Improving Your Social Perception Skills

When we talk about social skills, many of us think in terms of manners or things that we might say or do. Those individuals who have really strong and well-developed social skills, however, tend to be the very people who can gather, dissect, understand and combine all the information that other people "give off" and come up with a clear and accurate understanding. Those who have strong social perception skills have a tendency to be much more successful in all manner of social interactions.

Whether we are talking about interacting with family, friends, coworkers or just individuals that we might come in contact with out in public, how well you can absorb, integrate and interpret all the information that another person shares will definitely influence how well you are able to communicate and maneuver social situations.

It is absolutely possible to improve your social perception skills-it takes some practice, but it also takes a dedication to become more aware of what other people are saying and doing (and why they are saying and doing it!) Start by asking yourself "why?" when you are trying to develop a better understanding of someone else. Why are they acting the way they are? What are the causes for behaviors they might exhibit or things they might say?

Of course, none of us can ever know exactly what motivates another person but by asking yourself "Why?" you start to be able to look at situations from others' perspective. This takes you out of your own head or personal motives and you will start to develop an awareness of all the different ways that people have to approach various situations. For example, let us say that you have a coworker who refuses to answer the phone and always lets it go to voicemail. Why do you think this is? You can look at the individual's personality, as well as external factors to try to come up with the answer. Is this a shy person? Does he or she avoid personal contact in other areas of work or life? Maybe it isn't shyness, but the unpredictability of a phone call-the person doesn't like feeling ill-prepared or caught off guard by others' requests. Is it something as simple as the person is just too busy or striving for efficiency? By asking yourself "Why?" and coming up with the most feasible answer, you may discover that you have a better understanding of the individual. Look for other clues and practice trying to perceive the causes for behaviors-this is how you can improve your social perception skills.