Relational Intelligence
- Smile
- Having a pleasant demeanor will attract people toward you.
- A cynical and grumpy demeanor will repel people.
- Handshake
- People pay attention to handshakes.
- Offer your hand when meeting everyone men or women.
- Have a firm handshake that indicates that you are interested in knowing that person.
- Do not have a hand-squeeze competition. An over-firm handshake can hurt the other person.
- Ask Questions
- The most important skill in meeting people is the ability to ask meaningful and appropriate questions.
- This requires preparation and thoughtfulness.
- The goal of asking questions is to demonstrate a genuine desire to get to know that person.
- The second goal is to find common ground.
- Common ground is the easiest way to build a lasting relationship.
- "Where are you from?"
- "What college did you attend?"
- "What do you do in your free time?"
- Developing 10 POCKET QUESTIONS that you are comfortable with can make it easier to meet new people and make new and lasting friendships.
- Listen
- The first question is easy. Learning to listen and ask the follow up questions are equally important.
- Listening and paying attention to others' preferences demonstrates your genuine desire to know them.
- Listening also demonstrates authenticity and engagement in the conversation.
- Most people are drawn to people who are genuinely interested in who they are as a person.
- Build trust
- Lasting healthy relationships are built on trust.
- Building trust is easy.
- To build trust, make a promise and keep it.
- To grow trust, make sure you don't promise things that you can't deliver.
- To maintain trust, your word must always be good and true.
- Take responsibility
- People like to be friends with people who are credible and reliable.
- Take responsibility for your mistakes, shortcomings, and failures.
- Take responsibility for your choices.
- Share credit for successes with everyone you can.
- Say "thank you" a lot. Grateful people make good friends.