<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537</id><updated>2008-04-16T22:49:13.299+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Communication Skills Confidence - How to Develop Exceptional People Skills</title><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog.htm'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default'/><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>120</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-114579714869885292</id><published>2006-04-23T14:56:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2006-04-23T14:59:08.710+02:00</updated><title type='text'>How to Laugh in the Face of Rejection</title><content type='html'>Today I am releasing a new and controversial breakthrough &lt;br /&gt;solution to the one problem that most people hope will go &lt;br /&gt;away all by itself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Find out why this will make such a big difference to so &lt;br /&gt;many people. Click here now:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/laughatrejection.htm"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/laughatrejection.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2006/04/how-to-laugh-in-face-of-rejection.html' title='How to Laugh in the Face of Rejection'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/laughatrejection.htm' title='How to Laugh in the Face of Rejection'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=114579714869885292' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/114579714869885292'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/114579714869885292'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-114026869184651183</id><published>2006-02-18T14:14:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2006-03-16T13:01:52.803+01:00</updated><title type='text'>The People Who Can Help You Get What You Want</title><content type='html'>The latest article is posted here:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog&lt;/a&gt;/&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some of the ideas are a little controversial so don´t pass this link on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog/2006/01/24/the-people-who-can-help-you-the-most/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog/2006/01/24/the-people-who-can-help-you-the-most/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2006/02/people-who-can-help-you-get-what-you.html' title='The People Who Can Help You Get What You Want'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog/' title='The People Who Can Help You Get What You Want'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=114026869184651183' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/114026869184651183'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/114026869184651183'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-113620517839770262</id><published>2006-01-02T13:30:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2006-01-02T13:32:58.413+01:00</updated><title type='text'>The Reason Why Communication Success is an Inside Job</title><content type='html'>What I am going to talk about today is quite personal. By&lt;br /&gt;sharing a personal story I hope you will grasp just why&lt;br /&gt;excellent communication skills are not just a nice to have&lt;br /&gt;-- these skills are essential if you are to get what you&lt;br /&gt;deserve and need for yourself and those you care about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let me explain...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I just got off the phone with my friend Kim. She had good&lt;br /&gt;news and bad news. The good news first - her mother has&lt;br /&gt;just got the all clear from the hospital and is now clear&lt;br /&gt;of breast cancer. The procedure was a success.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The bad news, her mother has an aggressive form of cancer.&lt;br /&gt;The really bad news... the doctor told her to come back in&lt;br /&gt;6 months. That´s right, because of hospital budgets and&lt;br /&gt;management policies they have no intention of keeping a&lt;br /&gt;close eye on her situation. They have no plans to do&lt;br /&gt;anything unless and until symptoms reoccur.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kim heard this and hit the roof. She rushed to the hospital&lt;br /&gt;and met with the doctor. She then discussed the seriousness&lt;br /&gt;of her mothers condition and asked the doctor for help and&lt;br /&gt;guidance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She then went one step further - she got the doctor to try&lt;br /&gt;harder and to commit to getting her mother the best&lt;br /&gt;treatment possible. Kim used charm, persuasion and&lt;br /&gt;personality to win over the doctor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What´s interesting about all this is that if Kim had not&lt;br /&gt;spoken up her mother would not now be benefiting from the&lt;br /&gt;dedicated and committed attention of the hospital.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kim´s mother would be one more victim of a resource&lt;br /&gt;strapped health care system - forgotten about and left&lt;br /&gt;untreated when she needs it the most.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What is the big lesson for you and I?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you know how to make a great impression good things&lt;br /&gt;happen; when you can win people over resources are at your&lt;br /&gt;disposal that others do without; when you can stand up and&lt;br /&gt;be counted even with the pressure on, people listen to you.&lt;br /&gt;Others want to be with you and they are more than happy to&lt;br /&gt;help you get what you want.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We live in busy hectic times and those who speak up and&lt;br /&gt;know how to win peoples attention, confidence and support&lt;br /&gt;dominate in business. These same people also enjoy full and&lt;br /&gt;happy social lives. These individuals are popular,&lt;br /&gt;respected, liked and appreciated by their friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Life is not fair. You are much more likely to get what you&lt;br /&gt;want if you go and ask for what you want.... and especially&lt;br /&gt;if people like and respect you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those who remain passive and unsure end up getting what is&lt;br /&gt;left over. They take what they can get.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The funny thing is your life does not need to be like this.&lt;br /&gt;You CAN get what you want. But first you need to discover&lt;br /&gt;how the game is really played. You need to realize that&lt;br /&gt;success with people is an inside job.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you see smiling, confident, dynamic people you see&lt;br /&gt;those who have mastered the inner game of communication&lt;br /&gt;confidence. They know how to feel great about themselves,&lt;br /&gt;they know how to transfer this charisma to whoever they&lt;br /&gt;meet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People like Kim...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She know how to step up and make people respond to her&lt;br /&gt;requests. Even under pressure, even in a life and death&lt;br /&gt;situation she can calmly and confidently ask for and get&lt;br /&gt;what is needed. And thankfully her mother will now live&lt;br /&gt;longer to enjoy her grandchildren.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can do the same...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don't hesitate or give a halfhearted effort in finding a&lt;br /&gt;way to increase your people skills. You can change your&lt;br /&gt;life and now is the time to start.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Communicating with confidence can be learned...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Find a proven formula and follow it. You will be amazed at&lt;br /&gt;how quickly you will progress. Although some people fear&lt;br /&gt;otherwise, exceptional people skills can be learned by&lt;br /&gt;anyone of at least average intelligence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The difficulties you had in the past will not stop you&lt;br /&gt;making rapid progress now. What matters is learning a&lt;br /&gt;proven approach you can use for the rest of your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I did it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It took me many years to figure out a fool proof&lt;br /&gt;formula anyone can use. Are there any short cuts to&lt;br /&gt;learning exceptional people skills?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There certainly are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get out your copy of my proven system and start applying&lt;br /&gt;the lessons, one at a time. Take a little each day and you&lt;br /&gt;will be stunned by your progress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take it for a 365 day test drive at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember, this is a course that requires you to put the&lt;br /&gt;strategies into action in your daily life. Do that and your&lt;br /&gt;success is assured.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reserve your place here:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your Friend,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently&lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to&lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact. The same techniques you&lt;br /&gt;can use to overcome shyness, develop great conversation&lt;br /&gt;skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. the key to greater success and happiness in life is&lt;br /&gt;simple - make new friends, develop new contacts, help&lt;br /&gt;others and let others help you. Without better people&lt;br /&gt;skills we all get stuck where we are.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2006/01/reason-why-communication-success-is.html' title='The Reason Why Communication Success is an Inside Job'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/' title='The Reason Why Communication Success is an Inside Job'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=113620517839770262' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113620517839770262'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113620517839770262'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-113587711441833878</id><published>2005-12-29T18:24:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2005-12-29T18:25:14.430+01:00</updated><title type='text'>Difficult Conversations and How to Turn Them Around</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many of us have run into difficult people. Some people even&lt;br /&gt;like difficult conversations. Arguments are necessary and&lt;br /&gt;are going to happen, but this difficulty shouldn’t stop you&lt;br /&gt;from communicating.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nobody agrees 100% of the time, so arguing is a natural&lt;br /&gt;part of the conversation. However, some arguments are&lt;br /&gt;unproductive and lead to hard feelings and can even ruin&lt;br /&gt;relationships.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Knowing how to deal with difficult conversations can ensure&lt;br /&gt;that your argument will not turn out too bad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The following tips will help you to argue more effectively.&lt;br /&gt;You will see how you can learn from an argument and what is&lt;br /&gt;necessary to make sure an argument ends on the right foot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tip#1 Communicate effectively.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should not use yelling and harsh words to get your&lt;br /&gt;point across. Instead speak calmly and be cautious of words&lt;br /&gt;you use. Use sentences that say "I" instead of blaming&lt;br /&gt;sentences that use "You".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should always be aware that you have a point and try to&lt;br /&gt;explain it while also taking in the other persons point.&lt;br /&gt;Don´t let anyone give you the impression your opinion is&lt;br /&gt;not worth expressing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tip#2 Remember the other person.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are two sides to any argument. You should give the&lt;br /&gt;other person respect and listen to their side. Do not shut&lt;br /&gt;them out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do not stray from the topic at hand. Most often people&lt;br /&gt;start bringing up past fights or other things that are&lt;br /&gt;completely unrelated to the current argument. Doing his can&lt;br /&gt;cause the other person to shut down and not even want to&lt;br /&gt;speak to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tip#3 Focus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should be really trying to work out the problem. Keep&lt;br /&gt;feelings out of the mix. Do not try to make the other&lt;br /&gt;person feel bad because they disagree with you. Watch their&lt;br /&gt;body language to see if they are tense or starting to feel&lt;br /&gt;relaxed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Arguments go better when people can relax a little. This&lt;br /&gt;helps them to listen better. Be specific with what you&lt;br /&gt;think and what you want the outcome to be. Avoid using the&lt;br /&gt;phrase "I don’t know".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tip#4 Resolution.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ultimate goal with difficult conversations is to&lt;br /&gt;resolve the issue. Try to work out a compromise. Perhaps&lt;br /&gt;someone will have changed their mind by the end. You need&lt;br /&gt;to resolve any negative feelings that may have cropped up&lt;br /&gt;as a result of the argument.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You want everything to return to as it was before the&lt;br /&gt;argument. Nobody should hold any resentment or the argument&lt;br /&gt;was never really resolved.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You do not have to fight to get things done. You can use&lt;br /&gt;these tips in almost any atmosphere where difficult&lt;br /&gt;conversations may crop up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It doesn’t even matter if the other person is not reacting&lt;br /&gt;this way, as long as you use these tips the other person&lt;br /&gt;should calm down as well. You are not only arguing&lt;br /&gt;effectively, but teaching others by example how to argue&lt;br /&gt;better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don't hesitate or give a halfhearted effort in finding a&lt;br /&gt;way to improve your people skills. You can change your&lt;br /&gt;life and now is the time to start.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Communicating with confidence can be learned...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Find a proven formula and follow it. You will be amazed at&lt;br /&gt;how quickly you will progress. Although some people fear&lt;br /&gt;otherwise, exceptional people skills can be learned by&lt;br /&gt;anyone of at least average intelligence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The difficulties you had in the past will not stop you&lt;br /&gt;making rapid progress now. What matters is learning a&lt;br /&gt;proven approach you can use for the rest of your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I did it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It took me many years to figure out a fool proof&lt;br /&gt;formula anyone can use. Are there any short cuts to&lt;br /&gt;learning exceptional people skills?