10 Tips to Perfecting Social Skills for Adults
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Has the word “socializing” sounded more impractical than it does today? The worldwide pandemic caused a lot of lockdowns and shut-ins for billions of people, including you. Significant changes to your life include working from a remote location, using online platforms to hang out with friends, and staying away from others in general.
While these precautions helped you stay healthy, they made interpersonal connections difficult. Outside your immediate family, you most likely never met someone from work. Your colleagues in the office are pictures on Zoom instead of people and faces.
With precautions beginning to pull back and on-location work resurging, perhaps you’re worried about interacting with others. It’s been so long since you’ve gone to the office, and you might not know how to handle it. You’ll have to meet and talk with others in person. To learn how to do so effectively, you’ll need to master social skills for adults.
What are social skills?
Having a credit card is good because it has a lot of benefits. But you know what’s a bad combination to credit cards? Lack of self-control! An article in Economic Notes said that credit card users with low self-control are more likely to carry a massive debt on their credit cards. They only see the benefit and fun of using the credit card on the actual purchase but lack sight of the payment due date. The problem starts when the due date comes in, and the amount due cannot be paid in full until the accumulated balance left gets bigger and bigger.
2. Lack of discipline and commitment
Before you understand why you need to master socializing, you should know what it takes. Social skills are how you can effectively communicate and bond with people around you. You’ll constantly interact with your bosses and colleagues in a work environment. Learning to speak with them and develop your relationships is crucial for teamwork. By cooperating and building trust, you can help each other accomplish the same goals.
Take a look at how ant colonies thrive. Millions of evolution have not changed these creatures. Since discovering ants, they have worked together to make their nests survive. A worker can spot food and call for others to transport it back home. By coordinating their movements, the ants distribute the food to the hive and help their colony grow.
Similarly, learning how to communicate with your team can help you build the company or project further than ever. Your boss enables you to understand the assignment while your colleagues help in areas outside your expertise. Look at any department in a conglomerate, and you’ll see multiple moving pieces. These areas include human resources, marketing, and administration. What’s important is that these groups know how to talk and relay information. Without proper communication, your company wouldn’t last long.
The following social skills for adults will help you learn how to interact with other people appropriately:
- Effective communication – how you convey messages to other people, both verbally and non-verbally
- Active listening – how you understand messages sent by other people in and out of the office
- Relationship management – how you deal with and devote time to acquaintances, friends, close friends, and trusted colleagues
- Respect for others – how you show your admiration and courtesy for others because of their personality and position in life
- Empathy – how you understand and relate your emotions with those of your colleagues
Why do you need social skills at work?
Now that you have some idea of social skills, you might wonder why they are so important. Here are the benefits of having social skills for adults at work.
They help you establish relationships.
Your first day at a company is like going on your first date. You must make connections and establish rapport with the person or people you’ll meet. The key is having an excellent first impression and building a bridge between yourself and the other person. At work, it helps you determine the kind of person you are. To be a team player, you must stay open and communicate with those around you. Even freelancers and independent workers rely on their connections to make a living.
For example, imagine you are a writer who just finished your first manuscript. Now, you could simply publish your work online and let the world enjoy it. However, that’s not likely to create a buzz or earn you money. To make your manuscript a success, you’ll need help from multiple people. These connections include an editor, a proofreader, and a publishing company. In other words, you must work with these other people to achieve your goals.
They allow you to convey the right message.
Words are helpful in any conversation, but how you convey them is equally important. Social skills can help you identify the way you chat with other people. The cadence of your voice and the volume of your tone can make a big difference. For example, saying “We are busy” can be wrong if you yell it loudly. Conversely, if you whisper it, no one will understand you. Learning social skills for adults, like conversation and body language, can significantly benefit your attitude toward others. You’ll discover the power of respect and how it can get you much help and trust in the long run.
They allow you to understand other people.
Through social skills, you’ll learn how other people react or behave. There are multiple cues in a person, from words to facial expressions. Once you know how to read them, you can understand their thoughts and emotions. For example, if you’re pitching a marketing plan, but your boss isn’t looking at you, it might be out of disinterest. In other words, you might need to switch up your approach to guarantee approval for your project.
You can also learn when to step up and help those in need. You might be in the office when your coworker starts to lose their nerve. They might try to tear their hair out or break down into tears. You can talk to them through social skills for adults and learn what’s causing all the stress. You might discover their upcoming deadlines or personal issues. Either way, you’ll be able to help someone out and see a different side to them. Doing so will help you feel better and build a support network for future problems.
Ten tips to help you perfect your social skills at work
It’s time for you to know how to perfect your social skills at work. By following these ten tips, you’ll learn how to make a good impression and quickly build trust amongst your colleagues in the office.
