Tonight (Friday) we're going to an event where a lot of international fashion bloggers are invited. The idea is to engage with the crowd and to introduce them to what we do here at DAA.

I’m excited to see what kind of people are going to be attending. I’m not a fashion icon or anything remotely close to it and even my mum says I dress like a grandma sometimes. Anyhow, I still want to get along with everyone, no matter how different people are.

This morning, I was thinking about what makes it easier to engage with people and came up with 10 points that I found made it a lot more simple for me to both approach and be approachable:

-No matter how serious the other person looks, the point is to create a feeling that there is no confrontation between you as that’s never a good start. Body language is paramount at this point because you’ve never spoken with this person before. Crossing arms, no eye contact or giving the back to somebody are examples of negative signs and that will make you less approachable (and kind of rude at some point ha!).

-Smile, smile and smile! I know it’s hard to do it for no reason as that could also make you look fake but it’s a great way to respond in body language when someone looks at you, so there is your reason! Think that a smile is always more appreciated than a depressed face!

-Eye contact is always important when making first moves towards someone. It shows your confidence and if you lack of it, fake it til you make it! I used to never look at anybody in the eyes because I was so shy but one day I decided to try it and realised it’s actually easier than it looks and also makes you notice signs that otherwise you’d be missing.

-Don’t be scared of starting a conversation. You really don’t lose anything for trying; you can only gain a friend!

-Be interested in them, otherwise there was no point in all the effort you’ve put into it! Let them talk and try to see their point of view. The best is always starting with a neutral topic that won’t cause any confrontation.

-Don’t use the bond that you’ve created to criticise other people around. If somebody is constantly being mean or gossiping about others they’ll probably end up doing the same thing with you.

-Compliment on something about them that you genuinely like!

-Don’t focus on one person only. If someone is constantly looking at their phone or their body language keeps implying that they are utterly bored maybe it’s time to excuse yourself to the toilet. There will surely be someone else that evening that will enjoy your company.

-Don’t be too selective. Maybe the group of drunken football fans might be a bit too much to start with but that geeky-looking person on the corner who looks the total opposite of you could be easy going and super fun to hang out with.

-Be positive! Don’t moan about everything but say nice things about people or how delicious the hot dogs were, how amazing the weather is even though the street is flooding, how cute the dog that is pissing on your bike… A positive point of view about life in general can really make someone else’s day!