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There certainly are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get out your copy of my proven system and start applying&lt;br /&gt;the lessons, one at a time. Take a little each day and you&lt;br /&gt;will be stunned by your progress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take it for a 365 day test drive at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember, this is a course that requires you to put the&lt;br /&gt;strategies into action in your daily life. Do that and your&lt;br /&gt;success is assured.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reserve your place here:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your Friend,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently&lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to&lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact. The same techniques you&lt;br /&gt;can use to overcome shyness, develop great conversation&lt;br /&gt;skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. the key to greater success and happiness in life is&lt;br /&gt;simple - make new friends, develop new contacts, help&lt;br /&gt;others and let others help you. Without better people&lt;br /&gt;skills we all get stuck where we are.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/12/difficult-conversations-and-how-to_29.html' title='Difficult Conversations and How to Turn Them Around'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.conversationtalk.com/' title='Difficult Conversations and How to Turn Them Around'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=113587711441833878' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113587711441833878'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113587711441833878'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-113355168786923175</id><published>2005-12-02T20:26:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2005-12-02T20:28:07.880+01:00</updated><title type='text'>The Best Way To Get People To Like You</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What does everyone want? When you think about it there is&lt;br /&gt;one human need that can never be satisfied for very long.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like hunger it demands to be attended to until we are&lt;br /&gt;content and if we ignore it for too long we just don´t feel&lt;br /&gt;right.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am of course talking about the approval of other people.&lt;br /&gt;We all want and indeed need to be liked by others and yet&lt;br /&gt;we never seem to get enough affection, attention or love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course there is a right way and a wrong way of getting&lt;br /&gt;people to like you. If you demand to be liked, force others&lt;br /&gt;to approve of you or constantly seek approval the end&lt;br /&gt;result is always the same - you end up pushing people away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What is the best way to get people to like you? The answer&lt;br /&gt;is so obvious and so simple that most people will never&lt;br /&gt;accept that it is so. Still, I´ll tell you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The secret is to firstly approve of yourself and secondly&lt;br /&gt;to choose to find the good in others. When you apply both&lt;br /&gt;of these principles it causes people to respond positively&lt;br /&gt;to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because as we know only 7% of communication is verbal. When&lt;br /&gt;you feel great about your self it comes across in your&lt;br /&gt;voice tone and facial expressions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That glow of self approval is very attractive to other&lt;br /&gt;people and virtually forces them to pay more attention to&lt;br /&gt;you and whatever you say.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, go to lesson 12 in my book: The Self Appreciation&lt;br /&gt;Enhancer. This technique is a quick and easy way to boost&lt;br /&gt;your self-esteem on a daily basis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Make a point of feeling great because the happier you feel&lt;br /&gt;the greater the impact your words will have on everyone you&lt;br /&gt;meet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And when you look for the good in others they can see it in&lt;br /&gt;your eyes, hear it in your words and notice your interest&lt;br /&gt;in them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Make time for activities and people that energize you. And&lt;br /&gt;of course do schedule in time to recharge so that when you&lt;br /&gt;need to be at your best you have an abundance of energy to&lt;br /&gt;draw on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bye for now,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is the author of the proven system for&lt;br /&gt;transforming self-doubt into self-confidence. Develop&lt;br /&gt;great conversation skills and master small talk.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/12/best-way-to-get-people-to-like-you.html' title='The Best Way To Get People To Like You'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/' title='The Best Way To Get People To Like You'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=113355168786923175' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113355168786923175'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113355168786923175'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-113164550965477095</id><published>2005-11-10T18:55:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2005-11-10T18:58:29.666+01:00</updated><title type='text'>What To Do When People Don´t Listen</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whether you like it or not sometimes people will ignore you&lt;br /&gt;or pretend they are listening to you when they are not. As&lt;br /&gt;you know this can be very frustrating.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what can you do?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The first thing to remember is that there is no point in&lt;br /&gt;continuing to do what is not working. If what you are doing&lt;br /&gt;is ineffective take a moment to accept that fact.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shift your focus away from pushing to be heard and instead&lt;br /&gt;get creative and ask yourself...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How can I attract attention?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here are 4 great ideas for attracting attention when you&lt;br /&gt;want to be listened to:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Speak more softly&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This sounds counter intuitive but can be highly effective&lt;br /&gt;if you had attention initially . Think about it. When&lt;br /&gt;someone is speaking and you cannot hear what is being said&lt;br /&gt;doesn´t that arouse your curiosity?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course it does!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And most people will ask you to speak up as long as they&lt;br /&gt;are not preoccupied doing something else. The secret is to&lt;br /&gt;speak with enthusiasm and energy but very softly. This can&lt;br /&gt;ignite an intense urgent curiosity that forces the other&lt;br /&gt;person to pay very close attention to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you speak more softly the other person has no choice -&lt;br /&gt;she must pay close attention to you. This is a great way to&lt;br /&gt;take control of the conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Stop talking&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If the other person is pretending to listen to you it is&lt;br /&gt;good to stop talking. Stop and wait to see how the other&lt;br /&gt;person reacts.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let the silence linger until he encourages you to resume.&lt;br /&gt;If he says nothing at all you can then ask for feedback on&lt;br /&gt;what you said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This puts the other person under pressure to start paying&lt;br /&gt;more attention to what you are saying.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Create a diversion&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When the other person is clearly not paying attention it is&lt;br /&gt;good to break that pattern by creating a diversion. This&lt;br /&gt;can take many forms such as asking for input, saying&lt;br /&gt;something controversial or doing something silly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For example you could ask an unusual question that forces&lt;br /&gt;someone to pay attention and respond in some way. Maybe out&lt;br /&gt;of the blue you ask someone: what is your favorite flavor&lt;br /&gt;of ice cream?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes, it has nothing to do with the ongoing conversation and&lt;br /&gt;for this reason it breaks the pattern - you are speaking&lt;br /&gt;and the other person is not really paying attention.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once you recapture attention you can then get back on&lt;br /&gt;topic. Obviously you need to be careful with this concept&lt;br /&gt;and adapt it to the context and people you are talking to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Vary volume, tempo and tone&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you add variety to the way you are expressing yourself&lt;br /&gt;it is very hard to ignore you. It´s like when you hear good&lt;br /&gt;music it forces you to listen because of the variance in&lt;br /&gt;tempo, rhythm and tone. The same applies to speaking in an&lt;br /&gt;interesting way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Play with emphasizing key words, pause for dramatic effect&lt;br /&gt;and talk more quickly or more slowly to keep the other&lt;br /&gt;person paying attention.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It takes a little practice to get this right and when you&lt;br /&gt;do people will find it very difficult to not give you their&lt;br /&gt;undivided attention.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Developing these people skills may require some work and&lt;br /&gt;dedication, depending on the extent of help you need. One&lt;br /&gt;of the most important parts of being a "people person" is&lt;br /&gt;to be a positive thinker who is optimistic, motivated and&lt;br /&gt;projects a positive image and attitude.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should work every day to send out positive and creative&lt;br /&gt;signals to others by your words, actions and body language.&lt;br /&gt;The way you act can have either a negative or positive&lt;br /&gt;impact on others as well as yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you want to succeed in both your personal and&lt;br /&gt;professional life, or further develop your people skills,&lt;br /&gt;it is crucial to change from a pattern of destructive,&lt;br /&gt;negative thoughts to positive, creative thinking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don't hesitate or give a halfhearted effort in finding a&lt;br /&gt;way to increase your people skills. You can change your&lt;br /&gt;life and now is the time to start. Communicating with&lt;br /&gt;confidence can be learned...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Find a proven formula and follow it. You will be amazed at&lt;br /&gt;how quickly you will progress. Although some people fear&lt;br /&gt;otherwise, exceptional people skills can be learned by&lt;br /&gt;anyone of at least average intelligence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The difficulties you had in the past will not stop you&lt;br /&gt;making rapid progress now. What matters is learning a&lt;br /&gt;proven approach you can use for the rest of your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I did it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It only took me 14 years to figure out the fool proof&lt;br /&gt;formula anyone can use. Are there any short cuts to&lt;br /&gt;learning exceptional people skills? There certainly are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get out your copy of my proven system and start applying&lt;br /&gt;the lessons, one at a time. Take a little each day and you&lt;br /&gt;will be stunned by your progress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take it for a 365 day test drive at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember, this is a course that requires you to put the&lt;br /&gt;strategies into action in your daily life. Do that and your&lt;br /&gt;success is assured.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reserve your place here:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your Friend,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently&lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to&lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact. The same techniques you&lt;br /&gt;can use to overcome shyness, develop great conversation&lt;br /&gt;skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today. P.S. the key to greater&lt;br /&gt;success and happiness in life is simple - make new friends,&lt;br /&gt;develop new contacts, help others and let others help you.&lt;br /&gt;Without better people skills we all get stuck where we are.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/11/what-to-do-when-people-dont-listen.html' title='What To Do When People Don´t Listen'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.communicationtalk.com/' title='What To Do When People Don´t Listen'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=113164550965477095' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113164550965477095'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113164550965477095'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-113050072658030763</id><published>2005-10-28T13:57:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-10-28T13:58:46.596+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The 4 Secrets to Communication Magic</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1 Listen effectively&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How many people do you know who truly listen to every word &lt;br /&gt;you say? Think about the people you enjoy being with the &lt;br /&gt;most. Isn´t it true they really pay close attention to you &lt;br /&gt;when you have something important to say?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It´s a shame but very few people care enough to really &lt;br /&gt;listen attentively to the people in their life. They get so &lt;br /&gt;busy and caught up in their own problems that they are &lt;br /&gt;rarely completely present for anyone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you develop superior listening skills you will be head &lt;br /&gt;and shoulders above most other people who know better but &lt;br /&gt;still don´t listen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Being a great listener is a sure fire way to make new &lt;br /&gt;friends, to make people feel deeply appreciated and to &lt;br /&gt;build deep rapport grounded in mutual trust and respect.