Easter Egg Compliments

The first law of likeability states that we like people who like us. But letting people know that you like them isn't always easy to do.

Yes, there are people in this world who have no problem just opening their mouth and saying, "I like you." Come to think of it, I'm one of those people, but I'm smart enough to know that not everyone is comfortable with that approach.

One of the simplest ways to let people know that you like them is to give them a sincere compliment. The keyword is sincere. If you give someone a compliment for the sake of giving a compliment you will come across as a fraud and do more harm than good.

There are lots of different kinds of compliments including:

• External compliments - where you compliment someone on an exterior feature like the dress they're wearing.
• Internal compliments - where you dig deeper and compliment someone on their actions or behavior.
• And my favorite, the Easter Egg Compliment.

The best way to describe an Easter Egg Compliment is through a story.

My younger son Joel, the fodder for much of my likeability material, works at a bookstore here on Maui. His girlfriend recently interviewed for a job at the same bookstore.

During the interview, the manager told my son's girlfriend what a fantastic customer service person Joel was. She went on to say that she encourages all of her employees to watch how he treats customers so they can see customer service being done right.

Needless to say, Joel's girlfriend told him exactly what his manager said about him, and he was delighted.

I call this an Easter Egg Compliment because it is initially given to someone else for you to discover later. And it's always a thrill when you find it.

There is an additional benefit to an Easter Egg Compliment. When someone says something nice about you to another person, both you and the person who told you the compliment are privy to your compliment. It's a double win. You hear the compliment and so does your friend.

It's not just compliments that get back to people however. That's why you must be very careful with what you say about someone when they're not around. What you say is going (compliment or not) is going to get back to them, so make sure you're not dropping rotten eggs.

Here's what I want you to do. Starting with the next person you see I want you to say something nice about a third person you have in common. Be sincere and know with certainty that what you say is going to get back to them.

Then I want you to start dropping these compliments as frequently as possible with everyone you see and watch what happens. Everyone likes to find Easter Eggs.

Attached Images

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