Social skills examples
How Socializing Can Take You To The Top
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What are social skills?
Why are they important?
5 components of social skills
6 benefits of social skills
8 social skills examples
The role of social skills in the workplace
Your next step: How to include social skills on your resume
As a preschooler, developing our social skills was a core part of our education. We learned how to share toys, say “Yes, please” when offered snacks, and play nicely with others.
We’re still exercising those skills in adulthood but in different ways. When we’re in social situations, we need to know how to get along with others and show respect.
Nobody wants to be the person who barges in without any social graces. We understand intrinsically that mastering these social skills is key to building both personal and professional relationships.
But that’s easier said than done. After preschool, people become less and less likely to call us out for our bad behavior. When our social skills are lacking, we often find ourselves alone before we’re given the opportunity to improve them.
Changing these skills as an adult isn’t easy. We’re much more conscious of what others think of us. Depending on the traits we identify with, trying to change or improve our social skills might feel uncomfortable. We often mistake habitual communication patterns for authenticity.
In truth, we all have times when we feel confident and at ease, and we all have times when we don’t know what to say.
Being quiet and shy doesn’t mean that you don’t have outstanding social skills. Conversely, being an extrovert who loves meeting new people doesn’t necessarily mean you have superb social skills, either.
We can always find ways to improve our social and communication skills. The truth is, social skills aren’t one-sided. In other words, it’s not just about what you do or say, but understanding how you’re perceived by others.
It takes understanding different examples of social skills, why they’re essential, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are social skills?
Our social skills are how we approach and communicate in social interactions.
Also known as interpersonal skills, people use many different social skills to communicate. These include nonverbal communication skills (like facial expressions or body language) and spoken conversation.
We use our social skills to make good impressions on hiring managers, make new friends, and interact with people respectfully.
We appreciate social skills because they’re important to developing our personal and professional relationships. As far as soft skills go, these ones are vital. We rely on our social skills to make ourselves and others feel more comfortable.
Why are they important?
The way we communicate with others will always have importance. The more we can effectively articulate what we want to say, the better others will understand us. They won’t be confused about how we feel, and our well-being will thrive.
Good social skills also help with problem-solving, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence.
If a friend or family member is upset, our social skills help us offer advice or support. Similarly, in romantic relationships, these skills allow us to develop trust and an emotional bond with our partners.
It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, either because social skills help all of us grow our networks. Meeting new people or being a good team member isn’t as challenging when you know how to interact with others — and it’s always important.
Ultimately, strong social skills benefit our friendships, romantic relationships, and workplace relationships, and even make your day-to-day interactions more pleasant.
A BetterUp coach can help you develop the communication skills you need to articulate your thoughts and feelings with confidence and build your connection with others.
Your social health is a critical part of your Whole Person. We can work with you to strengthen your social skills to better care for your social health.
5 components of social skills
Social skills aren’t as straightforward as introducing yourself, or how well you can answer a question.
Apart from verbal skills, there are many other components involved in successful communication.
According to psychiatrists John N. Constantino, Thomas Przybeck, Darrin Friesen, and Richard D. Todd (2000), there are five components of social skills to be aware of:
1. Social awareness: How we pick up on social cues, like when it’s our turn to talk or when someone wants to leave.
2. Social cognition: How we process the social signals we encounter and respond accordingly.
3. Social communication: How we reciprocate and respond when someone expresses non-ball cues or communicates verbally.
4. Social motivation: Things that compel us to respond, like expressing empathy or social anxiety.
5. Autistic mannerisms: Behaviors that people with autism engage in, like repetitive behavior or tics.
6 benefits of social skills
People are inherently social, and they want to interact — and connect — with others in meaningful ways.
When we can communicate clearly with others, it does much more than just put us at ease.
