I only have experience with two dragons but with both lots of patience basically. i always would offer a food basically as a reward when i was able to at first just pat the dragons and then moved up to holding etc. then i would have mates do the same when they were over. they didnt mind really.
If you don't count a green tree frog that I was very fond of and used to handle a lot and the long necked turtle that I had for a couple of years of as a young boy and became very tame then my only other real experience with socialising a reptile is my experience with Lizzy.
Simillar to what you say, lots of patience, I've never forced Lizzy to do anything, it's aways been her choice - to accept food treats offered by me, to take treats from my open hand and from between my finger tips, to permit me to touch her (stroke her, tickle her).
I think she showed me she was ready for physical contact the first time she climbed onto the head of the loungechair right next to my head and I discovered her looking over my shoulder ( I put it down to being curious about what I was doing on the coffee table at the time), not long after that she was accepting physical contact and hand feeding by me, She did the exact same thing to my wife at last yesterdy afternoon ,and immediately accepted a food treat my wife offered her. It's my observation with Lizzy that she indicated she was ready to interact more closely and physically with us by her looking over the shoulder the first time for me and then for my wife.
She still doesn't like visitors and she hides from them and wont come back until they leave.
I believe talking to the lizard very calmy and in a quiet tone also helped us develop our now very good relationships with Lizzy and she learnt that we are not going to harm her by our never doing anything to alarm her or to invade her personal space.
How long after you started hand feeding you lizards before they accept being picked up ?
Lizzy has sometimes climbed completely onto my open hand to collect and eat a food treat and she has gone for brief hand surfing trips and these didn't seem to phase her, she was quite calm and remained calm when she crawled back off my hand when I put my hand and her back down gently.
I'd like eventually to be able to pick Lizzy up and handle her , but I'm in no hurry.
I don't know if she'll ever stick around (not hide) when my son or grandson are visiting .... I'm hoping she will eventually be able to be socialised with them (but my grandson is only 4 months old so if this takes a few years that's OK).