3 Ways to Improve Your Social Skills
Socializing is necessary but it's not always easy. So how do you get through it if work requires it or if you want to get out of the house and make some new friends?
Relax. We've got some tips on how you can improve your social skills. Here are a few basics that you should learn to use in improving your social dealings when you are in your workplace or out on the town.
Be sure to practice each of these and we are confident that you will see a noticeable improvement.
1. Learn to Smile
Smiling makes all of the difference in the world. It makes people more comfortable with you. They also trust you more(as long as you are not smiling like the cat that got the cream). One thing you might not know is that smiling even works on the phone.
It works so well that some companies, like the chocolate giant Nestle, have even installed mirrors in their call centers so that employees can make sure they are smiling during the calls. It gets reflected in your voice and the person on the other end of the call will be noticeably warmed to you. If you do this at home when talking to friends on the phone, it will be noticed as well. So don't forget to SMILE.
2. Get People to Talk about Themselves
This is a trick you can do that will endear you to others and make socializing easier. It's simple and effective. Get people to talk about themselves. People love attention and nine out of ten times you can get them to do all of the 'heavy- lifting' in a conversation with just a little prodding. Ask for their opinions on something. Ask if they have traveled.
Get creative and get them talking about their favorite subject: THEMSELVES Keep this trick in mind if socializing is a little awkward or you are simply too shy to talk about yourself. You can still socialize with the best of them as long as you simply get them to talk about themselves.
3. Spend Sometime Daily reading the Local News
If you are going to be socializing, this is a must. You need to be current with the local events. This provides you with information of interest to others around you and can help you spark up a conversation with ease. Keeping up with the news also helps you to avoid those awkward moments when someone is speaking about events in your locale that you weren't aware of.
Such moments can make you lose favor in a conversation or appear ignorant. So make absolutely sure that you keep pace with current events. When you are using this information, it is also important to try to avoid political topics unless you are very sure of the other's political affiliations. Avoid it if at all possible as people can become emotional rather quickly over anything political.
Practice these three techniques daily whenever you get the chance and we feel you will see a vast improvement in your social interactions. Take these tips to heart! Use them well and you'll soon see a change in your social experiences and you will be quite pleased with the results.
