Feel more comfortable as a group of 3 or more?

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Baz
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01 Jun 2006, 7:10 am

Does anyone feel awkward being with just 1 person, even though its a good friend or family member?

I feel so much more secure and happier being with 2 or more people..but not too many as i feel left out.



neongrl
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01 Jun 2006, 8:28 am

Yeah, I'd say that's true for me. When it's just one other person, I have to hold up my half of the conversation. My ability to do that depends almost entirely on the other person - I need them to keep it going by asking me questions etc. If the person knows me then it's ok, but if the person doesn't really know me then they tend to misinterpret my silence - they usually think I don't like them. When there's more people around, it's more acceptable for me to be quiet because they have each other to talk to - less social pressure on me.



TijuanaLady
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01 Jun 2006, 9:36 am

Well, when I'm with someone I know really well I prefer to be just the two of us...but yes with someone I dont know that good I definately prefer a third person. On the other hand, 5 people (including me) is the maximum I can handle



jmoney
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01 Jun 2006, 12:18 pm

Depends on who it is.

But most of the time I feel more comfortable with 3 because pressure isn't all on me.



gsilver
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01 Jun 2006, 12:32 pm

After a week at camp (got back about one week ago), I found that I actually do a lot better when I am speaking to a single person, rather than trying to work in a group. When there is only a single person, I have more of an opprotunity to say what I want to, and don't really have to worry with some of the common problems of group settings (such as discussions going too far into subjects in which I am not familiar (either acedemic or merely "stories" regarding whatever memorable events that they went to). And often, after figuring out exactly what I want to say in a group setting, the conversation will have often moved to a different topic (at which point, it would probably be rude to interrupt them regarding a previous subject).

I also find the breaks in dialog are very short in group settings, providing little space to introduce new topics.



Hel
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02 Jun 2006, 5:26 pm

If it's my best friend, just the two of us. She's really easy to talk to and I have no idea why. Actually I think it's because we're so similar. We have an unspoken understanding of each other or something.
Otherwise, I think 3 to 6 people. I am much more sociable than I used to be though.



Fiz
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02 Jun 2006, 6:39 pm

It depends on who they are why I am with them for me to feel comfortable/uncomfortable with 1, 2, 3 or more people.



hale_bopp
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02 Jun 2006, 8:57 pm

I fell A LOT less akward when there is 3 as opposed to me and one other person.



medianmistermustard
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02 Jun 2006, 10:24 pm

3 person conversations I think strike a balance between having nothing to say because I need to direct the conversation more (me and 1 other person) and having so many people talking that it's hard to keep track of everything or get a word in (4+ people). I should learn to do one-on-one conversations better though. Depends on the other person too; Some people I just am more easily able to talk to, and it's usually the wierder people.



hale_bopp
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03 Jun 2006, 8:22 am

medianmistermustard, I think you are the coolest member here, because of your cool name and avatar ;) *saves dancing turkey milk*



ed
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03 Jun 2006, 10:58 am

I'm only comfortable with one other person. If a third joins the conversation, I become uncomfortable. Tests my very-limited social skills, I suppose.


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medianmistermustard
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03 Jun 2006, 12:19 pm

Aww, thanks. I'm sure you're way cooler than I am. Truth be told, I saw the avatar on another board and thought it was so awesome I had to appropriate it.

hale_bopp wrote:
medianmistermustard, I think you are the coolest member here, because of your cool name and avatar ;) *saves dancing turkey milk*



alexa232
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03 Jun 2006, 1:02 pm

Baz wrote:
Does anyone feel awkward being with just 1 person, even though its a good friend or family member?

I feel so much more secure and happier being with 2 or more people..but not too many as i feel left out.



yeah, I have never really enjoyed the company of just one person at the time; however I always enjoy the pleasures of observing a someone elses two-way conversation. I enjoy being in the company of about 2-3 people at once; this leaves room for some "introvertedness".



Morrissey
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03 Jun 2006, 4:18 pm

Personally I find a group of 3 ideal because I'm an observer so if the other two are having a conversation I find this more interesting to listen to them and if the conversation seems dull to me I can intervene and provoke a topic for them to discuss, plus eye contact is easier switching from viewing one head to the other head. It also makes for a unique type of social so if i'm with a couple then it kind of makes it interesting for them. A group of 4 is awful because it's like i'm forced to speak to the third person...lol



salsa72au
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06 Jun 2006, 7:51 am

One person is ok when I know that person reasonably well, but I do prefer a few people around as most times like to contribute a little and listen alot.



Enigmatic_Oddity
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06 Jun 2006, 8:27 am

One-on-ones I can handle as long as the other person initiates the conversation. I'm not very good at initiating myself. Three people is ok but it's awkward if the other two talk about something I can't give input for.

For example, the other day I was in the hospital to see my mum who had just come out of surgery for an eye operation. I wanted to be there to support her, but her very talkative friend also came. So what ended up happening? Her friend talked to mum about 95% of the time we were there, and I couldn't say much because they were talking about curtains, the neighbours, their pets, the weather - all things I could only make little comments on at the most. I have the feeling now that the friend doesn't think much of me, because a lot of the time I was just listening to them talk without offering much input. Plus I don't know what mum thinks, but I'm sure it's not good either. So, sometimes three people is too much for me.