Introduction

You must have this charm to reach the pinnacle. It is made of everything and of nothing, the striving will, the look, the walk, the proportions of the body, the sound of the voice, the ease of the gestures. It is not at all necessary to be handsome or to be pretty; all that is needful is charm.

  -- SARAH BERNHARDT

Fully 85 percent of your success in business and personal life will be determined by your ability to communicate effectively with others. "Social intelligence," or the ability to interact, converse, negotiate with, and persuade others, is the most highly paid and respected form of intelligence you can have, and this intelligence can be developed. You can learn to be a warm, friendly, likable, and charming individual just by practicing some of the communication methods and techniques used by the most influential and effective people in our world today. The "secrets" of great communicators are not secrets at all. They are simply proven methods of interacting with others in a way that makes them open to you and receptive to your message. As a result, they are more willing to be influenced by you, to buy from you, to enter into business and personal relationships with you, and to think of you in positive terms.

Your ability to be charming, to be a genuinely likable and pleasant person, will likely open more doors for you than any other quality. The more people like you and think of you warmly, the more they will want to see you, listen to you, be in your presence, and invite you into theirs.

In the hundreds of speeches we've given and to the thousands of people we've trained, we have repeatedly said, "The most valuable commodity in the world isn't gold or diamonds -- it's charm." Your reputation, how people think and talk about you when you are not there, is your most valuable personal and professional asset. It is the sum total of the impression you make on others when they spend time in your presence.

By learning the simple truths about charm and practicing the techniques that follow, you can dramatically improve the effectiveness and enjoyment of your interactions with all others, starting with your family and extending to everyone you meet.

You will be more successful, earn more money, get promoted faster, make more sales, prevail in more negotiations, and be more persuasive and influential with everyone you meet.

Westside Toastmasters on Meetup