November 6th, 2009 by Antony
Improving social skill can be done by interacting with another person through verbal and nonverbal communication. This is carried out through speaking, body language, and listening to another person you are trying to communicate with.
Without social skills, people who find communication difficult may end up with a major social disorder later on. The causes of this are low self-esteem, lack of courage and a tendency to become a loner.
How to improve your social skill:
1. The best way of improving social skills is simply to put it in practice. By practicing, you will be able to be more comfortable later on in every social situation you can think of. When you become comfortable, you will just act naturally with other people. Being you is the starting point for effective interpersonal communication.
2. You can also study a technique like mirroring which involves practicing the way you smile, pose, lean, touch, and make eye contact – but this will take more courage compared to simple practicing. This may make you self conscious if you are not on the right track to practice it. When your mind is already set for self confidence, mirror practice is then recommended.
If you reached your goal of being comfortable with who you are, your self-consciousness will then dissolve. You will not even think about your self-image, how you may look, sound, and even react. You will just be thinking of the topics that are being discussed. With a high level of social skills, you will not even recognize the difference between talking with a friend and giving a speech to hundreds of listeners.
More tips on improving social skills:
With practice, you will soon be able to feel comfortable in every new type of interaction.
1. Try to think about social situations where you feel most comfortable with communicating, such as with old friends, family members or even playing a character in a role playing game.
2. Try to act natural when you communicate with people. Do not worry about smiling if you do not feel like smiling, instead of forcing yourself to smile within the situation. If you could simply bring that level of comfort to every social situation you are in, that will allow you to significantly improve your social skill.
3. Forming a social network is another big help. Try to be in places where you can communicate more. Find a group that shares your interests or even a whole community who are involved in those same areas of interest.
4. Try to create a self-help plan to bolster your weak areas, such as speaking too loudly or softly, or stuttering.
Communication means speaking and listening well. It cuts both ways – so if you can speak in front of a hundred people, but you cannot seem to listen when someone else is speaking, communication is incomplete. You have to keep in mind that listening is as important as speaking.
Try to be more attentive and listen to the person whom you are conversing with. The people whom you are talking with listened to you, so oblige them by being a good listener. Do this and you will be able to receive clearer messages which will lead to a better conversation.
Receiving clear messages will also allow conversations to last much longer, and produce healthier fruit.
When it comes to improving social skill, nothing is more effective than just being yourself. There are many pointers on improving social skills, but the solution lies only in your own hands. Practicing is the most effective technique for improving social skill.
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Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available only at: conversation starters
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November 6th, 2009 by Antony
Everyone has to learn how to socialize. No man is an island, the saying goes. We human beings all need someone to talk to and interact with. We have to know how to socialize. To become a sociable person, one must be naturally friendly. However, not all of us are born with this trait. The good thing is, we can practice and learn to be sociable and join the in-crowd.
The following are some guidelines and steps on how to
socialize:
1. Be natural in your actions. The worst type of person that people dislike are the phonies. Do not be afraid to show the true you. Your opinions and ideas are as good as those of anyone else. Do not pretend to be someone you are not. Someone could blow your cover, which would be very humiliating. Be yourself.
2. Have a good sense of humor. The world has a lot of problems, which is why people would generally appreciate it if you could make them laugh once in a while. Remember, laughter is the best medicine. Who knows you might be instrumental in healing someone. Maybe you should take the career of a stand up comedian (though even such professionals have their serious moments as well.)
3. Listen. Listening always marks the beginning of understanding and also the beginning of friendship. Sincerely listen to what the other person is saying and pick up the thread from there. Anyone can detect someone who is not really listening.
4. Always use an open-ended sentence or comment. This will give the other person a chance to share his ideas. It is also a help for those who are having difficulty joining the conversation.
5. Be sensitive to the feelings of others. There are some topics that may offend other people in the group. Take the smart route in shifting topics. It is wise to think first before we open our mouth. In case we have accidentally hurt the feelings of another person, always be quick to apologize.
6. Avoid being prejudiced. The usual problem is that we are prejudiced about the age of other people. Include the elderly and much younger people in your list of friends or your social group. The older people have the rich experience and knowledge about various things in this world that could help you later in your career or in your life.
7. Smile often. A smile is contagious and if you mix a friendly hello with it, you are sure to win a friend.
8. Think positive, even if not everyone is as serious as you are in making friends and acquaintances. If you meet with rejection, move on – the world has lots of friendly people.
9. Avoid the frequent use of the word I. Once you hear the word I coming from you too often, be quick to shift the topic to the other person. That would show your genuine interest in others.
10. Be confident. Know and accept who you are. Value yourself and in the process you will earn respect from other people.
11. Get out. Take the first step to meet other people. Attend gatherings or social functions. There you will meet people from all walks of life. Do not be confined in your small circle. Take advantage of the variety of people you could possibly meet. In that way, you can practice sharing and exchanging knowledge.
12. Keep abreast with current events. Having nothing to talk about is the worst thing that can happen to you in a group or during a conversation. So keep yourself updated, it will always come in handy.
Charisma, they say, is something you are born with. But there is hope for those who are not gifted with natural charisma. Practice and sincerity are the keys to mastering socialization. Knowing how to socialize would make initial difficulty in socializing a thing of the past but before long you’ll be having as much fun as the rich and famous.
Get free articles in various topic for your website or blog content as much as you want at Article Directory: http://www.articlecompilation.com
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available only at: conversation starters
Read the rest »