Blow me a kiss from across the room. Say I look nice when Im not.
Touch my hair as you pass my chair.
Technique #56
Little Strokes
Dont make your colleagues, your friends, your loved ones look at you
and silently say, Havent I been pretty good today? Let them know how
much you appreciate them by caressing them with verbal Little Strokes like
Nice job! Well done! Cool!
216
How to Talk to Anyone
Little things mean a lot. Send me the warmth of a secret smile To show
me you havent forgot. For always and ever, now and forever, Little things
mean a lot.
To further complicate the art of the compliment, one must consider
timing. Blatant, barefaced, brazen flattery turns all but the blindest
egomaniacs off. But the human animal never fails to amaze observers.
There are moments when, if you dont give a bltant, barefaced, brazen
complimenteven to a bright indiviualyou lose. The following technique
defines those moments.
How to Praise with Perfect Timing
Ill never forget the first time I gave a luncheon speech in front of
strangers. Id practiced for the stuffed animals on my bed and my roommate,
Christine, but this was my debut in front of a real audience.
As I shakily got to my feet, I looked out at seventeen smiling Rotarians
waiting for my words of wit and wisdom. My tongue was dry as chalk dust,
my palms as wet as a fish. The audience might as well have been seventeen
thousand judges waiting to setence me to eternal humiliation if I didnt
inform and entertain each. I gave a last panic-stricken glance at Christine,
who had driven me to the club, and began, Good afternoon. It gives me
great pleasure...
Thirty minutes later, amidst scattered applause which I feared was
obligatory, I crawled back to my seat next to Christine. I looked expectantly
at her. She smiled and said, You know this dessert isnt bad. Have some.
Dessert? Dessert! Dammit, Christine, how did I do? I silently screamed
at her. A few minutes later Christine told me how much she and, she
assumed, everyone else enjoyed my talk. Neertheless, by then it was too
late. The crucial compliment-craving moment had passed.
ooja
(Ooja)
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