17 Oct

Posted at 18:26h in Play, Play2MeetPeople, Talk 2 More People Movement, Talk2MorePeople Book

How Meeting People Can Be Fun

Some people enjoy meeting strangers, some do not. Some people find it challenging, while others love it. Some people have experienced incredible growth and adventure by meeting new people, and some don’t believe that’s possible.

Which category are you in?

Would you like to learn how to become more comfortable meeting new people? And even have fun doing so? If so, take one more minute, and read on.

Can meeting people be fun? 

Yes!

Fact: Meeting new people can positively change your life. It’s a fact because doing so undoubtedly changed my life, and I hear from people weekly about how doing so has positively changed theirs. Positive change is fun.

Fact: Meeting new people can improve mental health.

Fact: Many people find meeting strangers even more terrifying than death.

Fact: Meeting strangers can be fun. It is true. It happens randomly in the real world and at events. Lots of strangers are fun people waiting to be met. But you may not know or believe that if you have never met any of them.

Meeting strangers can be fun in the real world:

You are allowed to have fun with many aspects of your life, even if you have never done so. Being playful while you are in public, and in a position to meet new people is a great way to break the ice for several reasons.

When you make a joke or have fun, people will often be able to relate to what you are joking about. This can build rapport and lead to a conversation once you have a shared experience through humour.

Generally, people enjoy laughter and being entertained. It can snap someone out of their routine and provide a much-needed break from daily stressors. Of course, not everyone enjoys a good joke or surprise comment, but more do than you may think.

When you express a pun, a joke or a funny observation, you are being authentic by being in the moment. Being authentic is a critical way to make connections with people.

How to Have Fun Meeting Strangers at an Event:

That’s easy, even if you don’t consider yourself to be a fun person. All you have to do is attend a networking event that was designed to be playful. There you will meet other people who are interested in having fun while meeting new people. Why not attend a free event? Take a look at:

Play2MeetPeople: Have fun. Meet strangers. 

The only thing you need to bring is a smile.

If you need a personal invitation, take a look at this 90-second VIDEO.

 

There happens to be one such event coming up in Calgary at the Central Public Library on Wednesday, November 6th from 4.30-6.30pm. Why not show up, and find out for yourself how meeting people can be fun?

You can register for free HERE.

Below are some photos from the first Play2MeetPeople Networking event in Calgary. We had fun. We met strangers.

Yours in Playfulness,

Tony Esteves

 

Creating connections in Calgary, Canada, Tony Esteves is a play-based workshop facilitator, performer and coach. He studied at the Second City Improv Training Centre and has been performing with Le Cirque de la Nuit since 2014. He was a part of their 2016 TEDx performance, “The Creative Process.”

He believes that people can move their lives forward by having more face-to-face conversations and created the Talk2MorePeople Project. During this social experiment, Tony meet at least one new stranger a day for an entire year, and his life was positively transformed. Tony created Play2MeetPeople Networking events for other people to have fun and meet strangers. 

Visit Talk2MorePeople.com/book for updates about the upcoming Talk2MorePeople Book – A Playful Guide on How To Meet Strangers.

08 Sep

Posted at 04:25h in Talk 2 More People Movement, Talk2MorePeople Book

You can meet a new person by interrupting them. Just be sure to be polite about it. In this case, I was working on my computer and two people interrupted me. I was NOT inconvenienced by this at all. We had a nice conversation and learned a few things about each other.

While I don’t suggest that you are ever rude to anyone, it may be helpful to know that even while people appear to be busy on their phone or their computer, you can probably still get into a conversation with them, if you choose to. 

Enjoy.


Tony Esteves has entertained people on 5 continents. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he works as a play-based workshop facilitator and performer. He studied improv at the Second City Improv Training Centre in Toronto and loves to bring people together. Tony has been performing with Le Cirque de la Nuit since 2014 and was a part of their 2016 TEDx performance. He believes that people can best move their lives and careers forward by having more face-to-face conversations. (That is how he got into the circus). And this is why he created the Talk2MorePeople Project. During this social experiment, Tony met at least one new stranger a day for an entire year and his life was positively transformed. Check out Talk2MorePeople.com for updates about the upcoming Talk2MorePeople Book – A Playful Guide on How To Meet Strangers.

20 Aug

Posted at 03:43h in Blog, Mountains, Play, Talk 2 More People Movement, Talk2MorePeople Book

Being helpful is just one of many ways that people naturally meet. Having a helpful mindset can allow you to get into a conversation with people and then to build new connections. This short video highlights some of the fun that Vera, Rafael and I had together as complete strangers. 

