6. Focus on follow-up.
Often it’s not meeting people that’s hard; perhaps you even have more small-talk-partners than you know what to do with. But many people get trapped at this first, superficial level, because they lack the courage or know-how to go a bit deeper. Bring up something that was talked about in the last conversation. Remember little things and ask about them. Reveal something that leaves you a bit vulnerable. Suggest a spontaneous outing, splurge for an extra ticket for something off-the-cuff. Give a compliment. Suggest someone follow up with a text to let you know how something went that was important to them. Offer them a resource—even just a link that you heard about—that you'll text them later. The only way to go from talking about the weather to being friends for decades is to start with a nudge of making things more personal and continuous.