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2 Know your purpose&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Quality communication requires you to know not only what &lt;br /&gt;you want to discuss but also why you want to talk about &lt;br /&gt;that topic. A clear and definite sense of purpose will &lt;br /&gt;guide you and help you to be flexible in your approach.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mediocre and poor standards of communication share a lack &lt;br /&gt;of purpose that destroys any potential for meaningful &lt;br /&gt;effective communication.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You need a clear sense of purpose to ensure you persist and &lt;br /&gt;maintain flexibility when the dialogue goes off track. It &lt;br /&gt;is far too easy to let the conversation drift unless you &lt;br /&gt;hold in mind your purpose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your purpose might be to win acceptance of an idea, to get &lt;br /&gt;a friend to do something for you or it might be to arrange &lt;br /&gt;a family day out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever the nature of the discussion unless you know your &lt;br /&gt;purpose you are unlikely to achieve what you set out to get &lt;br /&gt;done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3 Share your insights and opinions&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You are a unique individual with interesting personal &lt;br /&gt;viewpoints and a perspective all of your own. You must have &lt;br /&gt;the courage to express yourself as you are to truly be &lt;br /&gt;effective.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The world does not need another clone of someone else. Sing &lt;br /&gt;your song or the whole world misses out on your special &lt;br /&gt;sound.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The confidence to be yourself can be developed quickly and &lt;br /&gt;easily with the right guidance and appropriate strategies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And it is essential that you do so right away. It is far &lt;br /&gt;too easy to let another week, month or year slip by without &lt;br /&gt;any noticeable improvement in your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Decide to share more of yourself and make a point of &lt;br /&gt;letting others know what you think and feel. Do so with &lt;br /&gt;rapport and you may well find that people are very &lt;br /&gt;interested to hear what you have to say.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4 Make sure you have a common understanding&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;High quality communication is characterized by an ongoing &lt;br /&gt;dialogue that is punctuated by checks for understanding by &lt;br /&gt;all parties to the conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each person must check that everyone involved is singing &lt;br /&gt;off the same hymn sheet or else the potential for &lt;br /&gt;misunderstanding and confusion is huge.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The failure to check assumptions are valid and that the &lt;br /&gt;other people present know what you mean takes skill and &lt;br /&gt;constant attention to both verbal and non verbal cues.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In many ways a free flowing conversation is very much like &lt;br /&gt;driving a car. Unless you are watching for feedback and &lt;br /&gt;aware of what is going on you will not be able to steer the &lt;br /&gt;conversation and keep it on track.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, bear in mind that confidence is the glue that binds &lt;br /&gt;these conversation tips together to ensure your success.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you feel good about yourself, if you feel confident and&lt;br /&gt;at ease others assume you to be confident and at ease. They&lt;br /&gt;then respect you more. And all because you decided to&lt;br /&gt;respect yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, when you are fearful you give off different vibes and&lt;br /&gt;because you are avoiding people they tend to avoid you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And this is why you must identify and let go of your&lt;br /&gt;conversation fear - the fear that stops you from enjoying&lt;br /&gt;the company of others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Drop the fear and notice how people are much more&lt;br /&gt;interested in getting to know you better. Why? Because you&lt;br /&gt;are letting your true personality shine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What can you do right now to beat conversation fear?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Review the Conversation Fear report that comes with my&lt;br /&gt;book. Click here now:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you ever know what to say and still cannot speak up it&lt;br /&gt;is because fear has gotten the better of you. This fear&lt;br /&gt;will not go away until you know how to eliminate it. I show&lt;br /&gt;you three ways in that report.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And make sure you are up to date on the 15 ways to start&lt;br /&gt;and keep a conversation going. I showed you how to do this&lt;br /&gt;in the How to Start a Great Conversation with Anyone report&lt;br /&gt;that you get with my book.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here to trial the system for 365 days:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great day,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. Remember, this is a course that requires you to put&lt;br /&gt;the strategies into action in your daily life. Do that and&lt;br /&gt;your success is assured.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My step-by-step course reveals the secret strategies all&lt;br /&gt;high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact.&lt;br /&gt;Apply now for your 365 day trial at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/10/4-secrets-to-communication-magic.html' title='The 4 Secrets to Communication Magic'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.conversationtalk.com/' title='The 4 Secrets to Communication Magic'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=113050072658030763' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113050072658030763'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113050072658030763'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-113033467598949388</id><published>2005-10-26T15:49:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-10-26T15:51:15.996+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The force that stops you from speaking up</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is a powerful force that stops you from speaking up. &lt;br /&gt;It is the same force that prevents you from making your &lt;br /&gt;voice count and it is the reason why others ignore you or &lt;br /&gt;fail to appreciate what you have to offer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In fact, this force is responsible for most of the lack of &lt;br /&gt;enjoyment, fulfillment and even the limited appreciation &lt;br /&gt;you experience in your day to day life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why is this? Because this force keeps people away from you &lt;br /&gt;and stops you from connecting with people you want to know &lt;br /&gt;better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thankfully, there is a solution and those who know how have &lt;br /&gt;overcome the same negative force that holds you back. These &lt;br /&gt;people enjoy superior relationships, greater career success &lt;br /&gt;and a busy social life with friends who love and appreciate &lt;br /&gt;them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am talking about the fear that stops you from approaching &lt;br /&gt;new people, saying what is really on your mind or &lt;br /&gt;expressing your true personality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you ever feel like you need either permission to speak &lt;br /&gt;up or approval from someone before really being yourself &lt;br /&gt;then you know what I mean. It´s as if the rules you learned &lt;br /&gt;as a child are still governing your life: only speak when &lt;br /&gt;spoken to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfortunately as adults we know what happens when we wait &lt;br /&gt;for permission to speak up. That´s right, someone else &lt;br /&gt;takes our place!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Imagine for a moment what your life would be like if you &lt;br /&gt;could drop this tendency to hold yourself back. Your &lt;br /&gt;typical day would be so different. Think of the fun you &lt;br /&gt;would have joking with people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Imagine all the new people you´d get to know and think &lt;br /&gt;about how good you would feel being an active participant &lt;br /&gt;rather than hiding on the periphery of the group.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Right now, it is as if an imaginary barrier is keeping you &lt;br /&gt;away from other people. And yes, it is imaginary, it is not &lt;br /&gt;real except in your mind.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The people who connect with others, those who are all &lt;br /&gt;smiles and radiating warm confidence simply look at the &lt;br /&gt;world differently. The world is not different - it merely &lt;br /&gt;looks different to them. You can join them when you drop &lt;br /&gt;the self imposed restrictions that are holding you back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Face your fears and drop them one by one. You do this by &lt;br /&gt;changing how you think - not by changing the world. As soon &lt;br /&gt;as you feel differently about dealing with people others &lt;br /&gt;will notice the change in you and start treating you &lt;br /&gt;differently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That´s the funny thing about life - to change the world &lt;br /&gt;change yourself and the people in your world will follow &lt;br /&gt;your lead. They respond to you by reflecting back how you &lt;br /&gt;feel about yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you feel good about yourself, if you feel confident and &lt;br /&gt;at ease others assume you to be confident and at ease. They &lt;br /&gt;then respect you more. And all because you decided to &lt;br /&gt;respect yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But, when you are fearful you give off different vibes and &lt;br /&gt;because you are avoiding people they tend to avoid you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And this is why you must identify and let go of your &lt;br /&gt;conversation fear - the fear that stops you from enjoying &lt;br /&gt;the company of others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Drop the fear and notice how people are much more &lt;br /&gt;interested in getting to know you better. Why? Because you &lt;br /&gt;are letting your true personality shine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What can you do right now to beat conversation fear?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Review the Conversation Fear report that comes with my &lt;br /&gt;book. Click here now:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you ever know what to say and still cannot speak up it &lt;br /&gt;is because fear has gotten the better of you. This fear &lt;br /&gt;will not go away until you know how to eliminate it. I show &lt;br /&gt;you three ways in that report.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And make sure you are up to date on the 15 ways to start &lt;br /&gt;and keep a conversation going. I showed you how to do this &lt;br /&gt;in the How to Start a Great Conversation with Anyone report &lt;br /&gt;that you get with my book.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here to trial the system for 365 days:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great day,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. Remember, this is a course that requires you to put &lt;br /&gt;the strategies into action in your daily life. Do that and &lt;br /&gt;your success is assured.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My step-by-step course reveals the secret strategies all &lt;br /&gt;high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact. &lt;br /&gt;Apply now for your 365 day trial at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/10/force-that-stops-you-from-speaking-up.html' title='The force that stops you from speaking up'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/' title='The force that stops you from speaking up'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=113033467598949388' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113033467598949388'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/113033467598949388'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-112808524369879021</id><published>2005-09-30T14:59:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-09-30T15:00:43.706+02:00</updated><title type='text'>7 Important Reasons To Master People Skills</title><content type='html'>1. The better your people skills the easier it is to make &lt;br /&gt;new friends. You can effortlessly expand your circle of &lt;br /&gt;friends when you exude a charm and ease that attracts &lt;br /&gt;people to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Do you want to be happy? Lasting happiness requires you &lt;br /&gt;to have mutually supportive relationships with family and &lt;br /&gt;friends. The greater the rapport you cultivate with the &lt;br /&gt;important people in your life the happier you will be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. You will eliminate many of the problems that plague most &lt;br /&gt;people. The most stressful problems are usually lingering &lt;br /&gt;people problems. When you master the ability to resolve &lt;br /&gt;conflict and find win-win solutions you can enjoy much less &lt;br /&gt;day to day stress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Expand opportunities for personal and professional &lt;br /&gt;growth. The more people like and appreciate you the more &lt;br /&gt;likely you are to hear of new opportunities that can &lt;br /&gt;benefit you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The people you know are your greatest resource and many &lt;br /&gt;will be happy to help you move ahead as long as they like &lt;br /&gt;you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. Neglect people skills and you will remain in a rut and &lt;br /&gt;out of touch. You will fall behind in your work and in your &lt;br /&gt;community because you will be the last to hear of new &lt;br /&gt;developments and initiatives. Life will become increasingly &lt;br /&gt;difficult and stressful because you are out of the loop.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6. If you are neglecting people skills loneliness will grow &lt;br /&gt;as friends move on and you fail to connect with new people. &lt;br /&gt;Even if you have many people to talk to you could still &lt;br /&gt;lack a deep connection with people who understand you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7. Be yourself with those who care for you. Nothing &lt;br /&gt;compares with the enjoyment of freely expressing yourself &lt;br /&gt;with true friends without fear of criticism. It´s a &lt;br /&gt;wonderful relief from the dogma of a politically correct &lt;br /&gt;society.