Here are six benefits of having good social skills:
- Helps us build strong relationships with friends, family, and colleagues
- Reduces risk of heart disease and high blood pressure
- Combats loneliness and social isolation
- Boosts our self-esteem and builds self-confidence
- Increases our productivity and job performance
- Builds stronger mental health and overall happiness
8 social skills examples
As we talk about how important social skills are, we need to highlight poor social skills. Take a moment and think about how you behave when you’re at a party for your friend, or when you’re at work and you have to deal with rude clients.
What kind of social skills do you put on display? What makes the difference between “good” and “bad” social skills??
Here are some strong and poor social skill examples:
Strong ones
- You make eye contact with people you’re talking to
- You practice active listening when someone’s expressing themselves
- If a friend or colleague is upset, you express empathy and compassion
- You respect people’s personal space and boundaries
Poor ones
- You don’t acknowledge others, invite them, or try to include them in activities
- You say hurtful and offensive things to people in times of conflict
- You interrupt people when they’re talking
- You don’t take responsibility for your actions or apologize
The role of social skills in the workplace
A business relies on employees at every level to work together to accomplish its goals, and the power (and influence) of good social skills in the workplace can make or break a team.
When a new co-worker joins a workplace, it tests their and existing team members’ social skills. It takes time to build relationships and trust. Team building doesn’t happen overnight, but team members find ways to click with excellent social skills.
Morale is boosted, and so is productivity. People are more inclined to learn new skills, challenge themselves, and offer guidance. When everyone cooperates, it’s easier to trust one another to do their job and focus on your own tasks.
On the other hand, when a team lacks strong social skills, their work and well-being pay the price. If they lack respect for each other’s emotions and feelings, it could create a toxic workplace.
A team with poor social skills will struggle to understand each other well, and they can’t communicate effectively about projects, deadlines, and more. Plus, it makes teamwork a nightmare. Employees don’t work well together so their productivity plummets and they start to enjoy their job less and less.
Your next step: How to include social skills on your resume
Nobody is born with perfect social skills. They take time to develop and start from a young age, and they never stop improving. Our skills grow when we try new things or experience new social situations.
Sometimes we make mistakes or we don’t come across how we wanted to, but that’s okay. Signals get crossed and it can confuse others — or even ourselves. What matters is that we take the time to be self-aware, consider our social presence, and do our best to be understood.
One place that really matters is on our resumes. When we apply to new jobs, we want our values, goals, and skills to come through.
Here are some tips on making your skills shine, even on a piece of paper.
- Use keywords like cooperation, listening, and empathy
- Don’t forget to convey that you’re interested and passionate about the work
- Make your cover letter count and include specific examples of your social skills in action
- Show respect for the company you’re applying to
- Read the job description carefully and follow all instructions
Find someone to help you stay focused on your long-term goals.
A BetterUp coach or mentor will provide the accountability you need to strengthen your social skills so that your professional and personal life will flourish.
What are Social Skills? 5 Examples in the Workplace
Your business will be more successful if your team members have strong social skills, often referred to as interpersonal or “people” skills. People with these key attributes are better at collaborating with coworkers, customers, and clients, which typically leads to higher quality work and increased sales for your business.
As you’re making hiring and promotion decisions, look for people with these key interpersonal skills:
- Communication
- Cooperation
- Leadership
- Relationship-building
- Empathy
Here are some social skills examples, tips to help you identify people with these skills, and why they’re an asset to your organization.
What are Social Skills?They are socially focused soft skills that people use to build relationships with coworkers, clients, and customers.
There are dozens of “people” skills that people use every day, but the most impactful ones include:
1. Communication
If your team members have strong written, verbal, and non-verbal communication skills, your team will be more efficient and effective. Whether they are writing an email or speaking up in a team meeting, people with strong communication skills can explain their ideas and give instructions clearly and concisely.
People with strong communication skills are also active listeners. They may ask follow-up questions, give actionable feedback, remember what people say, and expand on the ideas of others.
You will be able to assess a candidate’s written communication skills from their resume, cover letter, and any writing samples. If you move forward with the interview process, you’ll be able to quickly evaluate their verbal communication skills (for instance, whether they are engaging and speak clearly and confidently). You’ll also witness their non-verbal communication in action through body language, eye contact, and facial expressions.
