Be an insider

Grapevine Glory

A better way to compliment someone than doing so directly is to give compliments to someone else that they hear indirectly through conversation. This avoids looking like a suck-up, and makes it seem like you're sharing those compliments with the world.

Carrier Pigeon

Only share gossip when it's good news about someone, including the listener you're sharing it with.

Implied Magnificence

Add comments that presuppose positive assumptions about your target. Just don't try to pair them with something negative, otherwise known as "negging."

Accidental Adulation

If you do give more direct compliments, sneak them into larger sentences about other things. Keep them sneaky, and don't use them in important sentences since that info may be lost amid the compliment.

Killer Compliment

When talking with a stranger, find a specific, unique trait you can compliment them on. At the end, make eye contact and deliver it right to them.

Little Strokes

Give little compliments to others when justified, like "nice job" and "well done." Don't leave them begging for recognition.

The Knee-Jerk "Wow!"

If someone does something praisable right in front of you, give a knee-jerk positive reaction.

Boomeranging

When you're given a compliment, always give another one back showing thanks for it like "that's very kind of you."

The Tombstone Game

Ask important people in your life what they'd like engraved on their tombstone. Save it for more important, emotional moments and use it to embellish statements about love or appreciation.