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Neglect communication skills and you limit your happiness&lt;br /&gt;and success. And by default you give others control over&lt;br /&gt;your life. The only way to be the master of your destiny is&lt;br /&gt;to take charge. Know what you really want and have the&lt;br /&gt;courage to stand up and be counted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What works best?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In my own experience and that of thousands of people who&lt;br /&gt;use my approach each day -- it is absolutely realistic for&lt;br /&gt;you to make a massive and immediate improvement in your&lt;br /&gt;quality of life WHEN you get your hands on accurate advice&lt;br /&gt;and techniques that work for real people like you and I.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You really do deserve to be respected and appreciated by&lt;br /&gt;the people in your life. You already know deep down that&lt;br /&gt;you want your voice to be heard. You want to count.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Having said that I must warn you - do not test my step by&lt;br /&gt;step system unless you can follow instructions. I tell you&lt;br /&gt;exactly what you need to do to develop superior people&lt;br /&gt;skills but I cannot do it for you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Applying the principles and techniques is up to you. That´s&lt;br /&gt;why now is the ideal time for you to get your hands on my&lt;br /&gt;proven step by step system - test it for 365 days and prove&lt;br /&gt;to yourself that advanced communication skills are easy to&lt;br /&gt;learn when you have accurate information.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to reserve your 365 day trial:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your Friend,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. I advise you to reserve your place today to ensure you&lt;br /&gt;are not on a waiting list for email coaching. I have only&lt;br /&gt;so many hours in the day!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And if it gets any busier I may have to drop that special&lt;br /&gt;bonus from the list of 7 extra bonuses so click here now to&lt;br /&gt;view the bonuses:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/09/7-important-reasons-to-master-people.html' title='7 Important Reasons To Master People Skills'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.conversationtalk.com/' title='7 Important Reasons To Master People Skills'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=112808524369879021' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112808524369879021'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112808524369879021'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-112730987207003747</id><published>2005-09-21T15:35:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-09-21T15:37:52.076+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Do You Make These Common Mistakes When Meeting New People?</title><content type='html'>The ability to make a great first impression is a valuable &lt;br /&gt;life skill that can help you to have all you want in life - &lt;br /&gt;in business and socially.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you improve your people skills you can expect greater &lt;br /&gt;happiness, more success and an abundance of opportunities &lt;br /&gt;for personal growth.  That is, once you have identified and &lt;br /&gt;eliminated the most common barriers to great conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let´s identify the five common mistakes people make when &lt;br /&gt;meeting new people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Trying too hard to be liked&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Although we all want to be liked, ironically, the worst way &lt;br /&gt;to win approval is to desperately need it. When you are too &lt;br /&gt;needy it repels people. They sense that you do not value &lt;br /&gt;yourself and as a result they are more likely to treat you &lt;br /&gt;harshly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thankfully there is a solution. The more you love and &lt;br /&gt;approve of yourself the more others will tend to like you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People reflect back what you feel about yourself so make a &lt;br /&gt;point of building your self-esteem and notice the positive &lt;br /&gt;change in how pleased people are to meet you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Pretending to be something you are not&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In our efforts to impress new people it can be tempting to &lt;br /&gt;suddenly reinvent ourselves so as to make a good first &lt;br /&gt;impression. This tactic rarely works because it is very &lt;br /&gt;difficult to project a false persona unless you are a very &lt;br /&gt;good actor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Very often all that happens is that you feel tense and &lt;br /&gt;under pressure to play the role you have invented while the &lt;br /&gt;other person is unable to trust you. Invariably you fail to &lt;br /&gt;make a good first impression and even risk making a fool of &lt;br /&gt;yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is far better to be natural and to express your true &lt;br /&gt;personality. When you do so with confidence others will be &lt;br /&gt;much more likely to accept and like you for who you really &lt;br /&gt;are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Think about it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is much easier to like and respect someone who is &lt;br /&gt;genuine and honest about who they are. In fact being &lt;br /&gt;authentic is one of the most attractive qualities you can &lt;br /&gt;develop.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Prejudging the other person&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We all do it at times. We take one look at someone and &lt;br /&gt;decide before even talking to him what kind of person he is.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Call it mind reading if you like but making such &lt;br /&gt;assumptions and pre judements can severely affect how much &lt;br /&gt;fun you have meeting new people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This attitude can stop you from approaching people, cause &lt;br /&gt;you to miss out on making new friends and make it difficult &lt;br /&gt;for new people to get your undivided attention when getting &lt;br /&gt;to know you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A more practical approach is to allow each person the &lt;br /&gt;opportunity to speak before you decide what the person is &lt;br /&gt;all about. And make sure to switch off your assumptions for &lt;br /&gt;a moment to really listen to what is being said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Talking too much and not listening&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes because of nerves it can be tempting to keep &lt;br /&gt;talking to ensure there are no awkward silences. The &lt;br /&gt;trouble with this habit is that eventually you stop &lt;br /&gt;listening when the other person is speaking because you use &lt;br /&gt;that times to think of what to say next.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let the other person share the load. Give her an &lt;br /&gt;opportunity to lead the conversation, listen closely to &lt;br /&gt;what is said and then develop the conversation based on &lt;br /&gt;what she has contributed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you do this, meeting new people is a lot less &lt;br /&gt;stressful -- making conversation becomes a team effort &lt;br /&gt;rather than a struggle to keep talking.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. Letting the other person control the conversation&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you meet someone for the first time it is reasonable &lt;br /&gt;to expect some breaks in the conversation until you &lt;br /&gt;discover topics of common interest.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remaining passive during these pauses means waiting for the &lt;br /&gt;other person to either drive the conversation forward or &lt;br /&gt;end it. If you adopt this attitude you are giving up &lt;br /&gt;control of the conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take back control. You can do this in two ways: either ask &lt;br /&gt;questions to move the dialogue along or be adventurous and &lt;br /&gt;introduce new topics of conversation. You will be more &lt;br /&gt;relaxed when you notice how much control you really have.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And if all else fails bear in mind it is also your choice &lt;br /&gt;whether to continue or wrap up the conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start acting on these five key distinctions today and &lt;br /&gt;notice how much easier and more enjoyable it can be meeting &lt;br /&gt;new people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And... get the best resource on this topic at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/09/do-you-make-these-common-mistakes-when.html' title='Do You Make These Common Mistakes When Meeting New People?'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.conversationtalk.com/' title='Do You Make These Common Mistakes When Meeting New People?'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=112730987207003747' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112730987207003747'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112730987207003747'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-112245849244454774</id><published>2005-07-27T11:59:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-07-27T12:01:32.453+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Better Communication Skills</title><content type='html'>When you think about it -- why do you want better &lt;br /&gt;communication skills? What will it give you?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apart from better relationships at home and at work most &lt;br /&gt;people want to be able to get rapport more easily with &lt;br /&gt;people they meet. And this is where so many people take a &lt;br /&gt;wrong turn.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Instead of learning advanced communication skills which are &lt;br /&gt;easy to learn and straightforward to apply -- they learn &lt;br /&gt;about body language and think that matching and mirroring &lt;br /&gt;is all they need.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The problem is that everyone and her aunt already knows &lt;br /&gt;about body language. So you end up matching John while John &lt;br /&gt;is matching you and you both end up feeling drained and &lt;br /&gt;exhausted because one of you feels tired and the other one &lt;br /&gt;mirrors it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You both end up stuck in a negative feedback loop unless &lt;br /&gt;one person happens to be feeling dynamic. The resulting &lt;br /&gt;rapport is weak and is always based on the principle that &lt;br /&gt;misery loves company.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Basic rapport skills without intelligence and flexibility &lt;br /&gt;will get you nowhere fast. What you need is rapport &lt;br /&gt;grounded in solid advice that works. So that you feel &lt;br /&gt;phenomenal while going far beyond pacing and matching body &lt;br /&gt;language.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are not in control of your relationships and &lt;br /&gt;respected by people at work and at home you really do need &lt;br /&gt;to stop paying attention to all of the misinformation based &lt;br /&gt;on body language tricks and simplistic advice that cannot &lt;br /&gt;and will not work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What does work?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In my own experience and that of thousands of people who &lt;br /&gt;use my approach each day -- it is absolutely realistic for &lt;br /&gt;you to make a massive and immediate improvement in your &lt;br /&gt;quality of life WHEN you get your hands on accurate advice &lt;br /&gt;and techniques that work for real people like you and I.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You really do deserve to be respected and appreciated by &lt;br /&gt;the people in your life. You already know deep down that &lt;br /&gt;you want your voice to be heard. You want to count.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Having said that I must warn you - do not test my step by &lt;br /&gt;step system unless you can follow instructions. I tell you &lt;br /&gt;exactly what you need to do to develop superior people &lt;br /&gt;skills but I cannot do it for you. Applying the principles &lt;br /&gt;and techniques is up to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That´s why now is the ideal time for you to get your hands &lt;br /&gt;on my proven step by step system - test it for 365 days and &lt;br /&gt;prove to yourself that advanced communication skills are &lt;br /&gt;easy to learn when you have accurate information.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to reserve your 365 day trial:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your Friend,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. I advise you to reserve your place today to ensure you &lt;br /&gt;are not on a waiting list for email coaching. I have only &lt;br /&gt;so many hours in the day!  And if it gets any busier I may &lt;br /&gt;have to drop that from the list of 7 extra bonuses at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/07/better-communication-skills.html' title='Better Communication Skills'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/' title='Better Communication Skills'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=112245849244454774' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112245849244454774'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112245849244454774'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-112055879102420974</id><published>2005-07-05T12:18:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-07-05T12:19:51.030+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The Price Of Regret - Effective Communication Skills</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes all you need to improve your people skills is a&lt;br /&gt;little determination and a slight shift in perspective.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What do I mean?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever felt bad after the event when you neglected&lt;br /&gt;to thank someone for helping you? Or maybe, there have been&lt;br /&gt;times when you forgot to encourage a family member before&lt;br /&gt;an important event such as a birthday party or award&lt;br /&gt;ceremony. Those feelings of regret tend to linger and weigh&lt;br /&gt;you down. It feels uncomfortable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However these very same feelings of regret are powerful&lt;br /&gt;forces we can use to make sure we don´t "forget" again!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, how can we use regret in a positive way? It´s simple&lt;br /&gt;really. Whenever you are talking to an individual or group&lt;br /&gt;of people notice when you feel shyness or the tendancy to&lt;br /&gt;be reserved kicking in. Note that familiar pattern as it&lt;br /&gt;starts to take hold.