2. Cooperation
When your employees cooperate with one another, they share ideas, provide advice, and pitch in when a coworker needs help. While competition is integral to some jobs, like being a trial lawyer or politician, your company will be more productive if your coworkers work together as a team.
Look for employees who praise their coworkers, congratulate them, and offer to help with projects or any problems that arise. When you interview candidates, ask them to provide an example of a time they worked closely with a small team and what makes them a good “team player.”
3. Leadership
There are several social skills that signal someone’s leadership capability, including decision-making skills, the ability to delegate, an eye toward team-building, and confidence. It’s important to understand that being an effective leader doesn’t mean talking the loudest or otherwise being an “alpha” presence in the office (in fact, that behavior often drives away good employees).
Look for employees who lead new projects, mentor team members, and identify problems and solutions. Ask candidates to tell you about a time they led a team at work or school and what traits make them a good leader.
4. Relationship-Building
Your company will perform better if your employees are adept at developing relationships with colleagues, clients, and customers. It will improve employee recruitment and retention, increase employee morale and engagement, and help you gain repeat customers and clients.
Employees with strong relationship-building skills are collaborative, friendly, and engaging. Ask candidates to share what they think past coworkers would say about working with them—and then check with their references.
5. Empathy
Empathetic employees have an easier time connecting with colleagues, customers, and clients. If your employees are empathetic, they understand other people’s emotions and can build stronger and more productive relationships.
Look for employees who are respectful and accepting of other people’s perspectives. Ask candidates to tell you about a time they worked with a difficult coworker, customer, or client and were able to navigate or even diffuse the tension.
The Main Benefits of Social Skills in the WorkplaceThere are numerous ways your company will benefit from having coworkers with strong social skills. Here are the advantages you’re likely to see if your employees have all the key skills:
- Heightened Employee Morale. When your employees work well together, employee morale and engagement is sure to surge. Your employees will be more productive, collaborative, and motivated, making your team and business more successful.
- Increased Productivity and Performance. If your employees have all these socially focused soft skills, they will be able to work together more effectively. It’s likely they will produce higher quality work, making it more likely you’ll have repeat customers and clients.
- Improved Employee Recruitment and Retention. When a critical mass of employees possesses these important skills, they become tenants of your company culture, helping you recruit and retain top talent.
You need the right team in place for your business to be successful. Now you know the key social skills to look for when you’re evaluating candidates and employees and how they will help your bottom line. Attract and retain employees with the right blend of hard and soft skills by implementing additional hiring and management advice from Monster.
12 social skills that improve the work of IT project managers / Habr
Hello, Habr! I present to your attention the translation of the article: “12 Soft Skills That Make IT Project Managers Unstoppable” by Pavel_Ku.
Increasingly competitive job market means that jobs based on technical skills are no longer enough.
In reality, such skills include creating work breakdown structures, project budget management, earned value estimation, and critical path diagrams. All of these skills require technical training and the application of professional knowledge and tools to succeed. What are the social skills of a leader and how do they help to unleash the capabilities of project managers?
Social skills (also known as “people skills”) are also important, and their development is becoming increasingly popular in jobs in all industries. These skills provide a real advantage to managers who have learned to use them well.
Definition technical and social skills
Technical skills allow you to acquire a certain competence in the industry of your choice. In fact, this technical background is a key ingredient for every project. This typically includes programming skills, project management competencies, or systems design experience. Technical qualifications, certifications and experience are the most common basis for hiring.
The best thing about social skills is that they help us make the best use of our technical base in a given situation.
Social skills provide and enhance technical skills. This leads to innovation and creativity in today's fast paced environment.
They are often considered secondary to technical when applying for a job. However, the obsession with technical skills over social skills may be driven by the need to focus on immediate progress.
Here is a list of the social skills required for successful project management.
