7 Skills of Extraordinarily Likable People by Jeff Haden

“Some people are naturally confident and self assured.
 
Unfortunately, I’m not one of them — and possibly neither are you. Small talk doesn’t come easily to us, and those first five minutes are tough because we’re a little shy and a little insecure.
 
Yet we want to make a good impression. We want people to genuinely like us… but we want them to like the real us.
 
Here are six ways to be who you are — and to be extraordinarily likable:
 
1. Lose the power pose.
 
I know: Your parents taught you to stand tall, square your shoulders, stride purposefully forward, drop your voice a couple of registers, and shake hands with a firm grip.
 
It’s great to display nonverbal self-confidence, but go too far and it seems like you’re trying to establish your importance. That makes the “meeting” seem like it’s more about you than it is the other person — and no one likes that.
 
No matter how big a deal you are, you pale in comparison to someone like, oh, Nelson Mandela. So take a cue from him. Watch how he and Bill Clinton (no slouch at this either) greet each other.