- Treat everyone equally – as if each person is important to you. If you are part of a group of friends, no individual should feel less liked, valued or wanted than anyone else. Show respect for each person’s opinions and ideas. Don’t think of anyone as “unpopular”.
- Be interested in others, and what matters to them (even if their interests seem boring to you). Being listened to affirms that you’re a valuable person – and often we’re just looking for a listening ear.
- Be friendly, warm, outgoing and talk to everyone. It’s easy to ignore or overlook those who are shy, or those who feel awkward and don’t know what to say.
- Be kind to everyone. Agreed, this can be hard as some people are a pain. But that is their issue – it’s not to do with you. It is possible they’re covering their low self-esteem, or expect to be rejected so they start to act that way. Also, if someone says something stupid, or embarrasses themselves, don’t react, or ignore them -still act like they’re a friend.
- Use people’s names when you’re talking to them. It conveys that they are “someone”, and builds a stronger bond.
- Compliment people. You don’t have to overdo it – but notice something good, or something that’s worth praising, in everyone you meet. However, make sure you sound sincere when you give a compliment.
- Share the joke with everyone. Don’t make inside jokes – but always include everyone.
- Also, do your best to have fun, and to laugh, with everyone. That helps to remove tension and to break the barriers down.
dec 27 2012 ∞
jan 3 2013 +