Saturday, February 26, 2011

Some Key Points Regarding Trust

By Jean B. Moore


Getting to know new people is not an easy task for some, much less gaining their trust. While some people have a natural knack for making people feel at ease, some people find it difficult to open up to others. Still, meeting people and gaining their trust is essential to developing relationships and here are five ways that can help you achieve this:

Remember that trust is earned. The first time you meet somebody, always assume a measure of suspicion. Assume no one is likely to give trust automatically and that it is natural to be suspicious about a person you just met. I mean, if it were the reverse, wouldn't you be suspicious too?

Never lie. Telling a lie and getting caught assures you that you will never gain their trust and that you will lose all your credibility, so why risk it? You don't have to reveal your whole life story but at the same time, you shouldn't say anything that is not true. There is a way to avoid answering questions you don't want to answer and a simple, "I'd rather not discuss that" and then changing the topic should do.

Be interested in the other person. Hold a real conversation where you actually listen to the other party and not just keep talking about yourself.

Acknowledge and respect their opinion. There are times that we will not agree on certain topics and the best thing to do when this happens is to just accept that you don't agree with everything. It's normal.

Try to match the person's conversational style. By mirroring a person's body language and speech pattern, you are more likely to gain their trust.

When you use the same conversational style as the other person, it makes them feel comfortable and more open. Almost everyone trusts who they are so when you are more like them, they are more likely to trust you.

Remember, the end goal is not gaining a person's trust but making your relationship grow. Once you gain trust, it is important to honor and respect it.




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