Steps To Make People Take You Seriously

Instructions

• 1

  Respect other people’s time
  
  Most people value their time so you need to respect that as well. Wasting people’s time will only make people see you as a liability to them. Instead learn to handle your business quickly and ensure you explain the limits of your abilities or state your needs instead of running people in an endless circle.
• 2

  Don’t get easily too excited
  
  The key here is not to get overly-emotional on very little issue. Our emotions tend to make us lose our objectivity. If you want people to take you seriously then you must not allow yourself to get carried away by your emotions.
• 3

  Ask smart questions
  
  The ability to ask critical questions, to bring a fresh and fruitful contribution to a traditional way of thinking will make you people take note of you in a good way. This ability requires you have great analytical skill and the ability to pick up new information quickly.
• 4

  Be knowledgeable
  
  Nobody is saying you should be a walking search engine but at least have the ability to hold your own when you are in a general discussion about the issues of your time. This will involve staying current with the news, latest developments and the like. In your professional life, this will mean increasing your job knowledge to improve your competence. Ignorance rarely attracts the recognition of people.
• 5

  Listen
  
  We all have two ears and one mouth, probably a sign that we should listen twice as much as we speak. In today’s world of highly opinionated individuals, everybody wants to be heard. Developing a good listening habit to at least acknowledge the views of others is a rare skill in today’s world. By listening to others, we grow our knowledge, making us better people. Running your mouth on every single issue will just make you drown your voice among the millions of noisy empty barrels out there.  
• 6

  Seek out ways to add value to people
  
  Whether in your office, home or any other communal setting find ways to benefit the people around you; you could be good at your job, coach a struggling friend, give good advice to a friend or assist in one way or another. Inasmuch you will benefit from other people, you must learn to contribute to the lives of others.
• 7

  Respect people
  
  For people to take you seriously, they will need to respect you. For that to happen, you need to respect those around you. This means recognizing the people around you, not being arrogant to the point where you see people around you as insignificant ants.
• 8

  Honor your word
  
  Do not have the habit of speaking just because you feel like it. Ensure that you do what you say and follow through. There will be times when circumstances can force you to renege on your word but if you make it a habit everyone will be wise to disregard anything you say. If you are not sure do not commit, if you are in doubt seek for information. If your mouth is running faucet of words, you need to work on that.
• 9

  Consider your appearance
  
  Dress to match your surroundings; when you are in a corporate environment, suit up. If you are among colleagues, dress appropriately. As a general rule, make sure your clothes are neat and comfortable. Keep up your personal hygiene and maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep you in good shape.