We’re losing social skills, human interaction skills, how to read a person’s mood, to read their body language, and how to be patient until the moment is right to make or press a point. Too much exclusive use of electronic information dehumanises what is a very, very important part of community life and living together. -Vincent Nichols
When you want to succeed in life, no money can help you buy networking skills. You can only have an effective network by gradually building it thoughtfully. If you succeed in building a network, you can rise in life; your career graph can sour, and you can achieve your life goals. However, you can have a network only if you have mastered the art of social skills.
Let us understand what social skills are. To many people, vaguely, it means talking or interacting intelligently or constructively in different social groups. If you are a loner, feel awkward in social groups, and find it hard to initiate a conversation with a new group of people in more contemporary settings, it may affect how you get on with your life and career. One must bear in mind that struggling with social skills is not the same as being unsocial.
However, you can improve your social skills by following the ten strategies described below. By following these strategies, one can learn to be part of the social milieu by knowing its norms and behavioural etiquette.
1. Act normally and talk to new people.
Even when you do not feel like talking to new people, force yourself to go out and speak to a diverse group of people. It would help if you did not let anxiety and apprehension hold you back from starting a discussion. Initially, you will loathe the idea, but you will gradually become accustomed to it and start to like it.
2. Initially, take baby steps
If you do not want to go to social networking gatherings and parties right away, take small steps initially, such as going out to a grocery store or a restaurant and starting the small talk with the cashier, like saying “Thank you.” When you practice making small talk, you gradually overcome your nervousness and stop being shy about talking to new people.
3. Set a goal for yourself.
Try to enrol yourself in a social activity for like-minded people or join a hobby class or social skills support group where you will meet new people and make new friends. By doing this, you would be expanding your social circle to allow more interaction.
4. Offer greetings liberally
When you profusely greet a person, you open a wide possibility of initiating the conversation. Listen attentively to the person you have greeted, encouraging him to talk about himself and finding scope to ask open-ended questions to keep the conversation going strong. Besides, when you welcome someone, you make their day. What goes around comes around. It would soon turn viral as everyone started recognizing the other person in town, a complete game-changer for everyone. When we admire someone genuinely, it leads them to new heights of creativity. The small amount of admiration they receive will help give them space to think more imaginatively and perceive things from a different and holistic point of view.
5. Greetings emanating from the heart lay the foundation of a strong friendship.
When genuine respect comes straight from the heart, it triggers recognition and acknowledgement. It ignites a flare in a person’s heart, believing that he has been recognized. It then helps the person to change from a shy and introverted person into a person of self-assurance who could turn out to be your trusted friend for all time. And the more we try and help others go out of their cocoon, the more we allow ourselves to build a secure social network. When you help in spreading happiness, happiness comes back to you. When we praise, it makes the person who gets it and the person who extends it happy. Positive vibes emanate from both people, positively impacting each other.
6. Follow Good Etiquette
Good etiquette and mannerism go a long way toward showing that you are thorough with social skills. Courtesy, graciousness, and civility, along with table manners, help a person establish his social credentials.
7. Non-verbal communication
When we do not talk, we still communicate through our body language. An enlightened person can read what is going on in our minds simply by observing our body language. Hence, when we are not speaking, we should be relaxed, calm, and stress-free, making excellent eye contact, genuinely and attentively listening, and giving timely and relevant input to the conversation.
8. Read and be up-to-date on current events.
It would help if you were thorough with the current events and what is majorly happening around the globe. It shows that you are an enlightened person. Topics on politics and religion are best avoided and not broached as they infringe on the controversy. Topics of general interest are a great way to initiate a conversation.
9. Make positive affirmations
In the back of your mind, make positive affirmations that you are doing great on social skills and are likely to contribute greatly when attending any social gathering or parties. Positive affirmations play a significant role in building up a cheerful makeover. The positive thought is likely to bring you up on your confidence scale.
10. “No road is long when in good company”-A Turkish Proverb
A man is a social creature and always seeks companionship. When in a company, adopting social skills is a must. It is essential to identify the problem when faced with difficulty in adopting social skills. After all, social skills help people understand each other better and have intimate bonds, leading to a better society.
Still not clear on how to start socializing and learning the art of social networking, then check out my new book “Ten Ways to Master Public Speaking And Effective Communication” by clicking this link.