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then, ask yourself: will I regret this later if I don´t&lt;br /&gt;speak up? And really dive into the discomfort of how much&lt;br /&gt;regret you could feel later on when it is too late.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The key is to give your full attention to the potential&lt;br /&gt;feelings of regret - really feel how it will be if you hold&lt;br /&gt;back in this moment instead of speaking up.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Of course this only works if you have some preparation in&lt;br /&gt;what to say and how to say it. Review my book and the bonus&lt;br /&gt;reports to brush up on the techniques.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Very often you will find that the pain of regret is much&lt;br /&gt;more potent than any nerves you feel in the moment. Your&lt;br /&gt;concerns about saying the wrong thing or looking silly will&lt;br /&gt;often fade into the background as you hold in mind how&lt;br /&gt;heavy the regret will feel for days to come.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What can you do now? Like all new techniques and&lt;br /&gt;distinctions - start small and start today! Then, as you&lt;br /&gt;get a feel for this new approach use it in more challenging&lt;br /&gt;people situations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bye for now,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently&lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to&lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The same techniques you can use to overcome shyness,&lt;br /&gt;develop great conversation skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/07/price-of-regret-effective.html' title='The Price Of Regret - Effective Communication Skills'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.shynessonline.com/' title='The Price Of Regret - Effective Communication Skills'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=112055879102420974' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112055879102420974'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112055879102420974'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-112015259541195779</id><published>2005-06-30T19:26:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-06-30T19:29:55.416+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Great People Skills. What Makes the Difference?</title><content type='html'>On a warm spring afternoon, fifteen years ago, two young &lt;br /&gt;men graduated from the same college. They were similar in &lt;br /&gt;many ways...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like all diligent, hard working students they had also &lt;br /&gt;enjoyed time off to play sport and to have fun with their &lt;br /&gt;friends. And they were both very excited about the bright &lt;br /&gt;future that lay ahead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fifteen years later they met.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They were still alike in many ways. Both had a good family &lt;br /&gt;life, a comfortable home and they both had a little gray &lt;br /&gt;hair! But there was a difference.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of the men is now a victim of his own success - he is &lt;br /&gt;running as fast as he can and still he cannot keep up with &lt;br /&gt;the mountain of work that lands on his desk each day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All day long his staff and his superiors make demands of &lt;br /&gt;him he cannot say no to and at home he is at the mercy of &lt;br /&gt;the whims of his family. He feels taken for granted and &lt;br /&gt;unappreciated.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand. The second man is in charge of his own &lt;br /&gt;business and works as many or as few hours as he pleases &lt;br /&gt;each day. People look up to him, respect him and enjoy &lt;br /&gt;spending time with him. At home, his opinions are valued &lt;br /&gt;and his needs respected.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What made the difference?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever wondered how two seemingly successful people &lt;br /&gt;can be so different in how they get to the top and in how &lt;br /&gt;they stay at the top?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One person struggles day after day and claws his way to the &lt;br /&gt;top of success mountain - while another strolls along in &lt;br /&gt;his own good time enjoying the view as he goes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The difference lies in how you relate to people. There is &lt;br /&gt;an easy way and a hard way. The hard way means people take &lt;br /&gt;you for granted, they do not really listen to you and all &lt;br /&gt;too often they treat you as no more than a resource they &lt;br /&gt;can use to get what they want.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the other hand, the easy way means you feel respected &lt;br /&gt;and deeply appreciated. When you talk people listen and &lt;br /&gt;when you approach people they respond positively to your &lt;br /&gt;requests.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Which do you prefer - the easy way or the hard way?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Knowledge is Power. Right now I enjoy harmonious &lt;br /&gt;relationships with the people in my life because I decided &lt;br /&gt;to leave the hard way in the past and to build a bright new &lt;br /&gt;future based on the easy way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once I found an approach that worked all I did was follow &lt;br /&gt;the step-by-step instructions and my world changed as &lt;br /&gt;quickly as I changed. And this can happen for you even &lt;br /&gt;faster than you think...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you become a master of conversation you will wonder &lt;br /&gt;why you waited so long to get your hands on the knowledge &lt;br /&gt;that was waiting for you all along.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- Three Essential Elements --&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The easy way to superior people skills is made up of three &lt;br /&gt;key elements and verbal communication skills make up only &lt;br /&gt;one of those essential elements. And no I am not talking &lt;br /&gt;about body language. I take it you already know how to &lt;br /&gt;mirror and match posture.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With the system that has worked so well for me and for &lt;br /&gt;scores of people around the world - you will discover these &lt;br /&gt;three elements and how to quickly and easily master people &lt;br /&gt;skills for the rest of your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have struggled before it is because you only paid &lt;br /&gt;attention to communication skills. That is fine if you are &lt;br /&gt;aiming for average. Now is the time to become exceptional.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why not develop exceptional people skills? If you can &lt;br /&gt;follow simple step-by-step instructions you can move ahead &lt;br /&gt;very quickly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Think about it for a moment...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why do you want to get along better with other people? What &lt;br /&gt;are the most important reasons why you want to improve this &lt;br /&gt;aspect of your life? What have you missed out on by &lt;br /&gt;neglecting this crucial skill?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The time to change is now - until you do another day, &lt;br /&gt;another week and another month will slip by and you will be &lt;br /&gt;no further forward in your life. If you are waiting for the &lt;br /&gt;perfect time you will wait forever.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is time to try a new and better way...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;--- Test Drive the System ---&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can guarantee that if you are of at least average &lt;br /&gt;intelligence you can quickly transform your ability to deal &lt;br /&gt;with other people. Knowing what to say, starting and &lt;br /&gt;keeping the conversation going and making a great &lt;br /&gt;impression will never again be a mystery to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can finally put worrying about what people think of you &lt;br /&gt;in the past.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start today by taking a 365 day trial of my system. Click &lt;br /&gt;here now:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After you book your 365 day trial of my system you will be &lt;br /&gt;granted immediate access to the course material and private &lt;br /&gt;access to me for coaching. I look forward to coaching you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have Fun,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reserve your 365 day trial here:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/06/great-people-skills-what-makes.html' title='Great People Skills. What Makes the Difference?'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.conversationtalk.com/' title='Great People Skills. What Makes the Difference?'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=112015259541195779' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112015259541195779'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/112015259541195779'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111937298669868306</id><published>2005-06-21T18:54:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-06-21T18:56:26.706+02:00</updated><title type='text'>3 Great Tips For Dealing With Negative People</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It can take skill to deal effectively with negative people. &lt;br /&gt;Make sure you are ready for the challenge by reading and &lt;br /&gt;using these tips.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1 Don´t Believe Everything You Hear!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With close friends and family it is not unusual to think &lt;br /&gt;that you ought to take onboard everything you hear. However &lt;br /&gt;do not confuse caring with knowing. Just because someone is &lt;br /&gt;concerned for your welfare does not mean that their advice &lt;br /&gt;or input has value.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For example, I know a lot about peak performance. I do not &lt;br /&gt;know much about car maintenance. If I ever offer you advice &lt;br /&gt;on rebuilding a car engine run as fast as you can!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My input would have little or no value. Likewise with &lt;br /&gt;friends and family. They may be negative about you, your &lt;br /&gt;plans and your opinions simply because they lack the &lt;br /&gt;knowledge to think positively about the situation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Their ignorance causes them to fear for your welfare. &lt;br /&gt;Distinguish between caring and the knowledge to offer &lt;br /&gt;worthwhile input.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2 Let Go Of Needing Their Approval&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have mentioned this principle many times before because &lt;br /&gt;it is so important. As long as you must have the &lt;br /&gt;permission, approval and acceptance of your peers you are a &lt;br /&gt;victim of their limiting beliefs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You must let go of wanting approval if you are to ever have &lt;br /&gt;peace of mind. Refer to my book for more help with this. &lt;br /&gt;See Lesson 15 - Letting go of wanting your own approval.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3 Eliminate Your Own Negative Thoughts&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Often friends reflect back the negatives you quietly hold &lt;br /&gt;inside your own mind. If you were 100 per cent positive &lt;br /&gt;about your life and your plans it would not matter if &lt;br /&gt;people close to you were negative.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In fact their negative comments might even make you laugh &lt;br /&gt;because their opinions would seem so absurd to you. You can &lt;br /&gt;become more positive by reading books that expand your &lt;br /&gt;knowledge and understanding, spending more time with &lt;br /&gt;positive, dynamic people and by stretching yourself daily.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By stretching I mean challenging yourself to perform better &lt;br /&gt;than your previous best. When you make stretching to be &lt;br /&gt;more part of your life, your belief in what is possible &lt;br /&gt;grows and grows at a furious pace.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before long you will not have room for negative thoughts. &lt;br /&gt;Choose to find a positive in all things and it quickly &lt;br /&gt;becomes a habit that will transform your experience of life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am always asking myself:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;-- what is good about this?&lt;br /&gt;-- what is great about this?&lt;br /&gt;-- what have I learned from this that makes me stronger?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ask yourself the right questions and redirect your mind &lt;br /&gt;back onto the positive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What else can you do to take charge of even the most &lt;br /&gt;difficult conversations?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Review the Conversation Fear report that comes with my book &lt;br /&gt;at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you ever know what to say and still cannot speak up it &lt;br /&gt;is because fear has gotten the better of you. This fear &lt;br /&gt;will not go away until you know how to eliminate it. I show &lt;br /&gt;you three ways in that report.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Make sure you are up to date on the 15 ways to start and &lt;br /&gt;keep a conversation going. I showed you how to do this in &lt;br /&gt;the How to Start a Great Conversation with Anyone report &lt;br /&gt;that you get with my book at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great week,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently &lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to &lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact. The same techniques you &lt;br /&gt;can use to overcome shyness, develop great conversation &lt;br /&gt;skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to take a test drive:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/06/3-great-tips-for-dealing-with-negative.html' title='3 Great Tips For Dealing With Negative People'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.conversationtalk.com/' title='3 Great Tips For Dealing With Negative People'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111937298669868306' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111937298669868306'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111937298669868306'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111893969767256231</id><published>2005-06-16T18:32:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-06-16T18:34:57.680+02:00</updated><title type='text'>How To Get The Respect And Appreciation You Deserve</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have ever tired to win the respect and approval of &lt;br /&gt;others you know how difficult it can be. Especially when &lt;br /&gt;people are not responsive causing you to feel anxious and &lt;br /&gt;even more nervous.