Manual
Just as every crew has its own pilot, just as the strongest army has its own commander, any performance-oriented team must have its own leader. Being a leader is not only about creating a good atmosphere and motivating everyone, but also about solving everyday problems.
Successful leadership is essential for project managers. This means that they must be able to lead and manage teams, set a vision, motivate and serve employees, train and inspire all team members.
Effective project managers lead from a strategic and operational perspective, they communicate the vision, measure performance, and make sure that all team members are provided with the powerful tools, money, and other necessary resources to succeed.
Leading people means serving them by taking responsibility for how to make the life of the team better and projects more successful. The key skill in project management is leadership, not just management. You must provide a vision and project plan to empower your team.
Building confidence
There is no leadership without trust. A true leader is one who has earned the trust of the team and can trust them without hesitation.
By being transparent about decisions and involving people in the decision-making process, a project manager can quickly achieve success. He should be interested in the growth of team members and help people achieve their specific goals.
Communication
The ability to communicate well, understand and be understood is also extremely important for people involved in project management.
Effective communication is the key to any relationship. This skill of a project manager has an impact not only on the team, but also on clients and all stakeholders.
Poor communication jeopardizes the successful outcome of the project, while clear communication is mainly about understanding and maintaining a dialogue, rather than one-way communication. Therefore, it is very important for project managers to choose a quality online collaboration tool and select individual “keys” for each employee.
Active listening
This is not an innate skill, but a technique that can and should be developed day by day. Listening is directly related to communication. In fact, it is not difficult to provide constant feedback to the speaker by reformulating what he has understood.
Good listening allows project managers to learn more about their clients and team members and be more involved. Mastering this skill creates mutual trust between all parties involved.
In order to improve active listening, you must focus on truly understanding what is being said and relaying the information in your own words.
Team spirit
Projects can involve different people, including clients, suppliers, sponsors, consultants, the quality assurance team, and so on. The team that works on the project interacts with most of these people, so it is important for them to feel safe and trust each other.
For any leader it is important not only to be a team leader, but also to be a full member of this group. That is why they should be able to organize team exercises and problem-solving activities in order to develop a project environment that will help people connect with each other.
Project managers need to know how and when to involve people in decision making, keep the team up to date on the client's business, resolve potential conflicts, and enhance team spirit.
Motivation
Any employee will stay motivated if he knows that his work makes sense.
Project managers must take care of the various personal and professional needs and goals of their team members and be able to meet them in this direction.
It is not only about financial compensation, but also about a sense of accomplishment by doing difficult work, hierarchical growth or gaining recognition for hard work.
Influence
The ability to get people to change their minds is another valuable skill for project managers.
Influence is power, and achieving greater impact in the workplace can be critical to the success of a project.
It can help you work more effectively and make you more respected, and make your voice heard and recognized. However, it takes some time and effort to gain this influence.
There is a fine line between influence and manipulation, so try to understand them and use your relationships with team members effectively to ensure that you work together to make the right decisions and achieve all project goals.
Decision making
Decisions can be strategic or emergency, routine or operational.
Each project manager has their own set of criteria to help them make a decision. In their decision-making process, they should pay attention to how it will affect others and consult with their colleagues when necessary.
There are several basic decision-making methods:
- Authoritative (command) when the decision of the project manager is final.
- Consultations involving team members and stakeholders.
- Consensus - a decision is made that the majority of the team members like.
- Random decisions are often made using the coin toss method.
Negotiation
Negotiation skills are also essential for project managers, who must always ensure that they listen to both sides and make decisions in a fair manner. They can negotiate with almost anyone, every day.
Finding a compromise is an essential element of a good negotiation process. You may often encounter competing interests, and it is your job to place these different interests on the same page in order to achieve the goals of the project.
Conflict resolution
Only an ideal world implies the absence of conflicts and contentious situations. In fact, conflicts are part of any system in which people participate.
Conflict resolution can be one of the core social skills that any project manager needs to master.
They may encounter various causes of conflict within the project team, from competition, gaps in communication, unclear requirements, to personnel policy, and so on.
