How to be the most interesting person in any room

The most *interesting* person in any room is the most *curious* person in any room. And here's how you can become more curious now.

Gracious reader,

In my experience, the most interesting people are the most interested people.

They’re intellectually omnivorous.

They have a zealous curiosity about the human condition and the world around them.

Sometimes, interesting people we meet can come across as cultured, defined by worldly knowledge and sophistication.

They are people have in-depth knowledgeable about a wide array of topics that our outside their day to day work or area of their expertise.

But often, this worldly sophistication is just plain old curiosity.

A sure way to be the most interesting person in any room is to be the most curious person in any room.

In fact, culture without curiosity is merely pretense. It’s a show, a performance, without substance.

You might be wondering: What are the marks of truly curious people?

Here are a few.

They have an enthusiastic and authentic interest in others.

They take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about the world around them.

They’re intellectually courageous and daring, unafraid to be beginners in a new field or to start from scratch in a new intellectual area.

They are not afraid to admit that they don’t know about a certain topic. Indeed, their admittance to not knowing something is the very foundation of their curiosity. Their earnest interest in others is their secret to being perceived as highly interesting to other people.

Do you want to be the most interesting person in any room you enter?

There are many ways you can start right now.

One way is by signing up for Civic Renaissance’s new course, Philosophy + Film, which will explore life’s greatest questions through the lens of great — available only until tomorrow!

Interesting people have thought about big, difficult ideas and questions.

They enjoy experiences—books, films, conversations—that keep them thinking about big questions.

They look for opportunities to learn from others who care about important topics, too.

Courses such as these are a great way to cover new intellectual territory while learning from others opinions and experiences.

Not un-importantly, they also give you something interesting to talk about next time you are at a cocktail hour or pre-meeting zoom chat. Who isn’t impressed by someone who offhandedly remarks spending their weekend reflecting on Orson Welles’ masterpiece, Citizen Kane, as a commentary on American consumerism and the meaning of life?

(To facilitate your journey to becoming more interesting, enter the code CURIOSITY for $65 off!)

Small talk gets a bad rap. It’s vacuous and a waste of time, we often hear. Society punishes people for not engaging in the superfluous ritual, people complain.

That may be true. But curious, interesting people have a better approach.

Instead of merely flouting the practice entirely, or comforting with it while secretly resenting it, they instead redeem small talk.

They rescue it from the realm of the vacuous and ephemeral, and baptize it into the transcendent and sacred.

Curious, interesting people make the most out of every interaction they have with others.

They have a flawless ability to elevate the mundane, and to infuse the seemingly banal with beauty, wisdom, and intrigue.

In short, they can transform the uninteresting into the riveting by just asking a few simple questions, or by bringing new information to add new context and meaning.

In additional to covering new intellectual territory and redeeming small talk, another way to cultivate the habit of being interesting is this: next time you’re in a social situation, find what the person next to you is interested in and then zealously ask them questions about it.

Don’t pretend to be interested.

Strive to actually be interested.

Often, you’ll find that the more you practice curiousity, the more curious you’ll become.

Interesting people are sponges.

They are endlessly curious.

They are always examining their own knowledge gaps, and seeking to remedy them. They know that they more they know about a wide variety of subject matters, they more opportunities they will have to connect with others. They understand that knowing more will allow them to ask more intelligent questions of others who know more than they do—which will in turn help them remedy more of their knowledge gaps, foster their curiosity, and make them seem more interesting to others.

I hope you’ll consider using Philosophy + Film as a tool to nurture your curiosity, and propel you on your journey toward a more interesting future.

(Don’t forget to use the code CURIOSITY to get $65 off!)

That is the whole purpose behind why I created it—to nurture our interior lives, to foster our life of the mind, and to help bridge divides through beauty, ideas and dialogue.

Enrollment closes tomorrow.

A few questions for you to consider:

• Who are the most interesting people you know? What traits to they possess that make them so interesting?

• I listed a few ways we can become more curious and interesting. Cover new intellectual territory. Redeem small talk. Cultivate interest in others. What are some others?

I’d love to hear from you.

Write to me with your thoughts—or about any questions or comments you have about Philosophy + Film—at ah@alexandraohudson.com

And we have a few SCHOLARSHIPS left, both partial and fill, if of interest! Write to me to inquire.

I hope you’ll join us!

Warmly,

Lexi

A