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What typically happens next is that you perform poorly &lt;br /&gt;because you feel tense. You fail to express yourself as &lt;br /&gt;well as you can so others do not see you in the best light. &lt;br /&gt;This of course is not a good recipe for winning respect and &lt;br /&gt;appreciation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What can you do to create a favorable impression in the &lt;br /&gt;eyes of those you want to impress?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Relax when meeting people&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is easier said than done unless you know how to &lt;br /&gt;quickly relax even in difficult situations. The ability to &lt;br /&gt;relax when under pressure is an essential skill that allows &lt;br /&gt;you to be at your best whenever you need to be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you feel relaxed you will quickly and easily keep the &lt;br /&gt;conversation flowing, you won´t worry about making mistakes &lt;br /&gt;and you´ll find it easier to think of interesting things to &lt;br /&gt;say. Imagine how good that will feel!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Feeling relaxed enables you to enjoy the moment, to pay &lt;br /&gt;closer attention to whoever you are talking to and to drop &lt;br /&gt;those nagging feelings of self-consciousness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Instant relaxation is the secret to effortlessly making &lt;br /&gt;conversation on a broad range of topics without worrying &lt;br /&gt;about saying the wrong thing.  (more about how to relax in &lt;br /&gt;a moment later in this article)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Don´t beg for respect&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A common mistake is to be overly nice in the hope of &lt;br /&gt;earning respect. This approach never works. The harder you &lt;br /&gt;try to impress the more desperate you will seem.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The best way to earn respect is to start by respecting &lt;br /&gt;yourself. Positive self-talk, affirmations and &lt;br /&gt;visualization all go a long way towards building a sense of &lt;br /&gt;pervasive self-esteem that others pick up on.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The more you respect yourself, the better other people will &lt;br /&gt;treat you. Why? Because your posture, the way you talk and &lt;br /&gt;you entire presence will change for the better when you &lt;br /&gt;feel better about yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Others merely reflect back how you treat yourself. When you &lt;br /&gt;change your behavior other people respond by changing how &lt;br /&gt;they interact with you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you have more self-respect for some strange reason &lt;br /&gt;whoever you talk to will pick up on it and start showing &lt;br /&gt;you more respect.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Respect and appreciate the other person&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The more you choose to like and appreciate the person you &lt;br /&gt;are talking to the more that person will warm to you. When &lt;br /&gt;you exude interest, when you really listen to the other &lt;br /&gt;person and especially when you compliment that person you &lt;br /&gt;encourage a favorable response in them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;People feel obligated to return good treatment with more of &lt;br /&gt;the same. You will notice more compliments, genuine &lt;br /&gt;interest in you and even delight when you give of these &lt;br /&gt;qualities first. So remember to give what you want to get!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Doing so can feel awkward and uncomfortable at first if you &lt;br /&gt;are used to letting others do most of the talking. You need &lt;br /&gt;to get used to speaking up and even leading the &lt;br /&gt;conversation if you are to create an environment of mutual &lt;br /&gt;respect and appreciation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a very important distinction - if you do not make &lt;br /&gt;this change in how you deal with people you will never be &lt;br /&gt;more than a relatively passive observer of the &lt;br /&gt;conversations unfolding before you. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How can you make this change quickly and easily? click here &lt;br /&gt;now to discover my step-by-step system....&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/06/how-to-get-respect-and-appreciation.html' title='How To Get The Respect And Appreciation You Deserve'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.shynessonline.com/' title='How To Get The Respect And Appreciation You Deserve'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111893969767256231' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111893969767256231'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111893969767256231'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111878818065903876</id><published>2005-06-15T00:25:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-06-15T00:29:40.666+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The People Who Can Get You What You Need</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Or.. how to use people skills to achieve greater success.&lt;br /&gt;In this article we explore the importance of good people&lt;br /&gt;skills in ensuring powerful people are happy to help you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are people in this world who can help you to get &lt;br /&gt;everything you have ever wanted. And thankfully, these &lt;br /&gt;people will gladly help you and they will enjoy each moment &lt;br /&gt;of your success as much as you will.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These special, powerful people are the mentors you need to &lt;br /&gt;move ahead in your life. With their help the seemingly &lt;br /&gt;impossible becomes achiveable, the unlikely can and does &lt;br /&gt;happen and what once seemed difficult becomes very easy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is no need to do it alone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We are all part of a greater whole and the sooner we accept &lt;br /&gt;this the sooner we can ask for help from people with the &lt;br /&gt;skills, experience and willingness to give us the priceless &lt;br /&gt;advice we need.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Potential mentors are everywhere so how do you choose one &lt;br /&gt;who will enjoy helping you?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The best course of action is to mingle with people who have &lt;br /&gt;already done what you want to achieve. As you mix with &lt;br /&gt;these people you will naturally warm to some more than &lt;br /&gt;others - make friends with these people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Over time as you get to know them better you can start &lt;br /&gt;asking for their help, opinions and input. You will avoid&lt;br /&gt;years of trial and error by tapping into their wisdom and &lt;br /&gt;experience.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just be sure to only take and act on advice from people &lt;br /&gt;who have done what they are advising you on. There are far &lt;br /&gt;too many people with freely available advice on matters &lt;br /&gt;they know little about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, this sounds simple doesn´t it? It is, still most &lt;br /&gt;people get stuck at this stage because they feel &lt;br /&gt;intimidated asking powerful, more experienced people for &lt;br /&gt;advice and help.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a common problem that can stop you from speaking up &lt;br /&gt;and unless you learn how to handle it you will miss out on &lt;br /&gt;having mentors help you to move ahead quickly in your &lt;br /&gt;career and in your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What is the solution to this problem? I recommend that you &lt;br /&gt;study my free report on developing superior people skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to get it:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/06/people-who-can-get-you-what-you-need.html' title='The People Who Can Get You What You Need'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.shynessonline.com/' title='The People Who Can Get You What You Need'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111878818065903876' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111878818065903876'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111878818065903876'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111832345146686764</id><published>2005-06-09T15:17:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-06-09T15:24:11.473+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The Real Reason Why People Skills Are So Very Important</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many people recognize the importance of superior people &lt;br /&gt;skills as a means to get ahead, to be successful and to be &lt;br /&gt;effective in the world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However there is a far more important reason to develop &lt;br /&gt;great people skills. True happiness depends on your ability &lt;br /&gt;to form healthy mutually supportive relationships with &lt;br /&gt;people you care about. This applies at home, socially and &lt;br /&gt;at work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider those who have happy, full lives. What do they &lt;br /&gt;have in common? Money? Good looks? Career success? &lt;br /&gt;Although desirable, none of those attributes are &lt;br /&gt;essential for a happy life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happy people get on very well with other people...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Truly happy people share the ability to deal with people &lt;br /&gt;from all walks of life and have a knack for making others &lt;br /&gt;like them. They are likeable people and others enjoy their &lt;br /&gt;company and want to hear what they have to say.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The more you develop this ability to relate well to the &lt;br /&gt;people in your day-to-day life the happier you will be. Why &lt;br /&gt;is this true?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because surrounding yourself with people who like and care &lt;br /&gt;about you is the best way to boost your self-esteem. It is &lt;br /&gt;also the only sure fire way to both enjoy the journey and &lt;br /&gt;deal with the ups and downs of life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Consider this question: what do the happiest moments in &lt;br /&gt;your life have in common?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For most of us these special moments involved other people &lt;br /&gt;- people we enjoy being with just for the fun of spending &lt;br /&gt;time with them. If these same memories had happened &lt;br /&gt;without them you might not even recall the moment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is this special human connection with great people that &lt;br /&gt;is the source of the fun, the laughter and the happiness. &lt;br /&gt;And of course, the more often we have these connections the &lt;br /&gt;happier we feel.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Want even more happiness?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well, you know what to do... create more special moments by &lt;br /&gt;developing such good people skills that happy moments &lt;br /&gt;become part of how you live rather than occasional and &lt;br /&gt;random happenings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Review both the Conversation Fear report AND the How to &lt;br /&gt;Start a Great Conversation with Anyone report which come as &lt;br /&gt;special bonuses with my system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you use those powerful strategies you will be well &lt;br /&gt;prepared to join the ranks of the appreciated and highly &lt;br /&gt;respected.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Test it yourself by reserving your 365 day trial - click &lt;br /&gt;here now:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the very best,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently &lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to &lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact. The same techniques you &lt;br /&gt;can use to overcome shyness, develop great conversation &lt;br /&gt;skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/06/real-reason-why-people-skills-are-so.html' title='The Real Reason Why People Skills Are So Very Important'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.conversationtalk.com/' title='The Real Reason Why People Skills Are So Very Important'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111832345146686764' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111832345146686764'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111832345146686764'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111771799471682573</id><published>2005-06-02T15:11:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-06-02T15:13:14.723+02:00</updated><title type='text'>How To Drop Futile Communication Patterns</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever noticed that you make the very same mistakes &lt;br /&gt;again and again when dealing with people?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I like to refer to this as... the futility of repeating &lt;br /&gt;what does not work! And we all fall into this trap to some &lt;br /&gt;degree. We become so used to not being able to do something &lt;br /&gt;that we think it cannot be done.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let´s say you find it difficult to start conversations with &lt;br /&gt;complete strangers. You tried before and you didn´t do very &lt;br /&gt;well. And because you failed a few times you start to dread &lt;br /&gt;such encounters, avoid them and even find ways to ensure &lt;br /&gt;you rarely have to deal with these types of situations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What are the consequences of this approach?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It´s obvious really -- you will get worse and worse at &lt;br /&gt;meeting new people because you rarely allow it to happen &lt;br /&gt;and because you never get the opportunity to work at it and &lt;br /&gt;improve.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a sure fire recipe for stagnation with no hope for &lt;br /&gt;improvement and personal growth. It´s time to shake things &lt;br /&gt;up a little and find new and even fun ways to stop &lt;br /&gt;repeating the same old mistakes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here is one tip for learning new ways of dealing with &lt;br /&gt;people -- find someone who seems to have a natural flair &lt;br /&gt;for creating rapport with people and follow that person &lt;br /&gt;around to observe him or her in action.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Listen to what I did...