| Are
You an Interesting Person?
Off
the top of your head, you can probably list the names of 20 people
you consider to be interesting...
Maybe
you could fill a page with names, if you really gave it some thought.
What are the characteristics of interesting or charismatic people?
Is there any advantage in becoming more interesting? From a networkers
perspective, the answer is a most resounding - yes!
We
all know that people do business with people they know, like and
trust. Ask yourself, would you want to spend time with someone
who you find interesting or someone who bores you stupid?
The
answer is obvious. An interesting person attracts people to them
and most likely expends a lot less effort promoting and selling
their product or services or fast-tracking their career.
Think
about the last networking and/or social function you attended.
What people do you recall having a conversation with? More importantly,
what do you remember about those conversations?
Many
interesting people basically repeat little pieces of trivia -
things they found interesting and assume others will, too. Basically
they teach what they learn. This doesn't include gossip, of course,
only good news stories.
Gifted
story-tellers
Interesting
people are often gifted at telling stories. Unfortunately, at
social and networking functions, you often have to give a shortened
version of an event and this may take practice. We all know people
who can embellish a story and stretch the truth. In the networking
world, stretching the truth is totally unnecessary and very often
backfires. More often than not, it's a great story just as it
happened. It's the storyteller that makes the story come alive
with passion and enthusiasm.
If
you are really serious about improving your personal skills including
your communication or social skills, lets consider story telling.
Would you agree that people recall stories, especially when they
are positive, entertaining and trigger emotions - happy or sad.
By the way, if sadness has been triggered, the great storyteller
has a way of turning a negative into a positive, even if it is
just to state how lucky we are at that moment.
So
lets look at simple strategies that you may consider introducing
into your life to become a more interesting person. ( The basic
reason for doing this would be for you to have a more interesting
life, more fulfilment and a broader circle of friends. Once trust
is built, who knows how many of those people may be interested
in furthering your career ).
Always
be sincere and give without expectation. People can intuitively
sense a fraud a mile away. We all know those people who are just
being nice to you because they want something. They are rarely
interesting - basically because they are only interested in themselves
and what they can take, not in what they can give.
In
today's competitive marketplace, many employees get caught up
in the - work long hours, go home, crash - work long hours, go
home, crash - cycle. When they do get a day off, its all they
can do to drag themselves out of bed and many have to really force
themselves to go out and do something remotely social. Life is
like exercise, once you are actually at the gym, you feel great.
It's just getting there that takes the effort.
Research
your interests
The
Internet has opened up the information world. All we have to do
is know how to access that information. Search engines make that
incredibly easy for us. In particular, you may like to visit Ask
Jeeves - www.aj.com. You will find that Jeeves can answer just
about any question you can create, no matter how obscure - and
all in the space of nanoseconds.
I
have an interest in taking photos of sunsets and sunrises and
as I travel, I get to see many examples of nature's magni-ficence.
One night, I collected a batch of photos and was a little disappointed
with them. Other than doing a photography course, I wondered if,
"Ask Jeeves" might have a suggestion for me. Sure enough, after
typing in a query, "where would I learn to take better photos
of sunrises and sunsets"- I was directed to an article: 'How to
take better photos of sunrises.' I kid you not! Ask Jeeves is
definitely worth a visit.
Get
focussed
Take
a few moments now and write a list of 20 things that you would
be interested in doing if you had a month off and an unlimited
budget. Really let your imagination take hold. Your list may include
some old hobbies, new interests, maybe even more of what you are
currently doing.
Move
out of your comfort Zone
Many
people sit back and wait for life to happen - they wait a long
time! Proactive people are the ones who make life happen.
Attend
a special course
So
many people think that networking has to be work related. In actual
fact, some of the best contacts you will make, will be in a social
or special interest situation.
Time
poor people may be reluctant to commit to long-term studies. However,
many colleges regularly have short-term special interest courses
to suit our restricted availability. What a great way to network!
You
are learning something new, improving your skill, making new friends
and the by product is - you are becoming more interesting.
John
Lennon summed it up with his quote: "Life is what happens while
you are making other plans." Interesting people are not born.
You won't find 'interesting person' listed in the newspaper birth
notices. However, they are easy to spot at networking functions.
They are the ones that everyone wants to be around.
Happy
networking! |
