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Avoid these ten subtle behaviours if you want people to respect you more

Years of awkwardness compelled me to want to learn about what attracts one another.

People make judgements extremely quickly about the kind of person we are.

This means there are tiny changes we all can make that impact how others see us.

Let’s go:

1. Rushing speech

Many of us talk quickly for many reasons, including being jacked up on coffee and excited about what we’re saying.

There are nuances here, as always, and sometimes it’s a good thing to speak at a similar pace to your counterpart.

But the message this often transmits is you aren’t comfortable in your words. It’s like grabbing a hot cake and throwing it back quickly.

When we give ourselves time to speak, finding the right words becomes a lot easier, putting others at ease, and people will have more faith in what we’re saying.

2. Lack of attention.

Being attentive to someone in person and listening is not a submissive act.

Scrolling your phone while in conversation doesn’t make you look cool.

It makes you look like a child. Be there with someone.

Demonstrate your interest and be genuinely interested.

Presence has a power to it.

This will attract people to you like little else.

3. Too fast to agree.

If I’m speaking with someone, and they nod along enthusiastically to all that I say, and they rarely disagree, I can’t help but lose interest.

This doesn’t mean you need to be combative and unpleasant.

But agreeing to everything and everyone is like adding water to paint.

It dilutes who you are in my eyes.

4. Interrupting.

I see this happening at a seemingly increasing rate in the modern, distracted age.

This is frustrating if I’m speaking and you can’t wait to interject with your opinion as I’m talking.