4 Tips on Avoiding an Arrogant Impression

We have all in life experienced an arrogant person within our personal or professional lives. They can have a deep impact on how we view ourselves, our productivity, and our personal & professional growth. We like to think that we never fall victim to an air of arrogance however it's never as simple as it sounds. Perception is determined by an individual and often with communication can be deemed with another meaning. These are four tactics I deploy in an attempt to be cognizant and mitigate an overbearing impression.

1. You Don’t Have to Know It All, and that’s okay, nobody really likes a condescending ninny muggin’. Start with understanding your audience and never assume by asking a few questions. It’s easy to start a conversation with “Are you familiar with _____?” or “Have you ever ______ before?” Allow the other party to elaborate without interrupting. People do love to talk about themselves, give them the podium to do so. In turn, you will be amazed by how quickly you are able to share your point.

2. In today’s world, there is an emphasis on winning and success. Meanwhile, your average millionaire has filed for bankruptcy at least once in their lifetime. Have some humility, admit that you have failed or might be wrong. Without failure, you have never experienced the life lessons that propel you the next level. Own your experiences and ask yourself what would you have done differently and implement it.

3. Not every conversation is about you! If you find that 80% of the conversation is based on your opinions, and exploitations you need to take a timeout. I get it, it’s human nature to talk about ourselves, after all, if we don’t love ourselves who will, right. However, this is the slippery slope between arrogance and confidence. Boasting has it’s time and place and it’s not in every human interaction.

4. LISTEN. We as individuals make a conscious decision of how we assess value to others. Listen to people with an open and unassuming heart you may be surprised what you learn about yourself and others. Heck, your worldview may just expand.

There is no one party or person who earns this negatively charged badge of honor alone. Whether victim or prey just have a little patience. The perceived arrogant individual may simply be a bit naive and eager to share their knowledge. We can’t all be that bad, can we?