Social skills are the skills we use to communicate and interact with each other, both verbally and non-verbally, through gestures, body language, and our personal appearance. Through social interaction, we develop social abilities. Communication, interpersonal, and listening abilities are all part of social skills and these skills are an essential aspect of interactions. Struggling with sociability will have a significant impact on one’s social life and profession. Thus it is crucial for everyone to counter the nervousness and awkwardness in daily life, especially at a social event.
Being sociable can start with giving a smile.
“A sociable smile is nothing but a mouth full of teeth,” says Jack Kerouac. When you genuinely smile at people they feel more comfortable engaging you in a conversation. Smiling makes you appear more approachable and friendly. It also signifies that you're interested in speaking with others.
Give compliments
Giving compliments is one of the best ways to appear sociable after a smile. Giving compliments can help to break the ice and reduce awkwardness.
Commit names to memory
Calling people by name is a great way to set yourself apart in a conversation. It makes them feel acknowledged when you remember their names.
Start small by going to gatherings, birthday parties, weddings, or joining a club. Talking with familiar faces is easier as it makes you more comfortable to engage with rather than having a new friend. However, enrolling in a club teaches you to be vocal and more confident in interacting.
Ask open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions are question that requires no prolonged conversation. It can be as easy as a “yes or no” question or
What are your plans for the weekend?
Do you play any sports?
Where are you working at?
When you are comfortable enough, be interactive and create a conversation with others too
Choose general conversation topics.
It is best to have a general conversation topic as heavy topics can lead to an awkward conversation. General conversation can be about the weather or making an observation about what’s going on around you.
Look for opportunities.
When speaking in a group, look for opportunities. You should know when to interrupt but do not cut other people when they are talking. This also includes you to excuse yourself if the conversation gets heavier.
Pay attention to your body language
Body language plays the biggest role when engaging with others. Eye contact and hand movement will make people focus on what you are speaking. Avoid looking down when presenting or when speaking as that will make you appear less attentive. Most importantly, be confident when you are having a conversation and relaxed. Good postures help you to look interested and engaged.
Develop listening skill
To be sociable, you must be able to listen to others. Listening to people around you and understanding what they are talking about will make you look interested.
Read books and blogs related to social skills
Reading books and blogs related to social skills will help you discover the methods and benefits of being sociable. Not just for sociable, for any other tips and recommendations can be found on the internet. The more you learn, the more you gain, the more you practice, the better it gets therefore, we should never stop learning.
Having good social skills is all about keeping things light and going with the flow. Chris Sergin stated that "when people become lonely and isolated, whatever social abilities they have tend to atrophy from misuse” which implies that even when you are born with a sociability skill, you will lose the skill when it is not used as it limits the capacity to normally communicate with others. Being social and interactive is crucial, therefore even if you lack these traits naturally, there are ways to cultivate and improve them.
When you have good social skills, it brings many benefits and opens many opportunities. Therefore, parents should unleash their child's inborn talent from an early age. Check out our Decode Talent DNA Test and its linked traits to sociability like empathy, extraversion, verbal intelligence, and many other traits to learn more about your EQ strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your genetic traits can assist you and your parents in determining the best approach to improve these traits.