It was a great experience to have randomly met these two new friends at the Calgary International Airport. By simply helping them out, we got into a conversation and ended up spending much of an afternoon together. We had never met before. 

I got to show them around Calgary, and they enjoyed a free private tour. Meeting new people doesn’t always lead to new friendships or transformational experiences, but you will find that the more you do it, the more often it can happen. You can “Use Help to Say Hi” to meet new people. Being of service to others is not only wonderfully courteous but allows for new connections to develop. It was great to have met you both Rafael and Vera!

How might you help someone out today?

Tony Esteves is a play-based workshop facilitator, MC and a circus performer who is passionate about connecting people to people. His unique international experiences and aptitude for meeting strangers provide the foundation for Talk2MorePeople.com. He is the creator of the Talk2MorePeople Project which was a challenge to meet one new stranger a day for a full year. This purpose of this was to encourage people to get off their technology and back into face-to-face conversations. Having lived, worked or traveled to 40 countries, Tony has delivered sessions across North America, Europe and in South Africa. Tony speaks Russian, Japanese and Portuguese and is passionate about being in the mountains. He is a contributing author to the book, Big Ideas For The Big Stage – A grassroots guide that provides information, advice and insider tips to becoming a better speaker and presenter. His upcoming book is, “Talk2MorePeople – A Playful Guide on How to Meet Strangers.” Visit www.Talk2MorePeople.com/book for updates. Audiences from Tony’s presentations leave entertained, educated and empowered.

06 Feb

Posted at 05:41h in Blog

There are more benefits to meeting new people that can be easily summarized. In this video, Tony speaks about how the person he met on Day 142 of the Talk2MorePeople Project – Tru Guy Stefan – has become one of his best friends and colleagues in Calgary. And that is a gift that keeps on giving.
Tony and Tru were advised to meet through a mutual friend in Toronto, Garth Sam. They did meet and many wonderful things have blossomed from their friendship today, more than two years later.

Tru’s work and some of his musical talent can be found on his website, TruGuy.com.

Tony Esteves is a play-based workshop facilitator, MC and a circus performer who is passionate about connecting people to people. His unique international experiences and aptitude for meeting strangers provide the foundation for IOnTheBall.ca.

He is the creator of the Talk2MorePeople Project which was a challenge to meet one new stranger a day for a full year. This purpose of this was to encourage people to get off their technology and back into face-to-face conversations.

Having lived, worked or travelled to 40 countries, Tony has delivered sessions across North America, Europe and in South Africa. Tony speaks Russian, Japanese and Portuguese and is passionate about being in the mountains.

He is a contributing author to the book, Big Ideas For The Big Stage – A grassroots guide that provides information, advice and insider tips to becoming a better speaker and presenter.

His upcoming book, “Talk2MorePeople – A Playful Guide on How to Meet Strangers” will be released mid-2019. Stay updated about the release of it here www.talk2morepeople.com/book

Audiences from Tony’s presentations leave entertained, educated and empowered.

03 Feb

Posted at 20:52h in Talk 2 More People Movement, Talk2MorePeople Book

Play is one of the many ways that you can make connections with new people. Being playful is a fantastic ice-breaker and can allow organic conversations with strangers to unfold. Take it from Tony, who met over 550 strangers in one year.

So allow yourself to relax. Stop taking yourself so seriously and go meet some people. Your life will improve as a result in ways that you can’t possibly imagine.

In the below video from January 2019, Tony speaks about being playful as a method of meeting new people.

 

 

The second video below is from Day 261 of the Talk2MorePeople Project and was recorded on December 29th, 2016. Take a look at how Tony used play to get into a conversation with a stranger and even played mini-Ping-Pong on a train doing so.

 

Creating connections in Calgary, Canada, Tony Esteves is a play-based facilitator, keynote speaker and performer. He studied at the Second City Improv Training Centre, has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and has been performing with Le Cirque de la Nuit since 2014. He was a part of their 2016 TEDx performance, “The Creative Process.” In the circus, Tony dazzles, juggles and plays with audiences to create memorable experiences. 

He believes that people can move their lives and businesses forward by having more face-to-face conversations and therefore created the Talk2MorePeople Project. During this social experiment, Tony met at least one new stranger a day for an entire year, and through the people he met, transformed his life for the better. In total over 550 strangers came into his life that year. The Talk2MorePeople book will be released in 2020.

Many of Tony’s connections came from the 40 countries that he has travelled to or worked in. In his free time, you can find Tony scrambling or snowboarding in the Canadian Rockies, studying a language or playing mini-Ping-Pong. 

06 Dec

Posted at 21:14h in Blog

It really is amazing what you can learn from people when you take a moment to instigate a conversation. 

