Improving Social Skills
Improving social skills is a great way to make new friends, keep old friends, and improve your overall life. Us humans are social animals that need positive interactions from time to time. Even this friendly neighborhood counselor needs to have positive interactions to grow as a person. For years, I struggled with interacting with strangers. Now I seek it!
The biggest myth about having great social skills is that it comes easily. Nope… It takes a lot of work because of all the variables of this crazy world. My friends over at Indeed.com have a great list of ways to improve social skills.
Engage with others
Start in Small ways
Ask open ended questions
Observe others
Practice maintaining eye contact
Develop listening skills
Invite person to lunch or coffee
Offer compliments
Keep up with current events
I feel that “develop listening skills” as the most crucial item on this list. I have learned that people love to share to people who listen. Remember, we are social animals who need connections. Sharing to a listener is an amazing way to connect.
When I say listen, I don’t mean just using your ears. Listen to their words, digest them, let your brain connect their words to your life, be present, be fascinated. Then when there is an opportunity to share the connections to you, do it!
You got this….