Technique #22 Ac-cen-tu-ate the Pos-i-tive

When first meeting someone, lock your closet door and

save your skeletons for later. You and your new good

friend can invite the skeletons out, have a good laugh,

and dance over their bones later in the relationship. But

now's the time, as the old song says, to "ac-cen-tu-ate

the pos-i-tive and elim-i-nate the neg-a-tive."So far, in this section, you have found assertive methods for

meeting people and mastering small talk. The next is both an

assertive and defensive move to help spare you that pasty smile we

tend to sport when we have no idea what people are talking about.