Initiating Stage

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In the initiating stage of a relationship, you make contact with another person, saying hello or asking for a name. If you think about the number of new people you initiate with on a given day, you won’t be surprised to learn that most relationships don’t move beyond this stage. Just because you say “Good morning” to the woman who sold you a bagel doesn’t mean the two of you will be chatting on the phone later today. But you will likely use your first impression of a person to gauge whether or not you’re interested in moving forward with the relationship (Canary, Cody, & Manusov, 2008).