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was hanging out with my buddy Craig - in the shopping &lt;br /&gt;mall one hot summer Saturday afternoon. It was scorching &lt;br /&gt;hot outside so we were enjoying the cool of the mall while &lt;br /&gt;we wandered aimlessly from store to store.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then it hit me!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Craig´s experience of shopping was completely different to &lt;br /&gt;mine. Every opportunity he got he was joking with the &lt;br /&gt;staff, having fun with anyone he met and laughing and &lt;br /&gt;smiling his way around the mall.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This was alien to me at the time. I usually crept about the &lt;br /&gt;stores, keeping to myself and carefully avoiding eye &lt;br /&gt;contact with other shoppers and store assistants. I used to &lt;br /&gt;keep human interaction to a bare minimum.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Craig was living proof that communication skills can be &lt;br /&gt;mastered. And I had not even realized until that point that &lt;br /&gt;it was even possible to get so good.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No wonder I had been having trouble dealing with people. I &lt;br /&gt;was actively avoiding people because I did not know what to &lt;br /&gt;say or even how to say it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From that point on my sense of possibility expanded and all &lt;br /&gt;I needed to figure out was how to easily and effortlessly &lt;br /&gt;change my behavior.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thankfully, you can change your life and now is the best &lt;br /&gt;time to start. Communicating with confidence can be &lt;br /&gt;learned...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Find a proven formula and follow it. You will be amazed at &lt;br /&gt;how quickly you will progress. Although some people fear &lt;br /&gt;otherwise, people skills can be learned by anyone of at &lt;br /&gt;least average intelligence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The difficulties you had in the past will not stop you &lt;br /&gt;making rapid progress now. What matters is learning a &lt;br /&gt;proven approach you can use for the rest of your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I did it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It only took me 14 years. Are there any short cuts to &lt;br /&gt;learning exceptional people skills? There certainly are.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get out your copy of my proven system and start applying &lt;br /&gt;the lessons, one at a time. Take a little each day and you &lt;br /&gt;will be stunned by your progress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take it for a 365 day test drive at:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember, this is a course that requires you to put the &lt;br /&gt;strategies into action in your daily life. Do that and your &lt;br /&gt;success is assured. Reserve your place here:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your Friend,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently &lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to &lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The same techniques you can use to overcome shyness, &lt;br /&gt;develop great conversation skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/06/how-to-drop-futile-communication.html' title='How To Drop Futile Communication Patterns'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.communicationconfidence.com/' title='How To Drop Futile Communication Patterns'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111771799471682573' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111771799471682573'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111771799471682573'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111729956718287779</id><published>2005-05-28T18:58:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-05-28T18:59:27.190+02:00</updated><title type='text'>You Have Permission To Be Yourself</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because I offer email coaching to my customers I notice &lt;br /&gt;certain themes that pop up again and again in the emails I &lt;br /&gt;receive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is not unusual for me to hear from someone who is &lt;br /&gt;clearly not only intelligent and well educated but also a &lt;br /&gt;genuinely nice person.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why then does a person like this sometimes have difficulty &lt;br /&gt;speaking up and making good conversation? Why does someone &lt;br /&gt;who has abundant talent and ability fail when it comes to &lt;br /&gt;making a great impression with others?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I believe the answer is simply this -- thoughtful people &lt;br /&gt;hesitate much too much and wait for permission to be &lt;br /&gt;themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However....&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You don´t need to live like this any longer unless you &lt;br /&gt;really want to!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I suggest that starting today you decide to allow yourself &lt;br /&gt;to be as you are and let other people get used to that fact.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Be polite and as sociable as you like but do not wait for &lt;br /&gt;permission or approval before expressing your opinions.  &lt;br /&gt;Simply find a suitable moment in the conversation and dive &lt;br /&gt;in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If others do not agree with you then so be it. You are &lt;br /&gt;still entitled to not only have an opinion but to express &lt;br /&gt;it in your own way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The more you get used to not caring if people like what you &lt;br /&gt;say or agree with you the more freedom you will feel. And &lt;br /&gt;the more freedom you express the more others will tend to &lt;br /&gt;accept both you and your input.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see, when you apologetically offer an opinion your &lt;br /&gt;non-verbal communication sets you up for criticism. Your &lt;br /&gt;lack of confidence gives the game away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The secret is to speak up with certainty. Say what you want &lt;br /&gt;with conviction - never ask for or wait for permission to &lt;br /&gt;be yourself and to express yourself. And if you can also &lt;br /&gt;express yourself without needing approval your confidence &lt;br /&gt;will soar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you remain emotionally detached from the outcome of &lt;br /&gt;the conversation, making conversation gets very, very easy. &lt;br /&gt;Why? Because all your self-imposed performance anxiety &lt;br /&gt;disappears and you find yourself enjoying the moment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is why I like to remind people to drop Conversation &lt;br /&gt;Fear -- those anxieties and concerns form the road block on &lt;br /&gt;your journey to better relationships, a better social life &lt;br /&gt;and greater happiness. Once those road blocks are removed &lt;br /&gt;it´s full speed ahead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Imagine, not having any fear when you want to speak up! How &lt;br /&gt;great would that feel? Why not start today?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Review both the Conversation Fear report AND the How to &lt;br /&gt;Start a Great Conversation with Anyone report which come as &lt;br /&gt;special bonuses with my system.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you use those powerful strategies you will be well &lt;br /&gt;prepared to join the ranks of the appreciated and highly &lt;br /&gt;respected.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Test it yourself by reserving your 365 day trial - click &lt;br /&gt;here now:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the very best,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently &lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to &lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact. The same techniques you &lt;br /&gt;can use to overcome shyness, develop great conversation &lt;br /&gt;skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/05/you-have-permission-to-be-yourself.html' title='You Have Permission To Be Yourself'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com' title='You Have Permission To Be Yourself'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111729956718287779' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111729956718287779'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111729956718287779'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111695241292868393</id><published>2005-05-24T18:32:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-05-24T18:33:32.936+02:00</updated><title type='text'>How To Speak Up When You Don´t Know What To Say</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We all get tongue tied at times when we really don´t know&lt;br /&gt;what to say next. Maybe you get stuck when talking to&lt;br /&gt;authority figures such as your boss or bank manager. For&lt;br /&gt;someone else certain situations might bring on that&lt;br /&gt;self-conscious tongue-tied moment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What can you do to avoid getting stuck for words?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Trust yourself more&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Forget about being perfect and don´t demand that you say&lt;br /&gt;the right thing at the right moment all of the time. It&lt;br /&gt;really is okay to make little mistakes and to learn from&lt;br /&gt;them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do forget about perfection because it does not exist in the&lt;br /&gt;known world. Doing what you can with what you´ve got in any&lt;br /&gt;moment is all anyone can reasonably demand of you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And usually, the more you trust yourself and get on with&lt;br /&gt;it, the more often you will be surprised at how well you&lt;br /&gt;will do. If you pay attention every experience will be an&lt;br /&gt;opportunity for you to get better, much better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Learn like a child&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you were a child you were a highly advanced learning&lt;br /&gt;machine! You learned new skills and understandings at a&lt;br /&gt;phenomenal pace. You were unstoppable in your quest for new&lt;br /&gt;experiences and new learnings.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As adults we need to remember to tap into this fascination&lt;br /&gt;for life. Kids learn by observing AND doing. Adults often&lt;br /&gt;forget the doing part!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In terms of making great conversation, allow yourself to&lt;br /&gt;learn by doing. Make mistakes, learn what does not work and&lt;br /&gt;improve one conversation after another. You will move ahead&lt;br /&gt;much, much faster when you live in this way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Apply the knowledge you already have&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is very likely you already know how to start a&lt;br /&gt;conversation, how to keep a conversation alive and how to&lt;br /&gt;engage the interest of another person.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, knowing what to do and using what you know are two&lt;br /&gt;very different things. Here is a useful guideline you might&lt;br /&gt;like to keep in mind -- you only know what you can do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unless you are getting good results with a technique or&lt;br /&gt;approach that you understand - you really have not learned&lt;br /&gt;and integrated it into your life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The best way to take on board and use what you think you&lt;br /&gt;already know is to spend a little time each day reviewing&lt;br /&gt;solid material on communication skills. Review it and then&lt;br /&gt;use it during your day when you deal with people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before you know it those tongue-tied moments will be a&lt;br /&gt;distant memory of how you used to be.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, what else can you do right now?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get out your copy of my book and join the thousands of &lt;br /&gt;people around the world who are using it to live happier &lt;br /&gt;lives based on excellent people skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to get your copy:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the very best,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently &lt;br /&gt;revealed the secret strategies all high achievers use to &lt;br /&gt;communicate with charm and impact. The same techniques you &lt;br /&gt;can use to overcome shyness, develop great conversation &lt;br /&gt;skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/05/how-to-speak-up-when-you-dont-know.html' title='How To Speak Up When You Don´t Know What To Say'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.communicationconfidence.com/' title='How To Speak Up When You Don´t Know What To Say'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111695241292868393' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111695241292868393'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111695241292868393'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111641814663349632</id><published>2005-05-18T14:08:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-05-18T14:09:06.640+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The Magical Secret To Great Conversation</title><content type='html'>There is a secret to making great conversation that you are&lt;br /&gt;unlikely to discover in any book or at even the very best&lt;br /&gt;of seminars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And the awareness of this very special secret is the&lt;br /&gt;difference between good and great when it comes to making&lt;br /&gt;conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let me the tell you the secret...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enter into conversations with the intention to give without&lt;br /&gt;wanting, expecting or demanding anything in return.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, the significance, power and subtle of this principle&lt;br /&gt;goes right over the head of most people who hear it. Let me&lt;br /&gt;explain.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you talk to another person and come from a place of&lt;br /&gt;giving and sharing you will feel empowered as long as you&lt;br /&gt;neither want approval from the other person nor want to&lt;br /&gt;control the other person with your communication.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Your worries about saying the wrong thing and fears about&lt;br /&gt;looking stupid or feeling rejected will all dissipate. When&lt;br /&gt;your focus is on giving and not on the getting you are the&lt;br /&gt;source -- not the other person. Consequently approval and&lt;br /&gt;control cannot be taken from you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Instead you will feel relaxed, confident and at ease. You&lt;br /&gt;will feel good about expressing your personality and more&lt;br /&gt;of your hidden charisma will shine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And there is another wonderful benefit to applying these&lt;br /&gt;principles. The person you are talking to will no longer&lt;br /&gt;have resistance to what you are saying.