Most North Americans prefer about 18 inches of space around our physical person when we communicate with others.
Use of ALL CAPS suggests anger.
Take time each day to be aware of your opinions and feelings so you can adequately convey them to others.
Consciously look into one of the listener’s eyes and then move to the other eye. Going back and forth between the two makes your eyes appear to sparkle.
Make your body gestures appropriate to the size of your audience. Use smaller gestures for individuals and small groups. The gestures should get larger as the group that one is addressing increases in size.
Recognize an inappropriate response (such as giggling when confused or nervous) as an opportunity to develop emotional intelligence.
An open stance with arms relaxed at your sides tells anyone around you that you are approachable and open to hearing what they have to say.
Avoid the impulse to listen for the end of a sentence so that you can blurt out the ideas or memories on your mind while the other person is speaking.
People will perceive you as nervous and unsure of yourself if you talk or play fast. However, be careful not to slow down to the point where people begin to finish your phrases just to help you finish.
Choose to be honest, patient, optimistic, sincere, respectful, and accepting of others.
Recognize that there should be a maximum of one jerk in a room at a time .
It is hard to change irritating behaviors of others. However, some behaviors can be accommodated so they don’t irritate us as much. For example:
auto-closing toilet seats
flip top toothpaste caps
lights on timers
signs that explain what things are recyclable
storing extra trash bags at the bottom of the waste basket
tennis balls hanging from the garage ceiling so that driver knows how far to pull in
By
Emily Sunderman 