People skills are very important from a young age and these become increasingly essential as an individual gets older. Every aspect of one's life including finding a job, making friends, and having successful relationships depends on the person's ability to get along with others and present a positive image.
Here's how you can improve your social skills:-
1) Sharpen your emotional intelligence
It allows you to be aware and in charge of your emotions as well as boosts your confidence. It is important to become aware of your emotions and responses to certain situations and recognize when you or others are stressed.
5 tips to build emotional intelligence-
- Reflect on your own and others' emotions
- Admit that you can’t be happy all the time
- Explore and understand the “why” part
- Accept criticism and try to learn from it
- Sometimes, not responding at all is the best response
2) Resolve conflicts in a positive way
Be it at work or at home, a certain amount of conflict is inexorable in any relationship. In times of conflict, focus on the present as well as the positivity of compromising rather than on winning or losing and think about respecting the other person without controlling them.
Related: Communication and Conflict Resolution at Workplace
3) Improve your listening skills
Take time to listen to others because real communication requires good listening skills. Also, don't interrupt and let the other person speak. Pay attention to not only what the person is saying but also how they are saying it, this is called inflection.
4) Acknowledge cultural differences
Acknowledge cultural differences while communicating with someone from a different culture.
5) Communicate with care
Choose your words carefully when you're talking to others. Through effective communication with others, we share our ideas, thoughts, memories, needs, hopes, wishes, concerns, and fears.
Also Check: Habits & Strategies Of Mentally Stronger People You Should Adopt
6) Have the right attitude
Have the right attitude. This also includes expecting challenges, keeping things in perspective, having a sense of humor, and not taking yourself too seriously at all times. Refrain from judging and never put others down because people make mistakes and nobody is perfect.
7) The right body posture matters
Pay attention to body language - the non-verbal cues such as good posture, friendly gestures, and appropriate eye contact.
8) Maintain healthy relationships
Maintain healthy relationships as this helps to boost your confidence and make your life more worthwhile. Meet new people, this can broaden your perspective on life as well as improve your emotional intelligence.
9) Take out time for self-reflection
Lastly, reflect and improve. It's important to learn from your mistakes and achievements.
The bottom line
Always be respectful of others, even if you think they have nothing to offer you. You may not like the behavior they display, but that doesn't mean you can't like the individual. By combining these skills with a sincere attitude, you dramatically increase your chances of producing the best possible, win-win outcome. - "Nikk Zorbas"