Hi, The Investor’s Podcast Network Community!

We’re testing doing two weekend editions of our We Study Markets newsletter. We’ll be back tomorrow with another less-news focused piece, resuming our regular markets coverage during the week.

✏️ And by the way, we have a new writer — Welcome to the team, Weronika. She has hosted our YouTube channel previously, and now we’re excited for her to join our writing team.

Today, we’ll be discussing three ways to make people instantly like you, and more, in just 4 minutes to read 📖

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If you want others to like you, if you want to develop real friendships, if you want to help others at the same time as you help yourself:

Become genuinely interested in people.”

— Dale Carnegie

HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU 

Big on people

Every day, we meet people who come our way — colleagues, idols, workout buddies, or friends and family.

How we communicate with them influences the impression we leave behind. The way we treat them defines how our relationship evolves.

Unfortunately, after you graduate college, it becomes harder to make friends and connections with people who are not your colleagues. Since success involves building a network in your industry, you must know how to make people like you.

Mastering basic communication skills is key to growing the relationships that will boost your professional and personal life.

Top business leaders do it

1. Warren Buffett owes much of his success to Dale Carnegie’s communication course, which he says transformed his life.

“If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don’t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster. And, the only way to get love is to be lovable.”

2. Richard Branson, a business magnate, shares that his leadership philosophy is to “Listen more than you talk. It’s more important to be a great listener than a great speaker because nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak.”

He believes active listening demonstrates respect, builds trust, and makes people feel valued.

3. Guy Spier, the founder of Aqua Marine hedge fund, tells us some of his most valuable business relationships were established thanks to showing gratitude and appreciation.

He shares, “Giving people a little bit of joy and caring for others is far more valuable in life than money because it connects you with people and provides you with a sense of having a beautiful life.”

The Golden Rule

Dale Carnegie reminds us that philosophers have been speculating on the rules of human relationships for thousands of years. Out of all that, there has evolved only one important commandment.

Confucius preached it in China twenty-four centuries ago. Buddha preached it on the bank of the Holy Ganges five hundred years before Christ, and Jesus taught it among the stony hills of Judea nineteen centuries ago.

It goes, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” In other words, treat others the way you want to be treated.

This powerful yet underrated phrase is the key to making other people like being around you.

When they like you, they want to spend time with you, they listen to your opinion, they get inspired by you, and eventually, they follow your lead.

Be the highlight of the day

What all people want is recognition of their worth, the approval of those they interact with, and a feeling that they’re important in their world.

When you communicate with others by putting a spotlight on them, you become the person people enjoy being around.

Mastering your communication skills allows you to create a strong business and personal relationships, growing your network of people you can rely on.

Three ways to make people instantly like you

1. Listen more and speak less

We want attention. We like to talk about ourselves. We enjoy sharing our interests, stories, and accomplishments.

When you let others talk for 15 minutes straight, you learn a lot about them. Ask someone about their day, and allow them to speak without being interrupted. They will feel heard.

2. Make them feel important

It’s in human nature to desire to feel important. When we feel important, we feel that we belong.

Ask someone for their opinion, recognize their contribution, or appreciate their hard work. They will be thankful you made their effort visible.

3. Give them a fine reputation to live up to

Tell your colleague they’re the best fit for that assignment, and only they can make it work successfully.

They will feel recognized for having invaluable expertise, live up to the assignment, and prove they’re worthy of that fine image.

Do it everywhere

To be around kind, empathetic, and selfless people, let’s lead by example and ensure we are those people we’d like to meet on our way.

Ask someone what their hobbies are, what they did last weekend, or what they think about a new business strategy. When you give them space to talk, they feel heard.

Next time you enjoy the service and the food in a restaurant, send word to the waiter and the chef so they can experience what it is like to be appreciated for what they do.

As Dale Carnegie said: “Do it everywhere, do it all the time, do it to everyone.”

Dive Deeper

As Warren Buffett said, transform your life into success and learn how to make others follow you by reading Dale Carnegie’s classic How To Win Friends and Influence People.