How to Be Nice to People

 Part 1 Being Nice to People You Don't Know Well

1.    Smile. Just the simple act of smiling can make you seem -- and feel --
like a nicer person.
2.    Introduce yourself to new people.
3.    Make small talk.
4.    Give a sincere compliment.
5.    Make plans to hang out with someone you've met.
6.    Be polite.
7.    Don't curse.
8.    Offer help.
9.    Use people's names.
10.    Do a small act of kindness.
11.    Avoid judgment.

Part 2 Being Nice to the People You Care About

1.    Give a small token of your friendship.
2.    Help clean up.
3.    Be a good listener.
4.    Ask how the person is doing.
5.    Avoid gossip.
6.    Share.
7.    Put others first (at least sometimes).

Part 3 Being Nice to People Who Annoy You

1.    Keep things positive. Even if you're around a Negative Nancy who is
driving you crazy, try to steer the conversation in a positive direction.
Whether you're talking to a grumpy classmate or a drama queen sister, try to
talk about the good things in life, such as the sunny weather, the holidays
coming up, or what fun things you're going to do after school. Get the
other person to talk about happy subjects, and you'll be much more inclined
to be nice to that person.
2.    Always remember to treat people the way you would like to be treated.
The golden rule is that if you are nice to people they will treat you in the
right manner, and if you are horrible and nasty to people they will think
that you're mean and ignore you. However, you may be stuck with someone who
is just being nasty to you -- does that mean you have to stoop down to his
or her level? Absolutely not. Instead, you should just keep killing that
person with kindness -- and get out of the situation any way you can.
•    Of course, this doesn't mean that you should let a rude person
walk all over you. You should stand up for yourself, but do so in a kind and
respectful way. If that person feels like being rude, don't stoop to his
level.
3.    Avoid touchy subjects. If you're around a person who you don't
generally get along with, avoid the things that you know will make that
person upset, or the things that will make you more annoyed. Try to stick to
the safe, polite topics, like your health, the weather, or school or
whatever it is you have to talk about, and you will be far better off than
if you tread on territory that is touchy or immediately controversial. If
you want to be nice, then you should avoid pushing a person's buttons -- or
having yours pushed.
•    While you're at it, see if you can find some common ground,
whether you and that person like the same sports team or grew up in the same
hometown. You may be surprised by how much you and the person have in
common -- and by how much easier it suddenly is to be nice.

4. Know when to walk away. Sometimes, the best thing you can do to keep
being nice is to say goodbye. Learn to pick your battles and stop engaging
with a person who routinely annoys you if you can avoid it. If it's a person
you have to see regularly, like a sibling, then just remember that it's
better to say
nothing than to say something that isn't nice. If you know the conversation
is getting heated and is likely to make you say something you regret, just
excuse yourself.
•    Walking away at the right time doesn't make you a coward. It
actually makes you more mature for being able to recognize when something is
futile.
5.    Try to see it from the other person's perspective. You may find it
hard to be nice to a person because you just feel like you're such
completely different people that you'd never be able to get along. But if
you take a minute to think about where that person is coming from, you may
have a better understanding of that person's thought process and intentions.
You may not end up being best friends with a person just because you know
him or her better, but you may find it easier to be nicer to that person.
•    For example, you may think that a person is really stuck up and
mean, but you'll see that the person is treated poorly by his or her own
parents, which can lead him or her to act a certain way. This can help you
have more sympathy for where that person is coming from.
6.    Keep the mood light. If you're stuck spending time with someone who
annoys you, try to be funny, goofy, or just plain silly to lighten the
tension. Don't take yourself so seriously and don't dig in to the deeper
topics. Just try to keep things fun and easygoing, and you'll see that the
person is much easier to get along with and be nice to. If you're talking
about serious subjects with a person you don't like that much, you'll be
more likely to act mean.