The secrets of PR charm

 9th April 2014    PR Guru 

Charm gets you a long way.

If only I were a lot more charming, I would be a lot more successful.

If you want to have a more successful career than me, don’t do what I do, do what I say. I have watched charming people, been charmed by them and ended up being manipulated by them too!

Here are my secrets of PR charm:

Listen

This is simple advice, but hard to follow. I always want to tell people about me – in the main I'm far more interesting. Charming people listen hard and then cunningly react in an empathetic way.

Be witty

This does not mean telling jokes, it means responding to what is happening around you in an amusing way. But don‘t make a song and dance about it, you don‘t want to be the party entertainer, charming people don‘t hog the limelight.

Learn people’s names

I'm awful at this. If you can never remember someone’s name, they are going to think you were never that interested in them. This may be true, but at least if you remember their name they may not realise this.

Smile

And mean it. Again, very difficult for me – my deep seated resentment of my colleagues is often difficult to hide.

Be thoughtful

Pick up on what people tell you and remember it. For example, if someone likes a particular type of coffee, take them one next time you see them. Or in my case, please give me a bottle of Blue Label whisky.

Pay compliments

But not false ones! Think of something you actually like about the person you are talking to. This can be tough sometimes.

Don’t be fake

This is the hardest piece of advice of all. You can’t act being charming, you have to be charming by nature. For me this would mean a personality transplant.