Grin and bear it

Ms Manners,

I saw you speaking at our company’s conference recently on connecting with people and building rapport. Is there one thing that I should always make sure I’m doing?

Great, I hope you enjoyed the presentation and being out there connecting on a whole new level.

There are actually lots of “one things” that you should be doing, however if you really only want one, then, I would say – smile.

There is a great Buddhist saying that sums a smile up perfectly: “Smile! No one is so foreign, so young or so old that they will not understand you.”

I can’t improve on that statement.

The power of a smile is nothing new, we have been told this for generations. Yet for some reason we walk around with a fairly grim look on our faces – are we really all that troubled?

Just try and consciously smile more; smile to the bus driver, smile to the CEO, smile to the barista and the person you walk by in the hall or street.

The great thing about this connecting tool is you already have it; it’s in you, ready to go and doesn’t cost a cent. It’s yours, take it, use it and benefit from it.

Enjoy your new confidence and the game of etiquette.

Kind Regards,

Ms. Manners