"Great shoes!"
"Love your briefcase/purse/necklace/earrings/blouse color...."
"What an unusual/striking/colorful/attractive/interesting/unique bracelet!"
Bonus tip:
If you're tongue-tied on your feet, check your online thesaurus for adjectives. Make a list. To keep them top of mind, review them daily or weekly.
Ask a question that calls for an explanation, not a short, pat answer. The meatier the question, the better. For example:
Compliments pack a double whammy:
Too pat: "Great shoes! Where did you get them?" will do when you can't think of anything else to say.
Better: "Great running shoes. There are so many styles and brands. How do you decide which shoes to buy?"
Too pat: "That's a flattering color on you. Did you have your colors done?"
Better: "That's a flattering style on you. How did you learn to dress so well?" (A terrific follow-up to that is "What other talents do you have?"
Too pat: "You look like a creative person. Are you an artist?"
Better: "You look like a creative person. How do you express your artistic flair?"
A little too pat: "Love your ring/watch/shirt. Was it a gift?"
Better: "Your ring is unusual. Does it have a story?"
Too pat: "You look fit. Do you work out?"
Better: "You look fit. Tell me how you stay that way."
If you can't think of a follow-up conversation question, that's okay. Give yourself points for breaking the ice. Be a good coach and tell yourself "You'll do better next time."
Everyone loves sincere compliments. They get people's attention and create a receptive mood for conversation.
Second, when you're looking for ways to pay a compliment, you're looking for the good in - or on - someone else. That takes your focus off yourself and your rating on the confidence-o-meter and puts it where it belongs: on the person you want to talk to.
Obvious items to mention include clothing, accessories, and shoes. On a more personal level, consider haircuts
San Diego Chargers, smiles, fitness, and body art.
Here's practical advice for meeting women (or men). You're waiting for an elevator or you're squeezin' the Charmin at the market when you spot someone intriguing. You break the ice with a smile. Even a slight chin or eyebrow lift can get his or her attention. Next comes the fun (or scary) part: saying something. But what? These three tips guarantee that you'll always know how to start a conversation. Better yet, you'll always have something relevant and attention-getting to say. The point of using these tips is to create friendly rapport. You never know where small talk might lead. Just as an acorn grows into a mighty oak, small talk grows into real conversation. And beyond.
Tip #1. Compliment someone
Three ways to practice breaking the ice:
Tip #3. Practice, practice
Men Sandals, practice
Interestingly, there was no real consistency in the findings except that speeches bearing a message that the evaluator agreed with were rated as more rational (even if they were intended to be emotional), while those the evaluator did not agree with were considered to be more emotional (even though some of those were intended to be logical). It seemed that whether a speech was considered logical or emotional depended on the listener. Researchers also concluded that, as a general rule, people seem unable to consistently distinguish between logical and emotional appeals.
Tip #2. Follow-up your compliment with a question
Compliment one person
Tiffany Set, any person, every time you're waiting in line to buy something. Tell yourself that you're getting experience so that when that attractive someone comes along, you'll be confident of your ability to break the ice.
Sit down at a mall or park. Think of a compliment and follow-up question for every person who walks by. If someone is close enough, say it out loud. Have fun!
Get a magazine. Think of a compliment & question for each person in the pictures and ads. If you're intimidated by attractive women -- or men -- focus on them.
Once you've broken the ice, ask more good conversation questions.
Reasoning is a powerful tool for the mind, but strong, concrete evidence should be the cornerstone of a logical speech. Evidence not only makes an argument ring true in persuasive situations, but it also substantially enhances your credibility. There are four major types of evidence: testimony, statistics, analogies, and examples. You will strengthen your position when you use elements of all four forms, rather than depending on only one. When you provide proof in this manner, you remove doubts that may linger in your audience's mind.
For example,