7 Tips – Ways to Increase Your Likeability
There are other ways to increase likeability too. Here are a few powerful tips:
1. Smile
Smiling more is something everyone should seek to do. In fact, if you only take one thing from this book, it should be to smile more!
Smiling is contagious thanks to those mirror neurons – when we see someone smile we can’t help but smile too. At the same time, smiling is something that makes us feel good due to a process called facial feedback. Essentially, whatever expression you pull, you feel that way.
So, if you smile a lot and look happy, you actually make other people feel happy too. This then makes them associate feeling good with being around you – and as you can imagine, this boosts your likeability.
2. Just have a great time
This is a good tip in general. Wherever you are, try to be positive, try to see the fun in what you’re doing and just have a great time. There’s something very appealing about people who really enjoy themselves no matter what – even if it might occasionally seem somewhat naïve.
Having a good time shows your ability to make the best of any situation and it helps others to relax and enjoy themselves too. Even if you’re in a stuffy business meeting, you can still enjoy the company and if you love your work then you can enjoy that too!
3. Staying positive
Tying right into the last point the importance of staying positive. This is one of the most important ways to increase your likeability and to ensure people enjoy spending time around you.
No one wants to spend time around someone who is constantly negative and looking on the downsides but if you can see the good in your situation, you’ll help to enhance the moments instead of hurting them.
4. Avoiding gossip
If you’re in a work setting in particular, it is important to try and avoid office gossip or ‘office politics’ as they are often referred to. In other words, don’t talk unkindly about coworkers or others and don’t spread rumors.
Of course, gossiping and rumor spreading can hurt the people you are gossiping about but it can also damage your reputation with people you are talking to. Why? Because they will question how ready you are to throw them under the bus as well, or how likely it is that you are right now gossiping about them too.
5. Remembering names
A simple little thing you can do is to try to remember people’s names. This shows that you care and is a great way to win brownie points with someone.
If you struggle with names, try using mnemonics to help: what does the name sound like? Do you know someone else with that same name? Perhaps there is a fictional character or a celebrity?
6. Build others up
One of the most important things you can do to be more likeable is to help build others up. That means encouraging other people, complimenting them and helping them to stand out for things that they have accomplished.
A compliment doesn’t just make someone feel good about themselves, it also projects a confidence. Putting down other people makes you feel better in a superficial manner and can elevate your status comparatively.
But if you have no bones about telling someone what they did was incredible, it suggests that you don’t feel threatened and even shows that you are in a position to be able to judge performance. In other words, this is actually a great way to appear confident and at the top of your game.
7. Ask Questions
A quick way to not be liked is to only talk about yourself. It is highly important to remember to occasionally ask other people in the conversation about them, to listen and to let them get things off their chest.
8. Self-Deprecation
Not to be confused with self-defecation…
Putting yourself down in a controlled manner and letting people see your slight flaws and weaknesses is actually one more way to make yourself more likeable.
Again, this is a good way to demonstrate your confidence because the ability to put yourself down shows that you are confident in your position. At the same time, it helps to make you a more approachable person.
I hope this helped 🙂