Traveling in Scandinavia for a few more days.  Leaving Stockholm today for Oslo.  Again, the European experience reminds me that people are basically the same everywhere.

That being true, I find that it’s generally a good idea to tell people what they want to hear.  This is the essence of good communication.

For example, people here in Sweden seem to like it when I thank them in Swedish by saying, “Tak!” and smiling.  Wow, they just light right up.

When my travel mates and I ask for directions (yes, some men ask for directions), we want to hear people say things like, “You’re not that lost” and “It’s easy to get back on the right route.”

Here are two more phrases that seem to work just about every time:

1.  “You deserve it!”  Advertisers use this language all the time, especially when promoting spa services and the like.

2.  “Happy birthday!”  We like this phrase so much, we even enjoy hearing it from total strangers.

So, tell people what they want to hear.  It’s easy to do this without compromising your values or straying from the truth.

What phrase do you use that works magic with people?