Everyone wants to be liked by others. Well, maybe not everyone, but at least 99 percent of people would prefer others to have a positive attitude towards them rather than a negative one. Being likable doesn’t just mean having more friends and feeling better, but it can also help you in all areas of life, including your career.
Here are some tips on how to be interesting and likable to others.
-1- Be positive. Even if you’re kind to someone, if everything that comes out of your mouth is negative, people will notice and feel bad around you.
-2- Offer help. Most people feel uncomfortable asking for help, so if you see an opportunity to lend a hand, feel free to offer it.
-3- Be generous, especially with food, but also with other things you possess. Always offer those around you what you’re eating.
-4- Avoid yelling.
-5- Listen without judging or criticizing.
-6- Don’t show off. The fastest way to make people stop liking you is to constantly show and tell them how great you are.
-7- Laugh at yourself.
-8- Don’t laugh at others.
-9- Avoid being overly political. Debating can be interesting and inspiring, but if you’re only good for arguments, you’ll soon cease to be interesting.
-10- Be polite.
-11- Don’t be clingy. Everyone needs some peace and solitude from time to time.
-12- Don’t come across as desperate. Never say, “I have no one else to have coffee with, so I thought of you.”
-13- Practice good hygiene. Shower every day, brush your teeth at least twice a day, regularly change your clothes…
-14- Give compliments, but be sincere. Fake compliments are transparent and unlikeable.
-15- Avoid gossiping too much. A little gossip can be interesting and bring people together, but don’t overdo it.
-16- Be authentic. Strive to be the person you want to be instead of pretending to be someone you’re not.
-17- Be approachable and available. If you don’t respond to calls and messages and you’re unreachable, you can’t be likable, and people will quickly forget about you.
-18- Speak clearly so that people can understand you. Few people have tolerance for those they can’t comprehend.
-19- Remember names and address people by their names.
-20- Show similarity with the person you’re talking to. Mirror their behavior to establish a connection, but don’t do it in an annoying and obvious way.
-21- Never lie.
-22- Smile. Everyone loves a genuine and cheerful smile.
-23- Keep unverified information to yourself. Someone who shares unverified things sounds funny and foolish.
-24- Respect the elderly, respect children, respect minorities—in short, respect all people.
-25- Don’t make too many promises and fulfill little. Deliver on everything you promise.
-26- Stand up for your beliefs without promoting them.
-27- Keep your hands away from your face. Avoid scratching, fidgeting, or constantly adjusting your hair. These things convey nervousness, insecurity, or vanity.
-28- Stand upright. Nobody likes weaklings.
-29- Show that you care about other people and what they say. Don’t roll your eyes, yawn, and so on.
-30- Invite people for coffee, lunch, dinner, or any other event.
How to be interesting to people
You may be wondering what the purpose is of being liked by others, but the fact is that being likable significantly eases your life. This doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your own values, beliefs, or anything to fit in with others, because the truth is, you can never and should never try to please everyone. However, it means that you can and should behave in a way that projects a positive image of yourself, that allows you to connect with others, and that makes them see you as a trustworthy person.
Fortunately, likability is a skill that you can develop over time; it’s not something you either have or don’t have. Likability is something you work on and learn. One of the most important things is to start from the assumption that everyone has something to teach you. This is the healthiest approach to communication. Assume that each person has a valuable story or knowledge that they can share with you. When you engage in conversations with others, make an effort for the focus not to be solely on you, your problems, and your opinions. Approach conversations with the intention of learning something about others and from them. Conversations are an opportunity to get to know the other person better, learn something about them, and form stronger connections.
