What makes someone become instantly unlikable to everyone he/she meets?
Body language that is out of sync when talking with another person. E.g. when the person fidgets, looks away from the other person's face too much or has an awkward body language. (It is a subconscious process mostly) Arrogance. There is a difference between confidence and having too much of it. No one wants to be with arrogant people. (Unless they do not have any self-esteem at all)Overtly showing your own skills too much can backfire instead. For example, it is cool that you could juggle a few balls, but if you juggle like 10 balls at once, most people would be weird out by it. It could make you less likeable.People who do not know how to joke. Some jokes are good, but they don't time them right so the execution is poor. Other jokes are flat out not good at all.I do not like to say it, but sometimes some people may just dislike you outright just because of your physical appearances, personality or the way you do things. These are pretty unfortunate if you ever meet one.IQ may be correlated to likability. If your IQ is too low, most people are not willing to speak with someone who is considered "retarded". In contrast, people who have high IQ are alienated because they have completely different interest than the general populace. Plus they may speak niche topics that most people are not interested/do not care about it.People who don't listen to others. They would not care about the fact that others are still talking. The oblivious ones that don't know when they should listen are not that bad - compared to the ones that would speak once someone stops talking. Most people (including myself) don't like it.Like 7, people who interrupt other people talking just so that they could have their go. These people lack social etiquette. I especially hate this. Being interrupted by someone is not fun at all.Obliviousness. People who miss social cues that it is their turn to speak, they want to leave conversations, those who keep on staring at you or away from you are often disliked. It may be because of lack of experience in socializing when they were young.Another thing I don't like to say is: Body odour. I know it is genetic, but some people seriously have very strong odour emanating from their body. Most probably won't dare to tell (due to politeness), but it could make you less likely to be talked to. Get some deodorant if possible.
How do I develop a really likeable, non-threatening, positive personality? (I'm a 20 year old guy)?
1. Don't be a Negative Nancy. People who are always brooding/pessimistic aren't fun to be around. They sap my energy, so I actually go out of my way to avoid them. Don't be an energy vampire....2. Be positive. If you like yourself and exude confidence, you're going to be a lot more fun to be around. In fact, your positive vibe is going to energize others!3. Help people. But do so because you genuinely want to, not just because you want to be Mr. Popular. 4. Have empathy. Everyone wants to feel like they're understood. And if you truly make an effort to get to know people, you'll find that they gravitate to you. That doesn't mean you have to impart Yoda-esque wisdom upon them. Sometimes, a simple "I get it," "I understand," or "that makes sense," combined with appropriate tone/body language will really show that you GET people. And don't just say it. Mean it. Really try and understand, or ask them questions so they get a chance to explain it to you. And then, when you really understand, then TELL THEM you understand. 5. Read and learn from others. There are a lot of books out there that have little nuggets of wisdom. How to Win Friends and Influence People comes to mind. But I'm sure there are dozens of others. 6. Practice. More important than the reading bit is to go out there and practice. If you're wired to be negative (a lot of evidence suggests that some people may be wired this way), you'll have to re-wire yourself. But the more you practice being positive, the more positive you will become. And the more positive you become, the more likable you will be. And the more likable you are, the more people will want to hang out with you. You get the idea. Good luck!
I don't have a pleasing voice. Can vocal training make me a good singer?
Ok. First I must ask, are you listening to yourself and your own opinion of your ability; or is this from being told otherwise from someone else's opinion of your ability?Either way, there is a recipe for improvement: 100% Fail Proof!#1 You have to believe in yourself.#2 If you want to do it, put the effort into trying. If that means lessons, invest. Time, invest. Energy, invest.#3 Record yourself once every month for one year. Put it away and don't listen to it again yet.#4 Practice EVERY day. Or try to. If you can, make a schedule but remain dedicated to it. Like its your job.#5 After 1 year passes. Listen to your very First recording.#6 Pat yourself on the back!If you don't find improvement I will be very surprised. No matter how “Good” you are at anything, you can ALWAYS improve or expand your skills!Let me know in a Year!Simply Mary - Musician, Singer/SongwriterGood Luck!
Do people actually practice how to speak?
Yes! (and if they don’t, they should try it).I’m a native english speaker and I practice speaking in my own language. I started doing so because I’ve always enjoyed drama. I was in plays in high school, and in my late teens got involved in amateur voice acting on the internet. I happen to have a Northern English accent associated with a farming region, so in order to be taken seriously in the academic world, had to learn how to speak with good diction and to handle difficult words comfortably too.This was what lead me to practice, but the result was that I became good at public speaking and holding people’s attention in workshops, talks and interviews, which has helped frequently in my work life. When I did my degree in Japanese, it also proved useful, as the skills I developed in carefully listening to and being precise in pronunciation and tone of voice worked in that language too, and made me the top of my class in spoken exercises. It allowed me to hold fluent and comfortable conversations with Japanese friends because I could be clearly understood, and get across appropriate emotion in my voice to support my meaning.There is research supporting the fact that how charismatic people consider you is influenced heavily by your tone of voice:Charismatic speakers 'manipulate their vocal frequency' - BBC NewsGot charisma? Look for it in your voiceSo, there you go! Practising speech is a great idea that will positively impact your life, making people see you as confident, likeable and intelligent. I highly recommend it.
What do you think about president Richard Nixon and how he was like as a president?
Had it not been for Watergate, Nixon would have an entirely different image. I didn't learn this until a couple years ago, but President Ronald Reagan often sought Nixon's council on foreign affairs. Nixon was paranoid, but not without reason. There really were a lot of people always biting at his heels. He wanted approval, but was not a very likeable person. He wanted his legacy to be that he opened up China, which he actually accomplished. Nixon thought in big, sweeping terms. He wasn't some tiny detail- obsessed person like Carter. As President he made some brilliant moves, and some mistakes. In retrospect, the gas price freeze during the OPEC oil embargo was probably a mistake, but it also might have been a necessity at the time. We didn't know how long the embargo was going to last, and if oil companies started price gouging, it could have had serious repurcussions for the economy. What about all the goods transported via rail and truck? It could have sent the economy into a huge recession. We will never know.