How to Win Friends and Influence People...

learn - Some quick pointers from the excellent classic book by Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People

• Never criticize, condemn, or complain
• Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself. Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person's precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment.
• "As much as we thirst for approval, we dread condemnation"
• When dealing with people let us remember that we are not dealing with creatures of logic but we are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity
• Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - so don't
• Give honest and sincere appreciation - always.
• "Don't be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you."
• Become genuinely interested in other people
• Smile
• Remember people's first names and make them feel important
• People have low self-esteem - so continuosly reinforce their levels of self esteem by making them feel important, needed, respected, etc.
• Admire and respect sense of accomplishments which increases the value and self-esteem.
• Specific, immediate praise i.e. "Excellent sale!" in intervals and not every time
• Pay attention and listen attentively

And finally the most important pointer: The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be/feel important and needed