4 minutes
To know how to be more sociable, we need to recognize that we are gregarious beings. This means that we have resources to relate to others.
Social skills are an important factor in people’s lives. However, not everyone has the same facility for relating to others. To know how to be more sociable, we must know ourselves.
Success is largely made up of social skills. People with better resources to interact with their peers will be more likely to achieve their goals. This does not mean that the most popular are the most successful, but it does imply accepting the importance of interpersonal relationships.
In this article we are going to see what are the characteristics of sociable people. In addition, we will review how to acquire the resources to interact effectively with others. It is essential to do an exercise in introspection and recognize the aspects that we must strengthen.
How are people sociable?
People with good social skills are characterized by being communicative, assertive and for having a wide social circle. However, we must bear in mind that each one is different. Not all sociable people express themselves in the same way.
In the same vein, it is important to clarify that it is not necessary to be extrovert to relate better. There are those who are introverts and have good social skills. In summary, we are all gregarious beings; This means that we have aptitudes to relate to others.
Summarizing the above, we can identify a sociable person by his self-confidence. Those who are not intimidated when talking to others and enjoy social interaction demonstrate self-confidence.
Advantages of being more sociable
It is logical to think that being more sociable represents an advantage. As we have mentioned, people are gregarious beings. The better interpersonal relationships we have, the better our integral development.
Some of the benefits of being sociable are conflict resolution, trustworthiness, initiative, and empathy. In the workplace, employers look for people with teamwork skills.
Other advantages of having social skills are the following:
- Have a social support network. Sociable people have an easier time forming support networks with the people around them. It is about having select groups of friends or family to provide or receive help in difficult times..
- Emotional independence. This means not clinging to people irrationally. Definitely, those with social skills are protected from attachments.
6 tips to be more sociable and stop being shy
Making new friends is not something that is easy for everyone. However, by applying some strategies, we can improve the way we relate to others.
Here are some practical tips to be less shy and expand your social circle.
1. Improve self-concept
Some people shy away from relating to others because of their misperception of themselves. When we strengthen self-esteem, we also gain confidence for interpersonal relationships. It is advisable to accept the aspects that we dislike about ourselves and work on them.
2. Get out of the comfort zone
To improve social skills it is necessary to put them into practice. Sometimes we get used to having an asocial behavior and we do not make an effort to improve socialization. Ideally, leave the comfort zone and expose ourselves to new social situations.
3. Pay attention to body language
Communication goes beyond the words we say. It is important to pay attention to our body language. Gestures and looks contribute to assertive communication. For example, it is a good idea to make eye contact when talking to someone.
4. Practice active listening
Sometimes there are distractors that prevent communication. It can be emotions or a lack of interest in the subject.
Active listening implies taking an interest in the other’s message. In other words, it is about making an effort to understand what they want to tell us.
5. Connect with new people
As we have stated before, it is important to get out of the social comfort zone. It is positive to encourage yourself to talk to different people. For example, take the initiative and start conversations with some colleagues from class or work.
6. Start new group activities
For better opportunities to practice the above tips it is necessary to do group activities. We can pick up old hobbies or start new practices.
As long as we are able to interact with those around us, any social activity could be useful.. Sports and the arts are good places to start.
What to do if I prefer to be alone?
When we have a tendency to loneliness, we must ask ourselves if we are okay with that. We don’t necessarily have to be the life of the party or have a lot of friends to be happy.
It is about recognizing that interpersonal relationships are important in life and that we cannot fully include them. The key is self-knowledge.
The secret of emotional stability is in balance. Remember that everything in excess is negative. Worrying too much about what others will say makes us uneasy, but it is not healthy to downplay the importance of socializing.
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