What makes a person intriguing

Becoming the youngest department head in the history of the organization. And turning down a job at Harvard to pursue his mission of helping inner city youth. First was the fact that Mark and his brother borrowed 25 books from the library every weekend when they were kids. I suspect that this reading habit helped Mark develop the mindset that led him to a lifetime of interesting experiences and gave him broad perspective.

Second, his mission to help those like himself from less privileged circumstances, and give them better life opportunities. This carried him through the entire arc of his education and career. And he expressed it with such authenticity — it was obvious that this is who he is. Third, he was a great communicator — telling his story succinctly and powerfully, actively listening to mine, and creating a personal connection.

When it comes to being interesting, in my experience, it boils down to the following three traits: perspective, authenticity, and connection. The key to having an interesting perspective is what you feed your mind. This could be the books you read, the shows you watch or the podcasts you listen to.

It could also be the experiences you have, whether through travel, adversity or peak experiences. Click To Tweet. Both in terms of the areas you know about and the sources of your knowledge. In an age of technical specialization, this is more important than ever.

At work, success often requires knowing a lot about a narrow slice of the world. For example, coding, electronic trading, or tax regulations. Even to the people in your own field. Having a broader perspective is at the heart of creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity — all 21 st century skills that are essential to success in life and at work. When you travel in multiple circles, you have the chance to pass on new ideas and cross-pollinate and enhance the way others think.

Another element of being interesting is showing up in a way that shows people what makes you uniquely you. Rowling who leaned into what she uniquely does — storytelling — and has fascinated us all. As her quote suggests, no one could make her do it, and no one could have stopped her from doing it. When you do what you uniquely do, you become unstoppable. Most of us struggle to show our whole selves, so we respect those who are brave enough to actually do it.

It takes courage to let go of societal norms and lean into who we really are. But unshackled is the only state when we do our best work and fulfill our true potential. The key is not trying to replicate what others do. The third aspect is how you engage people. Are you making a personal connection? Are you genuinely interested in the other person? And how do you go about sharing what you know? At a recent dinner, two people who are equally interesting on paper showed up entirely differently.

They had similar backgrounds — scientists from disadvantaged neighborhoods who overcame hardship to rise to the top of their fields. He brought up new ideas. The other person said very little. But the other one is still a mystery. When it comes to connecting with others, it starts with sharing what you know.

Think of that as contributing. Bringing in ideas from another field that helps people do what they do better and get a new way of looking at things. Wonderful, actionable advice that helps me be better than the day before.

Feed your mind with things that are off-piste from what you usually read, watch or listen to. Explore different areas. Seeing the world from only one point of view might feel more comfortable. But it can limit your possibilities and reduce your ability to think critically. And make you less interesting. If you need ideas for what to read, check out this list of almost books that thought leader, bestselling author, and blogger Seth Godin has recommended over a decade of reading.

As they say, you really learn something when you have to teach it. If you read a great book, extract quotes from it and work it into conversations.

Write about it in a blog or article. Or leave the book on your desk for your visitors to notice and enjoy. Simply share so others can benefit from a glimpse into a different part of the world. And if it takes you outside of your comfort zone , even better.

When you do what you uniquely do, you free up the real you. And that feels great! Someone can have an exciting life but be boring to talk to. And others can have a pretty simple lifestyle but still hold entertaining conversations.

An exciting conversation partner knows how to make the other person feel interesting, too. There are some simple techniques that will help you become a better conversationalist. Learn more on how to make interesting conversation in our guide. Everyone has quirks and flaws. Lots of us feel under pressure to conform and to appear perfect. For example, on social media, we often show only the best parts of our lives. And there always seem to be unwritten rules to follow: what kind of slang and speech to use, how to dress, which shows to watch.

It may seem like everyone looks the same. They have the same hairstyles and use the same backgrounds. Even makeup and photo filters go through trends.

Engaging with popular culture can be fun and a bonding experience. For more and how to be your perfectly imperfect self, read our tips on how to be yourself. They tend to be interested in many things because they are curious , but, more importantly, they speak to others about those things. For example, an interesting person will listen to a podcast and bring it up with other people they speak to.

Are you stuck for ideas on what to talk about? We have an article with ideas for interesting things to talk about in every situation. Someone who always agrees with the majority to not rock the boat can come across as pretty boring.

Your opinion can be similar to others, but you can still share it in an interesting way. Get to know what your opinions are and start sharing them with others. For more advice, read our tips on how not to be boring.

Most people can share things on a surface level but struggle to go deeper. Being vulnerable with others is scary, but it can also make others perceive you as brave, interesting, and authentic. Men often express feelings outwardly through body language such as physical gestures, facial changes, muscle tensing and gritting teeth, instead of expressing those emotions with words.

Intrigued is defined as that you have become interested in something and want to learn more. An example of intrigued is when you read a news article and are inspired to go and learn more about the subject. All three words for me are completely positive in their basic meaning, with no inherent negative connotations or overtones. It can be a noun, meaning underhanded plot, or a verb for the act of plotting.

Agents of two opposing powers intrigue against each other.