EQ & Interpersonal
Ways to be kinder, have better relationships, and annoy people less (everyone is a bit annoying, it's okay)
Think carefully before accepting invitations that are weeks or months in advance
When someone invites you to something in the distant future, ask: Would I say Yes to it if it was this weekend?
Tips for becoming more assertive
People will tell you to practise by starting small – “I would like a table near the window, thanks.” “I don’t want mayo on my sandwich, please.”
How to give unsolicited advice (if you really must)
Today’s unsolicited advice is that no one likes unsolicited advice, and most people are very bad at giving it usefully.
Interviewers vs Volunteers: What type of conversationalist are you?
Interviewer see talking about yourself as arrogant and expect the other person not to do too much. Volunteers see talking about yourself as being vulnerable and expect the other person to do their fair share.
It's insulting to apologise for boring your conversation partner
The apology unintentionally says “I assume you’re not into [topic] AND I assume you can’t get interested in topics outside your personal interests.” Not nice assumptions!
Talk to people with different life experiences, not just different politics
Getting out of your filter bubble doesn't mean 'talk to people who voted for the other guy'. There are a lot of other kinds of diversity.
The Deaf experience shows how impoverished hearing people's communication can be
“It’s rude to point,” my friend told me from across the elementary-school cafeteria table. I grasped her words as I read them off her lips. She stared at my index finger, which I held raised in midair, gesturing toward a mutual classmate. “My mom said so.” I was 6
The problem isn’t that we have desires, but that our desires are too small
This week I came across the exact same concept expressed by a Buddhist and a Christian thinker, which was startling enough to seem worth exploring.
“Backchannel”: A crucial element of how conversations flow and people bond
I’m going to tell you about an incredibly useful linguistic concept — one of those things where you’re like “oh there’s a word for that, that’s so useful! Now I have a way talk about it.”
The best way to get a nervous person to try something new
It’s not, “tell them it’s easy and they’ll pick it up no problem”