Month: January 2009

3BT – 2

  1. Watching Joe Satriani play Surfing with the Alien, and other clips on youtube
  2. Getting a tech-housecall to an aunt/neighbor’s house. Among other things, I explain the basics of IP networking and how domains and DNS registrars work. A few diagrams later, she gets it.
  3. Jogging along the Subang lake evokes memories of my childhood. The sounds of bustling traffic melds with the tranquility of the large body of water alongside me, which makes me happy.

How to Win Friends and Influence People;

Thanks to the gem that is StumbleUpon, I came across this link;

A summary of Dale Carnegie’s book from 1936, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

For your benefit, I will copy and paste it all here:

Part One

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

  1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
  2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
  3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Part Two

Six ways to make people like you

  1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
  2. Smile.
  3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
  4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
  5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
  6. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Part Three

Win people to your way of thinking

  1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
  2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
  3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
  4. Begin in a friendly way.
  5. Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately.
  6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
  7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
  8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
  9. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
  10. Appeal to the nobler motives.
  11. Dramatize your ideas.
  12. Throw down a challenge.

Part Four

Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

A leader’s job often includes changing your people’s attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

  1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
  2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
  3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
  4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
  5. Let the other person save face.
  6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
  7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
  8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
  9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

It’s funny how over 70 years on, most of these tenets still hold their weight. Read and reflect, on how many of these things you may already be doing, be it consciously or subconsciously 😉