Well-resolved conflicts can bring people together and make them more focused and productive.
Risk Management
Any project can go beyond the plan, project managers are not magicians.
Sometimes it is very difficult to anticipate and prevent risks before they become a problem. However, you should try your best to stay on top of your projects by controlling risks and proactively mitigating them as much as possible.
Risk management is truly your professional experience. The sooner you identify risks, the better your chances of avoiding them.
Coaching
A good leader is a good mentor. Coaching helps employees reach their own potential and rise from their current skill level to the next level.
To be an effective mentor, the project manager must be able to help people change their mindset about the situation and help them perform better.
When people know that a mentor is helping them, they take extra steps to achieve their professional goals.
Closing thoughts
It should be equally important for project managers to develop technical and social skills and abilities.
Create project plans, manage a budget, estimate time and effort, but also remember to keep your team organized, informed and happy. Social skills will help you become the best project manager you can be.
What are your favorite project management skills? How are you trying to develop them? Feel free to comment below.
Social skills of preschoolers - the development of social skills in children
The development of social skills is a necessary point of education. A child with a high degree of socialization will quickly get used to kindergarten, school, any new team; in the future will easily find a job. Social skills have a positive effect on interpersonal relationships - friendship, the ability to cooperate.
Understand what social skills are.
What are social skills and why develop them?
Social skills - a group of skills, abilities that are formed during the interaction of a person with society and affect the quality of communication with people.
Man is a social being: all our talents and aspirations are realized thanks to other members of the group. Others evaluate our actions, approve or condemn our behavior. It is difficult to reach the pinnacle of self-actualization alone.
This is why social skills are important. They should be developed from early childhood and honed throughout life.
Social skills are a reflection of the child's emotional intelligence, to which educators and teachers assign an important role in the process of personality development. Without this group of skills, a smart child will not be able to apply the acquired knowledge in practice: it is not enough to create something outstanding, you need to be able to correctly convey thoughts to the public.
Sometimes people mistakenly believe that social skills relate exclusively to the topic of communication, communication. In fact, skills include many multidirectional aspects: an adequate perception of one's own individuality, the ability to empathize, work in a team, etc.
Why do we need social skills?
- Regulate the area of interpersonal relationships: the child easily makes new friends, finds like-minded people.
- Minimize psychological stress: children with developed social skills quickly adapt, do not feel sad due to changes in external circumstances.
- They form an adequate self-esteem from childhood, which positively affects life achievements and development in adulthood.
- Social skills cannot be separated from building a successful career: the best specialists must not only understand the profession, but also have high emotional intelligence.
Development of social skills in a child
Social skills need to be developed from preschool age, but older children and even teenagers may well learn to interact with the world.
It is recommended to pay attention to areas of life that bring discomfort to the child, significantly complicate everyday life.
- Friends, interesting interlocutors: the kid does not know how to join the team, he prefers to sit in the corner while the others play.
- Verbal difficulties. The child does not understand the rules of conversation, is poorly versed in the formulas of etiquette (when you need to say hello, say goodbye, offer help).
- Problems with the non-verbal side of communication. Such a baby does not recognize the shades of emotions, it is difficult to understand how others relate to him. Cannot "read" faces and gestures.
- Does not know the measure in expressing a point of view: too passive or, conversely, aggressive.
- The child bullies classmates (participates in bullying) or is a victim.
In case of severe moral trauma, one should consult a psychologist: for example, school bullying is a complex problem that children are not able to cope with on their own. The involvement of parents and teachers is required.
In other cases, family members may well be able to help the child develop social skills.
What are the general recommendations?
1.
Be patient Don't push your child to get the job done. Let them take the initiative: for example, do not rush to help during school gatherings, let the baby work on the problem on his own. The same goes for lessons and other activities.
2. Support undertakings
Children's dreams seem trifling to adults, but the initiative turns into a habit over the years and helps to discover new projects, meet people, and experiment.