Last evening I found myself in a van while helping a friend pick up a vehicle at an impound lot. While the friend was searching for documents in his vehicle, I was sitting in the back of the van with the employee in his service vehicle. Just the two of us. Two strangers. In the impound lot. 

I was tired and my energy wasn’t great, so while waiting I thought about pulling out my phone in the silence and checking the usual things: Email, social media, perhaps some news. But knowing that random conversations are much more worthwhile than checking in digitally, I made a conscious decision to start a conversation.

I asked the man, “May I ask what country your accent comes from?“. And that was all it took.

This very friendly person opened up and explained how his father was German and his mother was Filipino and shared with me a great deal of history about the Philippines that I did not know. Specifically, he went into great detail about how about 80% of the Filipino language, “Tagalog”, is the same as the Spanish language. That’s why I’ve recognized some words when hearing people speak Filipino / Tagalog – because I understand some Portuguese (which is so similar to Spanish). The Spanish colonized the Philippines and were in power for over 300 years. All of this made me think, “Hey, perhaps I’ll study Tagalog someday?” and further increased my desire to visit that country. 

He also told me to be sure to spend my time in the northern part of the country when I visit. 

In the five minutes or so that we were talking, I felt as if I was hanging out with a friend. I was genuinely fascinated with his life experience and with what he shared with me. 

Going to the impound lot is typically not an enjoyable experience for anyone. Did you know, the impound lot only protect your vehicles and they are not actually the people who tow your car? That was interesting for me to learn. 

But on this night – this cold winter night – two people just enjoyed a conversation and it was great. My energy was completely shifted to the positive as a result and I’m sure that wouldn’t have been the case if I had picked up my phone. The old friend who was picking up his vehicle also felt positive despite the circumstances and we went on to have an enjoyable evening catching up. 

This was yet another reminder that talking to strangers is worthwhile. So give it a try!

Are you not comfortable doing so? Don’t worry, I’ve got a book coming out in the new year that will guide you through how to do this. These little encounters can do much more than educate and improve someone’s mood. They can positively change the direction of your life. 

Happy December. 

14 Jun

Posted at 03:42h in Mountains, Talk 2 More People Movement

Talk2MorePeople has gifted me with many things to reflect upon. And this time something quite literally! Here is how I came to be wearing a suit of mirrors last week. It was because I met Olga Sem at an event 2 years ago that was organized by Jeff Wilkie. I had recently met Jeff at a party and we decided to work on an event together. In fact, through a series of other connections, the party that I was at was because of a random connection 4 years ago.

Conversations lead to good things…

When you take a moment to reflect on how some of the people and life experiences have come to you, you will realize that many of them came from a random conversation. Do you ever stop to think,

“What conversations have shaped your life?”

You can never know when someone new could have a positive influence on your life, so why not be open to meeting new people?

 

Tony Esteves is a Calgary based workshop facilitator and performer. He delivers play-based trainings to improve communication skills, focus and resiliency. He has delivered workshops on 3 continents and speaks four languages. His passion for facilitation is matched only by his passion for travel and performing. You can see his characters on stage with Le Cirque de la Nuit across North America. 

In his free time, Tony can be found scrambling in the Rockies or striking up a good conversation with a complete stranger. 

 

31 Mar

Posted at 04:51h in Blog, Talk 2 More People Movement, Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour

Did you know that you can camp for free in New Brunswick? You can at this one magical private place called, Shire Camping. The owners of this land kindly converted it into a mini campground and welcome people to camp there for free. It works on a first come, first served basis. My parter, Renee learned about this through a random conversation with a stranger while she was on the road on her own.

How amazing is that? Locals know best.

That chance conversation with a stranger decided where we spent the night. It was great. 

In October 2017, New Brunswick provided fantastic hospitality, great conversations and stunning scenery. I didn’t know that the Bay of Fundy had the highest tidal range in the world and when it comes in, it comes in fast! Watching the water creeping aggressively towards us was a little frightening and amazing.

We learned from some people who we met in the capital Fredrickton, that New Brunswick is often considered a province to just drive through on the way to the Maritimes. But we were fortunate enough to explore several nights there and were rewarded for it.

 

Chance conversations with the people who you meet on the road constantly have the ability to change and improve your experience.

This happens all the time when traveling. It just makes sense that a local would be happy to share wisdom with travellers about their homeland. No matter how advanced and up to date the internet becomes, there will never be a replacement for talking to a person from that place to get your information and make your plans. 

So why not ask a local?