1. Initiate the conversation.
You have to take the initiative when you want to connect with other people. Approach others and make small talk first. When introducing yourself, keep it short and straightforward. For example, speak to your coworkers at an office party by stating who you are and where you work. As long as you introduce yourself, you’ll get people to notice. In time, they’ll want to strike up a conversation and learn more about you.
2. Use open-ended questions.
When you want to continue a conversation, don’t simply end it with a statement. Using classic lines and words can shorten your interaction with others. Instead, take time to use your chat to learn about your colleagues. If they ask you about your previous workplace, answer and then ask them the same question. Doing so allows you to know one another and gain insight into your personalities. The more you ask, the more you learn and share.
3. Practice your body language
Chatting with colleagues and superiors isn’t only about words. How you physically act around them is a crucial aspect of having social skills for adults. For example, if you actively avoid their eyesight or fiddle with your fingers, they’ll think you’re annoyed or nervous around them. Even if you are apprehensive, act as calmly and warmly as possible. Look at a mirror and see how you talk to yourself. Practice maintaining eye contact and standing straight. If you’re looking stiff, take a deep breath and relax your muscles. The more composed you look, the easier it will be to hold a conversation.
4. Compliment your colleagues.
When it comes to social skills for adults, nothing is as useful as a kind atmosphere. That’s why a compliment or praise can set the tone for pleasant and honest talk. Take time to observe coworkers and specify what they did or how they performed. If they sealed a deal with an important client, shake their hand and congratulate them. You’ll develop a good rapport with coworkers and set the stage for future conversations.
5. Work on your listening skills.
There’s a big difference between hearing someone and listening to them. You can hear the words of a speech or conversation without keeping track. However, listening demands your attention. Take in the information that your coworker or manager is telling you. Use non-verbal cues to show you understand, like nodding or smiling. If you don’t know what they say, be polite and ask them to repeat their statement.
Once you show that you actively listen to them, they’ll know you care about their words. Instantly, they’ll see that you are processing what they say. That makes them feel more comfortable, and they’ll extend the same courtesy when it’s your turn to speak.
6. Encourage others to join the discussion and speak.
Once you get the hang of talking with one person, don’t limit yourself. Go further and involve other friends or coworkers in the same conversation. When it feels right, introduce unfamiliar colleagues to one another. You can be the link that helps start a new friendship at work. You should encourage them to speak, especially when they hesitate or stutter. The reason they might stop is lost confidence or embarrassment. If you can help them feel safe speaking up, you’ll quickly gain more allies and earn the trust of those around you.
7. Add more depth and value to your conversations.
Small-time chatter is suitable for establishing connections and breaking the ice. However, you need to start adding more purpose and importance to the conversation to deepen your relationships. After all, having social skills for adults isn’t just for gossip.
For example, you can ask your colleagues about their line of work and why they chose it. Whatever answer you get gives you an idea of their background and train of thought. The more you learn about a person, the better you can understand them. Creating more depth in a conversation also helps you bring acquaintances closer to your social circle. Someone you may not talk to often could become your most trusted ally and adviser.
8. Stay in touch with current events.
An excellent topic to start your interactions with is the latest news. Whether inside the office or in public, track the most recent points of conversation. What you know about this week could be overshadowed by a more exciting topic the following week. As long as you stay informed, you’ll be able to keep up with conversations at work. You can also be the one to explain events and raise your colleague’s awareness of what’s happening.
9. Stay off your phone.
One of the more recent problems today is that many people are on their phones during dates or meetings. When you devote more time to scrolling through your social media than to someone’s words, you’re being rude and unfair to that person. Remember that the only way to gain social skills for adults is to be sociable. Imagine how upset you’d be if you had to speak, but everyone else stared at their phones.
Be courteous and put down the screen when someone is talking. Keep eye contact and show that they have your undivided attention.
10. Get feedback on your behavior.
How you act may sometimes be different from what the other person wants. You might act too crass or close when speaking to an acquaintance at work. If you’re unsure of how you’re behaving, ask for feedback. Learn from your peers what you might be doing wrong. Alternatively, take time to listen if they approach you to discuss a problem with your attitude. It could be a valid complaint or a misunderstanding. In either case, it’s better to know their side so that you can react accordingly.
Now that you have an idea on how to improve and perfecting your social skills, you can now start knowing what habits that kills your progress.
In summary
As the world begins to change into face-to-face meetings, you might be unsure of your social skills after a long time online. Social skills are crucial to maintaining conversations and developing trust amongst your peers in the office. Practice your social skills by observing your words and your body language. You must take time to pay attention and listen to the other person. Following these crucial steps can make a better impression and establish trust when you finally return to your workplace.
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- The Indeed Editorial Team. (2022b, June 2). What are Social Skills? Definition and Examples. Indeed Career Guide.
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