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He or she will feel compelled to respond to your giving by&lt;br /&gt;giving to you in return. This can take the form of really&lt;br /&gt;listening to you, helping you and responding to your ideas&lt;br /&gt;and input.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Why does this happen?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because we all feel compelled to give to whoever gives to&lt;br /&gt;us. This is known as the principle of reciprocity. It is a&lt;br /&gt;powerful principle you can use every time you talk to other&lt;br /&gt;people. And it all begins with an attitude of giving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can give in many ways when you are talking to someone...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- offer all of your attention&lt;br /&gt;- give an open mind&lt;br /&gt;- present an open heart&lt;br /&gt;- listen to what is really said&lt;br /&gt;- talk with sincerity and caring&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, when you consider these points it is easy to fool&lt;br /&gt;yourself because although we know to do these things we do&lt;br /&gt;not often do so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Distinguish between what you know and what you actually do&lt;br /&gt;and start using these principles today. When you act on the&lt;br /&gt;secret to great conversation it will make a big difference&lt;br /&gt;to your relationships, success and happiness. Why not start&lt;br /&gt;right now?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have a great week,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently revealed the&lt;br /&gt;secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate with charm and&lt;br /&gt;impact. The same techniques you can use to overcome shyness, develop&lt;br /&gt;great conversation skills and build self-confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here now to test this simple step-by-step system:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Start your 365 day trial today.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/05/magical-secret-to-great-conversation.html' title='The Magical Secret To Great Conversation'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com' title='The Magical Secret To Great Conversation'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111641814663349632' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111641814663349632'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111641814663349632'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111633047402252246</id><published>2005-05-17T13:46:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-05-17T13:47:54.030+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The Real Secret To Making And Keeping Friends</title><content type='html'>by Peter Murphy&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only a few people really understand the best way to make &lt;br /&gt;new friends. And even fewer ever grasp the secret to &lt;br /&gt;keeping a good friendship alive over the years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When it comes to making friends, the key is to decide to &lt;br /&gt;like the other person before the other person starts to &lt;br /&gt;like you. When you do this you naturally warm to the other &lt;br /&gt;person, he or she then senses this and responds accordingly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Deciding to like the other person regardless of their &lt;br /&gt;acceptance of you has an interesting side benefit. You are &lt;br /&gt;no longer concerned about rejection. If you are not looking &lt;br /&gt;for approval you will feel more confident.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Imagine how well you will relate to others with this new &lt;br /&gt;found inner confidence. You will radiate warmth and &lt;br /&gt;approval. And others will want to get to know you better.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The same applies to long-standing friendships. We sometimes &lt;br /&gt;take them for granted and our relationships can suffer. You &lt;br /&gt;can quickly revive a friendship by choosing to like or love &lt;br /&gt;that friend just as he or she is.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Truly accept your friend and it will come across in what &lt;br /&gt;you say and, more importantly, in how you say it. That &lt;br /&gt;sparkle in your eyes says more about how much you like your &lt;br /&gt;friend than any words can convey.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of course choosing to like someone means you can still &lt;br /&gt;assert yourself and make sure the other person treats you &lt;br /&gt;well. In fact they are more likely to do so when they sense &lt;br /&gt;they are liked.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently &lt;br /&gt;produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to &lt;br /&gt;Developing Communication Confidence. This report reveals &lt;br /&gt;the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate &lt;br /&gt;with charm and impact. Apply now because it is available &lt;br /&gt;for a limited time only at: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/05/real-secret-to-making-and-keeping.html' title='The Real Secret To Making And Keeping Friends'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm' title='The Real Secret To Making And Keeping Friends'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111633047402252246' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111633047402252246'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111633047402252246'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111504044286387006</id><published>2005-05-02T15:23:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-05-02T15:27:22.866+02:00</updated><title type='text'>5 Simple Shyness Tips</title><content type='html'>If you are one of the many individuals affected by shyness, &lt;br /&gt;you will find the following shyness tips useful for your &lt;br /&gt;daily social life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These tips are meant to help you overcome those situations &lt;br /&gt;when you feel your hands and feet tied by the lack of &lt;br /&gt;security to act or say something. Use these shyness tips as &lt;br /&gt;the basis for improving your social skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Social and emotional shyness affects many more people than &lt;br /&gt;you imagine and most of them surely need a few of our &lt;br /&gt;shyness tips to help them get by in this over-competitive &lt;br /&gt;society.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because we know the importance of being able to overcome &lt;br /&gt;shyness in several aspects of our life, we compiled a list &lt;br /&gt;of shyness tips based on advice by specialists and common &lt;br /&gt;people alike.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read on. You will find the following tips useful:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Tell people about your shyness. Many people who "suffer" &lt;br /&gt;from shyness tend to avoid eye contact and more than often &lt;br /&gt;seem arrogant by doing so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By telling people you are shy, you are giving them the true &lt;br /&gt;reason why you seem so evasive and distant and that will &lt;br /&gt;improve your social interaction with certain people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Take adult community education classes. Why? Because the &lt;br /&gt;odds are that in those classes you will find that more than &lt;br /&gt;a half of the students suffer form the same distress as you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In addition, the adult community classes will get you going &lt;br /&gt;on social interaction with your peers and will be a great &lt;br /&gt;pretext to get you out of your house and start practicing &lt;br /&gt;interaction.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The fact that your class mates are also shy people will &lt;br /&gt;help you understand that you are not alone on this one.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Reward yourself. Every time you succeed on overcoming &lt;br /&gt;your shyness, treat yourself with something you love. Go &lt;br /&gt;out and eat a huge ice-cream, if that is your taste.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember to, literally, reward yourself every time you move &lt;br /&gt;a step closer to overcome shyness. This will motivate you &lt;br /&gt;to keep working your social and emotional skills.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Visualize being at ease in a social event. Visualization &lt;br /&gt;can be a powerful tool when used with persistence. When you &lt;br /&gt;are at your home, where you feel secure and confident, try &lt;br /&gt;to visualize social situations where you would usually feel &lt;br /&gt;shy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Than imagine yourself enjoying that situation and being at &lt;br /&gt;ease in that context. Practice this visualization often and &lt;br /&gt;keep your focus on visualizing yourself more confident and &lt;br /&gt;enjoying social interaction.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5. Elaborate a mental list of interesting conversation &lt;br /&gt;topics. Before you leave home, make sure you have a &lt;br /&gt;well-defined list of topics that you know other people will &lt;br /&gt;find interesting. That way you will find yourself more &lt;br /&gt;confident and at ease in a conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember to keep your efforts steady if you really want to &lt;br /&gt;overcome shyness. The above shyness tips won’t help you if &lt;br /&gt;you don’t make a real effort to help yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently &lt;br /&gt;produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to &lt;br /&gt;Developing Communication Confidence. This report reveals &lt;br /&gt;the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate &lt;br /&gt;with charm and impact. Apply now because it is available &lt;br /&gt;for a limited time only at: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm"&gt;http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/2005/05/5-simple-shyness-tips.html' title='5 Simple Shyness Tips'/><link rel='related' href='http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm' title='5 Simple Shyness Tips'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7787537&amp;postID=111504044286387006' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://709905637141060101.blogspot.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111504044286387006'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7787537/posts/default/111504044286387006'/><author><name>Peter Murphy</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7787537.post-111409912002795822</id><published>2005-04-21T17:56:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2005-04-21T17:58:40.030+02:00</updated><title type='text'>4 Unusual Self Confidence Tips</title><content type='html'>Here are some self confidence tips which can be developed into unconscious characteristics of your personality. The most effective use of these self confidence tips is done through repetition and reinforcement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The use of the self confidence tips described here must be done on a daily basis and with a conscious effort on your part to retrain the way your mind works.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Again, self confidence is a learned skill, and all learned skills must be improved upon regularly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1. Develop the habit of learning from mistakes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The most successful people in any industry have learned to let go. Certainly they still find themselves in a position where they may not have done the right thing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But rather than beat themselves up about it, they evaluate where they have gone wrong and resolve to avoid that mistake in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In other words they view mistakes as lessons, and enhance their self confidence by believing that experience allows them to avoid amateur mistakes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2. Talk to yourself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is perhaps the easiest route to self confidence. Our minds absorb the things we feed them on a daily basis whether those things are positive or negative.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Develop a list of your own character traits that need improvement. Then write a positive statement about yourself and that character trait.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Example: I am highly organized. Repeat this list of positive statements to yourself out loud whenever you have the opportunity. The best times are in the morning when you first wake up and in the evening before you go to sleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Make sure you repeat them out loud. Simply hearing these things said about yourself out loud will result in greater self confidence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3. Be prepared.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In whatever area you are attempting to improve on, nothing beats the proper preparation. Successful salesman will mentally prepare for a presentation by constantly repeating the presentation until they have the major points memorized.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They will also record themselves on tape giving the presentation in order to hear how it sounds. More time is spent investigating the client and his industry to evaluate where a produst might be useful.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finally the product is looked at from a customers point of view so that objections and questions can be handled before they arise.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4. Use Positive Visualization.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is a powerful tool to use in developing self confidence. The best athletes create a powerful mental image of themselves accomplishing their goal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The emotional impact of creating an image in your mind replicates the feeling of success and creates the same physical effect on your body as the actual accomplishment of your goal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before attempting something, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and picture yourself as being in the situation you desire to happen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you can see it happening in your mind you can make it a reality. Self confidence grows with visualization.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To sum things up, self confidence is a habit, and like any habit becomes something you do unconsciously. The self confidence tips described here are useful if you make them habits and they become second nature to you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once the pattern is established, you will 