Social Skills

Having social skills is the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school and community resources and supports.

Examples of questions that someone with good social awareness may ask include:

  • How can I better understand other people’s thoughts and feelings?
  • How can I better understand why people feel and think the way they do?

Examples of Social Skills

  • greets others
  • disagrees appropriately
  • apologizes
  • gives and accepts compliments
  • shares with others
  • works with others
  • uses appropriate voice tone
  • accepts others
  • shows respect
  • shows appreciation

Learning and practicing social skills helps to build more and better relationships.  This in turn reduces the negative effects of stress and boosts self-esteem.  The ability to communicate effectively helps to convey your thoughts and ideas with others.  In order to develop social skills you must recognize your emotions and have strategies to manage them effectively.  An example is emotional stress, which is generally an inappropriate response to too much pressure.  It is important to recognize stress and develop strategies to manage it effectively.  For example, recognize that you have placed too many demands on yourself, think positively, relax, practice time management, and/or use assertive communication.  State how you feel, why you feel this way and how you would like to change this.