| I don't do canned openers, besides, opening someone on public transport isn't complicated at all. It's nice when someone starts talking to you on your boring journey, especially if you're on the bus/train every day so you don't need to be too inventive. The most important thing is how you go about it, so here are some pointers.
1. Don't sit right beside her, it sandwiches her between you and the window and will make her uncomfortable. Rather, sit across from her and open her from here... if it's very crowded and you have no choice but to sit right next to her, make sure to open her as you sit down so there is no tension. Ever been sitting on the bus and someone sits right next to you, only to stare straight ahead without saying anything? Yeah, you don't wanna make her feel like that.
2. Make eye contact and say hi as you sit down across from her. Once you sit down, talk to her in an 'over the shoulder' fashion; only adjust your posture and body language towards her when she responds positively to you. Turning your body towards her can come across as validation-seeking if it's done before she opens up. Don't lean into her either; if you can't hear her then tell her to speak up.
3. If she's at a window seat with an empty chair plus the aisle between you, then you can't kino. Likewise, if these positions are reversed. Don't position yourself purposely so you can touch her, but if you're both sitting close enough so that kino is possible and natural, by all means do it.
4. People are often listening to music, so how do you get their attention? You should already have her attention because you looked her in the eye, obviously you can't say hello because she won't hear you so a smile will suffice. But what if she's fiddling with something and doesn't see you, and now you're sitting across from her with no idea what to do? Read on...
First of all, don't touch her as you may startle her, and don't try to ask her something; she will want to get straight back to her music and try to dismiss you as quickly as possible. What you're aiming to do here is to be more fun than what she's doing... so give her something to laugh at. Mime as if you're saying something really dramatic and wave your hands a little, or point at something. I guarantee she'll take her buds out and ask what's wrong every time. Then you say something like, "You know, every time I do that I get the funniest reactions... I was expecting better from you!"
I know I said I don't do canned openers, but I really like that one. If she isn't listening to music, all you need to do is say hi. So, what do you talk about once you open her then? It's simple... ask her where she's going and it's all downhill from there. Tell her where you're going and what exciting things you're getting up to. Talk about the place she's going to, maybe you've been there or know someone who hangs around there a lot. Use your brain!
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