By going out of your way to connect with locals when you travel you will improve your travel experience, and also give a gift to the people who you speak with. By sharing some of your own story with them and by taking some time to listen to them, they get a chance to be heard and to effectively teach you something. This oral tradition and information exchange is satisfying because it is an essential part of who we are as people. It is how we express ourselves and exchange information. This is how it always was before we all got lost online. 

So please do consider reaching out to the locals when you are on your next travel adventure. You will likely find the best restaurants, secret places to visit, and unknown tourist destinations. These gems are yours for the picking if you just dare talk to a stranger.

The chance conversations in New Brunswick were part of the Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour. This was a cross-Canada road trip to speak to a cross section of Canadians and to find out what matters to Canadians today. 

Tony Esteves is a communication facilitator, entrepreneur and conversationalist who brings play back into the workplace. He is an author and a performer with Le Cirque de la Nuit – a Calgary based circus. Tony has recently concluded his Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour. This project aims to illustrate and prove the value of meeting new people through face-to-face conversations. Here is an article from CBC Radio about the initial Talk2MorePeople Project. This was a full year of meeting strangers daily.

Connect with Tony for a meaningful face-to-face conversation and pick up your free “6 Tools to Making New Connections” at Talk2MorePeople.com

www.Facebook.com/talk2morepeople

 

05 Nov

Posted at 17:51h in Talk 2 More People Movement, Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour

What to do when you flip your canoeDriving across Canada with the pursuit of random conversations with strangers does not happen without it’s challenges. There is an amazing organization called, HelpX where people can offer their help to others in exchange for free room and board. The jobs can range from anything that you might do on a farm, to construction projects, to any number of other activities. And you can stay with your host for as few as a couple of days, or as long as several months or sometimes even years. 

We decided to participate on a farm in Magnetawan, Ontario. Our responsibilities included moving some firewood, moving some lumber and general cleaning up. We would typically work about 4 hours each day, have meals and conversations.

So one afternoon, Renee and I decided to get out on the canoe. The late October weather was beautiful and we were up for some adventure.

And we found it. Check out the video below to see what happened.


After the flip, a Google search brought me to this article that I found both useful and entertaining. The artwork below is by Ian Tendy and here’s the LINK to “How to Right a Flipped Canoe Properly.”

Enjoy!

And here is one more useful resource on how to flip your canoe as well.

Tony Esteves is a communication facilitator, entrepreneur and conversationalist who brings play back into the workplace. He is a published author and a performer with Le Cirque de la Nuit – a Calgary based circus. Tony has recently concluded his Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour. This project aims to illustrate and prove the value of meeting new people through face-to-face conversations. Here is an article from CBC Radio about the project:

Connect with Tony for a meaningful face-to-face conversation and pick up your free “6 Tools to Making New Connections” at Talk2MorePeople.com

21 Oct

Posted at 17:52h in Blog, Talk 2 More People Movement, Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour

This October, I had the very good fortune to visit Nova Scotia for 8 days. While I had been to Halifax before, I had never seen anything else outside of Halifax.

I’m so lucky to have explored this time.

In part, I was seeking conversations with random strangers as part of the Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour – a journey of conversations to find out,

“What is important to you as a Canadian today?”

The first couple of days were spent visiting the Devine’s – cousins of mine on my mother’s side and they treated us very well. We spent those nights at an AirBnB in the beautiful countryside outside of Windsor. I was travelling with my very dear friend, Renee.

Once in Digby on the west coast, we received a great deal of information from the owner of this adorable bakery and cafe. Among other things, he suggested that we visit a beautiful long beach that was on the way to Yarmouth. I was impressed with just how much information this man had to share with us and grateful to learn about the beach.

We were very impressed. The beach at Mavillette was even more beautiful than he had promised. On that day we were hearing that it had been snowing in Calgary, we dipped our feet into the ocean and it was beautiful.

The tips and suggestions that you can get from speaking to the locals are often the most wonderful.

I’ll take a human conversation over a Google search for travel information any day of the week.

Once in Yarmouth, we were approached by a gentleman in his late 50’s while at a Tim Horton’s. As he seemed keen to chat, I asked him, “What is important to you as a Canadian today?”

He sat down to join us and stated immediately, “I’ll let you know that I am a right wing conservative.” Leonard then explained his views on how he has a problem with our current and last federal governments. He spoke to us for over 15 minutes on his political perspectives and about the things that he sees as wrong with Canadian politics. He added at the end that he would have a better chance of remembering us if we had offered him $100 at the beginning of the conversation. And then asked, what that meant? I offered, “Well it seems that you value money highly so that will stand out for you.”

This somewhat intense discussion was not was I was expecting in The Tim Hortons on Main Street in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and I was genuinely thankful for it. After our discussion, Lenorad asked for my thoughts. I told him, “I greatly appreciate you sharing your strong views with us. Because I really do want to capture a broad perspective of what’s important to Canadians today and you’ve given me your take on that.”

