Compliment People Sincerely RULE 37 88 THE RULES OF WORK The key to this Rule is “sincerely.

” You
mustn’t use compliments glibly, falsely, shallowly, dishonestly, or disingenuously. Compliments must be
real, honest, open, guileless and meaningful. Being the sort of person who gives compliments is quite
tricky. You don’t want to be seen as a slimeball or spooky—and people who do give compliments can
often end up seen like this—but you do want to come across as genuinely warm and friendly. So how to
do this? And why? Well, if you do it affably, it makes people think incredibly well about you—it is good
office karma. The best way to do it is by being unsophisticated about it. All you have to do is say, “I really
like the way you’ve had your hair cut,” and then ask a question about whatever it is you are
complimenting her on, and make it about how it was done. “So who did your hair?” “I do like the way
you handled that customer; how did you feel saying that?” “I must say I liked your report; how is it going
down with the board?” Try to avoid using over-the-top expressions. You don’t love their new coat—you
merely “like” it. Remember, if you “love” it, you’ll want to marry it and have its babies. Not true of a
coat, or a report, or a hair style, or the way someone handles a customer. If you “like” something, feel
free to say so. You can emphasize how much you like something by • “I really like …” • “I do like …” •
“Can I tell you how much I liked …?” • And it doesn’t just have to be “liked,” although it is a very good
one to start with • “I was impressed by …” • “I thought you did really well …” • “The way you did … was
very good indeed” • “I did enjoy your presentation. It was really rather exceptional.” When giving
compliments, make sure you can’t be accused of flirting or coming on to someone—keep it professional
and/or work related. I’m sure you don’t need telling this. RULE 37 IF YOU CAN’ T SAY ANYTHING NICE—
SHUT UP 89 BEING THE SORT OF PERSON WHO GIVES COMPLIMENTS IS QUITE TRICKY.