CEO, Administrator, Associate, Client, Friend, or Acquaintance, it doesn’t matter what position in life you hold, the only way to get sponsors (referencing example from The Hunger Games), the only way to climb the success totem pole, and the only way to acquire all the support you need in life and on your success journey, is you have to get people to like you.
While this is fairly well known to anyone who is trying to improve themselves and are striving for success, there are still thousands of people going about it the wrong way, getting discouraged and giving up. They get to a point that they are putting forth so much effort to get the attention and help they need, that they burn-out and do more damage to themselves and the people they are pitching to.
The reason is that they are pushing perfection, creating every event to showcase themselves and quite simply, trying too hard to be what they think others want instead of remaining true to themselves. The need to make an adjustment to the process is why the following three variables are the keys to getting people to like you which is directly connected and influential on your attitude, your income, your daily reflection and above all, your success.
1. Get personal!
Despite all attempts to only focus on listening to others and holding our tongue it’s nearly impossible. In fact, I encourage you to not “just listen”. A conversation is an interaction and the connection you can make by replying to what you listened to is most crucial to getting the other person to like you. The problem is that people try to solve problems too much and tell others what to do after listening to them. The trick to make that acceptable and beneficial is to share personal stories. You can incorporate this throughout a conversation when something you hear brings back a memory or lesson and also at the beginning of a seminar when you tell the audience what you want them to learn. Make the story light and half-applicable to their situation and half-enjoyment. By opening yourself to others through storytelling, they will open up to you and thus you have a bonded personal relationship that will benefit your life success. Remember, the spread of new inventions through word-of-mouth is as strong and abundant as a reference for you and your character.
2. Make a fool of yourself!
We have all grown wise enough to pick out who is just extremely charismatic, and who is really charismatic because they are excited about what they have to share. Obviously, the latter is the best choice if you are trying to get people interested in you and what you have to say. But this component requires you to express your other emotions too. You need to show others, your audience, that you have made mistakes in life. In fact, make mistakes when you are interacting with someone. It shows that you are human and humans connect better to other humans rather than a robot that has never made a mistake. Laugh with the audience when you stumble or forget something. Enjoy yourself and your mistakes because it resonates perfectly with others. Misery loves company, but humility loves it more.
3. Participate!
Above all, you can’t make a connection with anyone if you don’t get involved with them. Keep a mental tab of the topics they discuss and questions they are asked or bring up for discussion and toss in your two cents. Quit acting like a mentor and begin discovering answers with them instead of teaching or answering them alone. Become socially and personally interactive with office conversations, phone conversations and any other daily interaction. Make a contribution to face time and always act as a student to everyone you meet because you both have a lot to learn. Even I have a lot to learn, so how are you going to participate with this? (You can leave comments below)
Stay Positive & Stay Human
Garth E. Beyer
This post was originally dictated for public speakers as a way to gain a connection with the audience, but as many lessons, they are prevalent throughout all areas.What do you plan to apply these three steps to?
