Great list, I’d add one “dark side” tip: reduce your own anxiety by noticing and focusing on other people’s vulnerabilities, and learning how to exploit them (and then NOT DOING THAT, of course, the point is simply to know you can). Figure out the common verbal and body language signs of stress and anxiety and you start noticing them in almost everyone.
The best list I can think of is the section on playing low status in Impro—in general these correlate with social anxiety. A handful off the top of my head that I notice regularly:
Great list, I’d add one “dark side” tip: reduce your own anxiety by noticing and focusing on other people’s vulnerabilities, and learning how to exploit them (and then NOT DOING THAT, of course, the point is simply to know you can). Figure out the common verbal and body language signs of stress and anxiety and you start noticing them in almost everyone.
What are the most common verbal and body language signs of stress?
The best list I can think of is the section on playing low status in Impro—in general these correlate with social anxiety. A handful off the top of my head that I notice regularly:
Breaking eye contact while speaking.
Jittery movements and speech patterns.
Shrinking body language to take up less space.
Smiling too much.
Okay, that was strikingly perceptive, I need to read that book.
Seconded. I really can’t recommend Impro enough. I think more about the material in that book than almost any other book, I think.
I strongly endorse reading Impro. It’s short, well-written, and packs a very high insight-to-text ratio.