I chose not to offer my opinion on his opinions.

Shortly after, we headed off and we found our campsite for the night.

The following day we enjoyed a visit with George Claimont. George is a friend of mine from Calgary who is a talented writer and improviser. We met as his childhood home and farm and he kindly gave us a tour. George had just gotten out of the hospital so I was thrilled that he was open to having us visit him. In fact, it is because George was down in Yarmouth that we went south to see him. And this was such a wonderful part of our trip. Even though our re-connection was brief the mutual respect was there.

When you are going somewhere where you have connections, get in touch. Those old friends will be very happy to hear from you.

It really was awesome to see George.

We were blessed with another family visit with my cousin Denis just outside of Halifax that evening. There I got crushed at Ping-Pong by his talented son and we took comfort in their warm home. With all of us originally from Ontario, we discussed the benefits of living in this part of Canada. You can get quite a bit more land out here for your investment than many other parts of the country. The people are extremely friendly and it seems that life is much less hectic here. I can imagine that this would be a wonderful place to raise a family.

From there we popped in on Ed Campbell in Dartmouth who I worked with in Kananaskis, Alberta 16 years ago. We had a great catch up as well before heading up to Cape Breton Island and the Cabot Trail.

I had heard that it was beautiful up there but could not prepare my eyes for the treat that they were about to receive. Apparently our timing was great as we happened to arrive just before the “Celtic Colours” festival which is a music festival that takes place all over the island. It is also timed with the leaves that are typically changing this time of year. While the leaves were changing late this year they were still spectacular. On this visit to Cape Breton Island we camped just south of the national park as well as in Meat Cove – Nova Scotia’s most northern community. We had been advised to get off the famous Cabot Trail to visit there by many people so we decided to do so.  Again, we were not disappointed.

Getting off the beaten path almost always has it’s benefits.

We landed at what was likely the most beautiful campground I’ve ever seen. And with our luck there was a full harvest moon that evening. Jamie who was working the campground office (also overlooking the ocean) provided abundant information for us and we settled in.

Charlie approached us the next morning on the beach in Inverness. We had slept by the ocean and chose to have breakfast on this beautiful beach.

He was keen to show us some sea glass that he had collected and went into some fascinating stories about Inverness, the history here and all sorts of things. He told us about the mine that used to be 15 miles out to sea and how children worked there back in the day. He talked about how the golf course behind us also used to be set up for coal mining and that there was some of the best coal in Cape Breton Island here.

He told us about ghosts on the sea and had us entertained for our entire conversation.

Charlie had the characteristics of many of the people who we have met in Nova Scotia: friendly; talkative; full of stories and holding a wonderful enthusiasm for life.

When I asked him what is important to him as a Canadian today, this is what he told me,

“All of this!” (as he gestured to the natural beauty that we were surrounded by) He expressed gratitude for living in this part of Canada and for being able to eat every day.

I found it very interesting how two of the men who I had met in the same province who were a similar age had such different priorities and perspectives.

Hearing all of these as well as other stories from the people who we met along the way was a very welcome compliment to the trip.  Nova Scotia is a very special part of Canada that I look forward to exploring further again one day.

So when you create some time to explore Canada’s beautiful Maritime provinces, be sure to give yourself time to explore Nova Scotia.

What’s the point of this Talk2MorePeople Canadian Tour? It’s an opportunity for me to capture a snapshot of perspectives about what is important to Canadians who I meet along the way. My intention is to document a number of stories on this blog and to capture some interviews for the Talk2MorePeople Podcast.

Each of the people who I engage in conversation with are given this card. It is a 30 Day Challenge to meet a new stranger a day for a month. I learned from my own experience of doing this daily for a full year that truly amazing things can and do happen when you reach out to strangers through face to face conversations.

Go on, give it a go…

Talk To More People 30 Day Challenge Talk2MorePeople 30 Day Challenge How to meet strangers

This challenge could change your life.

Tony Esteves is an international speaker, MC, facilitator and performer who brings play back into the workplace. He is a published author and a performer with Le Cirque de la Nuit – a Calgary based circus. Tony has recently concluded his 1 year social experiment called, Talk2MorePeople. This project aims to illustrate and prove the value of meeting new people through face-to-face conversations. Here is an article from CBC Radio about the project. 

If you are interested in supporting Talk2MorePeople you can do so by making a contribution on this Patreon Account.

Connect with Tony for a meaningful face-to-face conversation.

Facebook.com/talk2morepeople

Talk2MorePeople.com