We’re excited to be back in Atlanta with our amazing TED community from around the world. Within the first hour of arriving, attendees caught up with old friends and made fast friends out of strangers. With so many new friendships forming before our eyes, we had to ask all these amazing folks: What’s the secret to creating meaningful connections in such a short time?

Here’s what 5 of our attendees — from our global TEDx community and beyond — said was the secret to forming close connections when they find themselves in a new community.

5 Secrets to creating connections, anywhere

1. Be Curious: Listen more than you speak, with a goal to understand what others are saying. Karn Nikrosahakiat of TEDxBangKhunThian (Bangkok, Thailand) emphasized how important it is to start with listening. Karn’s hometown in Thailand is like so many cities and towns today, where people live in close proximity, but they don’t interact, creating a deeply divided culture.

“If you listen, you can connect. Just stay curious. Don’t listen to respond, listen to their passion and the problem they want to solve. Sometimes you don’t need to say anything back, sometimes people just want to be heard.”

Karn hopes to take the lessons he learns at TEDNext to spark more community-building in his hometown and foster deeper connections.

2. Be Vulnerable: Step outside your comfort zone. Andrea Quintanilla of TEDxTukuy (Lima, Peru) reminded us that letting down your guard is a crucial step in forming solid bonds with others.

“Be human, drop your armor and connect on a deep, human level. Curiosity brings us here to learn ideas from different people.”

As a first-time attendee, veteran attendees warned Andrea she might get overwhelmed by the magnitude of people, ideas and energy. That reminded her she wasn’t the only one who would be feeling vulnerable, allowing her to open up more.

“I realized, wow, a lot of people here probably feel nervous, because this is a huge event. I think we need to all be a part of something bigger than ourselves, to put aside our positions or our big names, our titles, and to be open to discover other people, other feelings and other ideas.”

Vulnerability isn’t necessarily a weakness, said Andrea. When you use it to build connections, it can actually be a superpower.

3. Be Kind: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Prumsodun Ok, artist and Cambodia-based TED Fellow, referred to kindness as “the gateway to compassion and empathy,” noting that being open and kind doesn’t mean having to bite your tongue when you disagree with someone.

“Kind is not the same as nice. Sometimes being kind means having difficult conversations, or making the hard decision that may hurt someone's feelings or challenge them.”

He added that by being kind in this way, you can elevate your relationships and potentially even shift someone else’s way of thinking and being. For Prumsodun, kindness leads to understanding, which fosters connection — especially during disagreements.

“When you understand why someone does what they do, it impacts you less, and allows for more productive conversation.”

Leading with kindness allows you to build relationships with those you might not otherwise interact with, gaining new perspective and insight.

4. Be Bold: Connections won’t just happen to you. You’ll probably have to start them yourself. Long time TED attendee from Oregon, Alli Magidsohn, learned that making connections starts with trusting yourself and being brave enough to make the first move.

“This morning I saw a woman with a beautiful shade of lipstick and I complimented her. If something delights the eye, I love sharing back to them that they're delighting me, and obviously that engenders a moment that is open for communication and connection.”

Alli shared that she lets serendipity guide her bold interactions at TED, knowing she’s exactly where she needs to be and what’s meant to be will happen.

5. Be Open: Finding the right community means something different for everyone, but deep connections require a new level of openness. A first-time attendee from Alpharetta, Georgia, Synitta Walker Delano, shared her view that being in a community means being seen, accepted and embraced for all parts of you. As an introvert, she admitted that it can be hard to find a community unless you’re open to differences as well as similarities. It’s important to look for shared interests with people, even if those similarities don’t immediately jump out at you.

“There's so many things to connect on, even if you don't look alike, even if you're not from the same country. So I think connection is important, but you have to have a space where people feel free to connect.”

At TEDNext, we bring together people from all over the world who share at least one commonality: the desire to hear diverse voices and fresh ideas that can lead to huge, meaningful changes.

You can be a part of the conversations happening this week, too, when you join us virtually. For the first time ever we’re thrilled to be offering a complimentary session of TEDNext to you, our LinkedIn community.

Tune in tomorrow, October 23 at 11:45AM ET to spend time with our digital community from around the world as we learn more about the future of work. RSVP here to get notified when we go live.