The best way to choose a sponsor is to ask the first person that introduces themselves to you at your first meeting.
Having said that, I'll explain my own experience, and how I came about determining the best way to choose a sponsor.
First off, let me say that I'm sure I had more sponsors than I'm talking about below because I was constantly looking for the one that would make people go "Ahhh..." when I told them who my sponsor was.
My first sponsor was a woman who sponsored lots of other girls, giving them all her phone number when they were newcomers. We all seemed to gather around her when she came into the room. She was pretty, smart, and had a really cool husband that was also in Alcoholics Anonymous.
What did she do? Told me to call her. Talked to me when she saw me at a meeting. Asked me how I was doing. Asked me to come over and fix her computer. I was honored! We were talking one day and I told her how great I felt. She told me "You're on a pink cloud! Enjoy it while it lasts!"
What didn't she do? Call me. Push me through the steps. Offer to spend some time with me. It's funny that right now, I simply cannot think of her name.
My second sponsor was a man I used to meet every night at the diner before a meeting. It was not about meeting each other. It was about eating before we went to the meeting, and how convenient to have a dinner companion.
We'd chit-chat about everything and nothing. One day, he gave me a book to read (Emmet Fox's "The Sermon on the Mount"). The next day a friend of mine said "Oh, he gives that to all his sponsees." Thus, I became his sponsee and didn't even know it. I'd never considered asking a man to be my sponsor because I was told "Stick with the women". Well...the women I'd met were pretty brutal to other women. I'm sure there was some wonderful women out there, but I didn't cross their paths when I was ready to reach out to them.
One day while we sat in the diner, I told him that I felt as happy as I'd ever felt in my whole life, just sitting there talking with him at the diner...such a simple thing. He said "You're on a pink cloud. Don't you EVER get off! God not only wants you to be happy, but he expects you to NOT settle for less than complete happiness!" The man looked like Santa Claus. Surely, I'd have never chosen him as a sponsor.
What I'm trying to demonstrate is that when I chose a sponsor, my sick self picked someone who had lots on the outside. When God chose a sponsor for me, he picked someone who had lots on the inside.
Getting a sponsor is very easy. It takes about 1.5 seconds to say "Will you be my sponsor?" And you're not marrying the person, okay?
If you're afraid, I don't blame you. I was sick. How could I possibly pick someone who could help me get well? What did I know about it? Another option is available. When you get to a meeting, ask the chairperson or secretary to suggest someone. Don't think about it...just ASK them to be your sponsor.