, we explore rejection, the liking gap, and why we consistently underestimate the benefits of talking to strangers.
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Curious about Skip the Small Talk but not sure what to expect? Recently featured in The Seattle Times, we break down how our Seattle events help adults meet new people through structured, meaningful conversation.
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Why do relationships fall apart, or fail to get off the ground? One reason can be a failure to create or maintain emotional safety. The best partner dancing requires trust, practice, and intuitive communication. By making space, making time, and making choices we can create the conditions for flourishing relationships
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good indicators that it’s time to look at our unspoken expectations are when we notice a repeated behavior (or lack thereof) in a relationship that leads us to feel: misunderstood, confused, disappointed, ignored, resentful, or frustrated.
If we don’t examine those feelings and assumptions, over time the pattern can feel bigger and more overwhelming, or erode the strong foundation we once had. We offer some suggestions for understanding our unspoken expectations and 3 tips for talking about them.
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this week we play with the concept of romance and encourage us to shift our understanding of romance: what it is, who it’s for, and how we build it. We offer 3 ways you can build romance into any kind of connection.
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