3. Criticize the right way
When making negative comments, remember the golden rule of criticism: analyze the work, highlighting both positive and negative sides in a polite way. Commenting on the specific actions of the child, and not his personality or appearance - this will lead to problems with self-esteem.
4. The right to choose
It is important for children to feel that their voice is taken into account and influences the course of events. Invite your child to personally choose clothes, books, cartoons.
Ask about ideas, plans: “We are going to have a rest together at the weekend. What are your suggestions?
5. Personal space
Make sure that the baby has a place where he can be alone and take a break from talking. Personal things should not be touched: rearrange without prior discussion, read correspondence with friends, check pockets, etc.
Children, noticing the respectful attitude of adults, quickly begin to pay in the same coin; the atmosphere in the family becomes warm and trusting.
What social skills should be developed in a child?
Let's dwell on the main qualities and skills, the development of which is worth paying attention to.
1. The ability to ask, accept and give help
Without the ability to ask for help, the child will deprive himself of valuable advice; the lack of the ability to accept help will lead to losses, and the inability to provide help will make the baby self-centered.
- Let the child help those in need: for example, a lagging classmate.
- Explain to your child that getting help from friends and teachers is not a shame.
- Show by personal example that mutual help enriches experience: tell how you exchange advice with colleagues, friends.
2. The ability to conduct a conversation and get the right information
Being a good conversationalist is difficult, but the skill is honed over time and brings a lot of benefits.
- Prompt your child for dialogue development options: for example, you can start a conversation with an appropriate question, a request for help.
- Do not leave the child in the role of a silent listener: when discussing pressing issues at home, ask the opinion of the baby.
- Support children's public speaking: presentations at school, performances, funny stories surrounded by loved ones will add confidence.
3. Empathy
Empathy is the ability to recognize the emotions of others, put yourself in the place of another person, empathize.
This ability will make the child humane, prudent. How can it be developed?
- Start by recognizing the child's feelings - it is useless to listen to people if the person does not feel personal experiences. Ask your baby: “How do you feel after a quarrel with friends?”, “Do you want to relax today?”
- After conflicts with classmates, ask your child how the children with whom the quarrel may feel now.
- While watching cartoons, reading books, pay your child's attention to the emotional state of the characters.
4. Ability to work in a team
Many children can easily cope with tasks alone, but this is not a reason to refuse to work in a team. It gives the opportunity to exchange ideas and experience, delegate tasks, achieve goals faster and more efficiently.
- If the child does not communicate with members of the team, try to introduce him to another social group: for example, the lack of communication with classmates can be compensated by a circle of interests, where the child will feel calmer.
- Make the family a friendly team in which the child has his own "duties": for example, do housework, remind parents of upcoming events. Any activity related to the well-being of other family members will do.
5. Respect for personal boundaries
The absence of an obsessive desire to interfere in other people's lives is a valuable skill that helps to win people's sympathy.
- Respect the child's personal boundaries: do not enter the nursery without warning, do not rummage through personal belongings and correspondence, if the matter does not concern the life and safety of the baby.
- If the child violates other people's boundaries (takes toys without permission, asks uncomfortable questions), talk about it in private.
6. Ability to overcome conflict situations
It is difficult to imagine our life without conflicts. The task of the child is to learn how to culturally enter into a discussion, defend his point of view, and not be led by the provocations of his interlocutors.
- Discuss problems that arise calmly, without raising your voice. Do not put pressure on the child with parental authority unnecessarily: the child is a separate person who has the right to an opinion.
- Do not judge people for views that differ from those of your family but do not affect your well-being. Show your child that the world is very different.
- You can demonstrate to children the basics of a civilized dispute, explain what arguments are, etc. It is advisable to teach this child in kindergarten.
7. Self-confidence
Stable and adequate self-esteem is a quality that not all adults possess.
It is formed under the influence of many factors: relationships between parents, the role of the child in the family circle, the characteristics of the environment that surrounded the child in early childhood.
It is important that the child does not grow up to be either a narcissistic narcissist with fragile self-esteem, or an overly shy person.
