How to improve your social skills
From ArticleWorld
To Improve Your Social Skills can be a difficult thing to accomplish but it can be done through dint of hard work and industry. Lack of social skills in groups and gatherings may cause you to be less popular than your peers but a few basic steps to improve them can give you a better lifestyle and boost your people’s skills significantly. Here are some power tips.
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A few thumb rules
- Begin by sharpening your social skills right at home or with your close friends. Practice by holding conversations with people who are closest to you before you muster up the courage to initiate a date or mingle in a party.
- Try and improve your skills at conversations. You may be the type of person who is attacked by nervousness at gatherings and clams up in company. You need not jump in at the deep end by holding forth on the state of the world economy or global warming and so on and so forth. You need to start by making small talk like the weather, the local news or recent television shows.
- Developing your body language will also improve your social skills. Crossing your arms while standing or crossing your legs while sitting can send wrong signals to others.
- Know when to end conversations i.e. be aware of the body language of others. If the people you are with show impatience or seem bored, drop the talk. Knowing when to stop talking is very important in improving social skills.
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Do’s
- Being polite and showing respect is the easiest way of improving your social skills.
- Be sensitive to language and cultural differences and speak slowly and clearly when socializing with foreign visitors and colleagues.
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Don’ts
- Don’t go overboard with conversations and avoid talking over the other person. Conversation is more an art of listening than speaking.
- Don't try to form instant friendships. Don't be too familiar too soon with new acquaintances.