Via Psychology Today
Whether it’s your personal or work life, social skills are needed so you can be a part of a group and, of course, society as a whole. We know that sometimes it is hard to maintain those skills, especially if you’re using them on a daily basis. Even if you are an extrovert, you may fall out of practice or find yourself becoming drained. Therefore, you should start practising mindfulness for a better social life. Allow us to tell you where to begin with the following tips.
1- Go for open-ended questions
via BetterUp
If you are the one talking in a conversation, don’t just talk or state your opinion. Instead, ask the person what they think about what you said or maybe even start the conversation with such questions. If you are wondering why this is important, it’s crucial to make the other person’s thoughts or feelings be validated instead of neglected. It shows that you care about the person’s opinions. Who doesn’t appreciate that?
2- Focus on your body language and eye contact
via EBright
We know that it’s a bit hard to maintain eye contact sometimes, as people often zone out in long conversations. However, try to set a goal to hold eye contact with the person speaking for about 10 seconds at the beginning or closing of a conversation. Afterwards, you can take it up to more than 10 seconds.
It is also important to maintain a relaxed body posture. For example, don’t cross your arms as it can show defensiveness in speech. And sit too far back in your chair because that can mean that you are not really interested in the conversation—no one needs these kinds of assumptions flying around in other people’s heads, right?
3- Genuine compliments are always appreciated
via Daily Mail
Don’t ever forget that compliments are important and highly appreciated. They don’t have to be personalised compliments if that’s hard for you—you can simply say things like ‘you look nice’ or ‘good job’ if you are in the workplace. People just like to feel appreciation and friendliness! So, if you are around people, why not make them feel good? However, remember not to take the compliments too far as that might be frowned upon; make it simple yet sincere.
4- Keep up with current events
via Daily Mail
To be part of the conversation, you have to stay updated on current trends, events, and news stories that can give you topics to talk about. Also, try to avoid deeply controversial topics around people who are not close to you. If you need help with that, consider following or subscribing to local news channels, or maybe just keep an eye on those meme pages in order to laugh at all the jokes as you know that we Egyptians like to maintain a fun conversation!
Finally, remember that practice makes perfect and know that it’s not easy to stay mindful most of the time, which is totally alright. So, don’t feel pressured and keep in mind that social life is fun— try to make it worth your time and energy with the right people and interesting conversations!
