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Read "How to Make Friends and Influence People". Oh you said besides that...well practice what it preaches. Us folk (geeks/nerds/hackers) tend to like to show

by mrtron 19y ago

Read "How to Make Friends and Influence People". Oh you said besides that...well practice what it preaches. Us folk (geeks/nerds/hackers) tend to like to show how much we know about a subject. Some old dude is talking about how his phone can now surf the web...what do you say? Act a bit surprised and ask him a bit more about the subject. Let HIM show what he knows, and get that little feeling of self-importance. Don't squash it by saying you could ssh in to work on your phone 5 years ago and that his phone is garbage. Also practice, and have someone judge your performance. There are a zillion things to improve on here, it is a difficult art to master. I would also say it is a long road that I wouldn't be satisfied in saying I know well until I can sit in a room with anyone at anytime and befriend them and/or convince them they want to reconnect with me again shortly. One last thing, I have the most difficulty talking to people I know well and respect. For example, I was recently discussing business and my goals with an old co-worker I really respected, and I found myself a bit flustered. Anyone else experienced this and/or have any suggestions?

mlinsey 19y ago
I found that "How to Make Friends and Influence People" was really good but more suited to the workplace/building up business contacts.
- mrtron 19y ago
  Valid point, it did have that feel. But I think the key points are suited to all interactions. If you are first meeting someone...and I don't know how to phrase this to be politically correct...you are 'intimately' interested in, perhaps telling them about your magic card collection isn't the best approach. You could discuss his/her Starcraft skills instead :)
yters 19y ago
Boy, yeah, I have that problem. In my undergrad, there was a teacher I really respected, and I really wanted to get to know him, but I always felt like such a waste of his time. Happens with most older guys I really respect who don't go out of their way to befriend me. However, if it's a matter of professional self interest, there's no problem. I'm quite bold going up and talking to people very senior in rank.

by mrtron 19y ago

mlinsey 19y ago

I found that "How to Make Friends and Influence People" was really good but more suited to the workplace/building up business contacts.

mrtron 19y ago
Valid point, it did have that feel. But I think the key points are suited to all interactions. If you are first meeting someone...and I don't know how to phrase this to be politically correct...you are 'intimately' interested in, perhaps telling them about your magic card collection isn't the best approach. You could discuss his/her Starcraft skills instead :)

yters 19y ago

Boy, yeah, I have that problem. In my undergrad, there was a teacher I really respected, and I really wanted to get to know him, but I always felt like such a waste of his time. Happens with most older guys I really respect who don't go out of their way to befriend me. However, if it's a matter of professional self interest, there's no problem. I'm quite bold going up and talking to people very senior in rank.