| One common suggestion that is recommended for | | | | influential people in her industry. |
| improving social skills is to practice. Practice meeting | | | | She kept asking, "What should I say?" and "What |
| other people, going to social events, joining clubs, taking | | | | should I do?" It wouldn't have been much help to tell her |
| classes or practice being with different people in | | | | to "go out and practice" her social skills at a few less |
| various situations. | | | | significant events in the days between our dinner and |
| But practice what? | | | | the conference. Sure, it would have been another |
| Practice being in a crowded room and standing by | | | | good step as part of the process, but certainly not the |
| yourself in the corner? | | | | first and only one. Instead, we covered various |
| Practice feeling awkward? | | | | techniques and did some role playing so she'd |
| Practice being nervous around others? | | | | understand how easy it really is to interact with others |
| Practice walking up to a group of people with | | | | - when you have an idea of what to do. |
| absolutely no idea of what to say? | | | | Most often, social skills were learned naturally and |
| If that's what I had to "practice" every time I went out, I | | | | subtly while we were growing up and were basically |
| doubt I'd be going anywhere anytime soon. Being told | | | | unnoticed in our day-to-day lives. However, there are a |
| to practice without any ideas or techniques on what to | | | | lot of us who weren't taught social skills, aside from |
| do is like being handed a sheet of paper and a pen | | | | saying "please," "thank you" and remembering to keep |
| and told to write out a story without first learning how | | | | our elbows off the table during dinner. |
| to spell. | | | | Social skills are just that - skills. Skills have to be |
| Going out, being with a bunch of people, going to social | | | | learned somehow, be they writing skills, swimming skills, |
| events - these are the places to practice. Knowing | | | | driving skills, language skills or {fill in the blank}. You |
| how to interact while you're there is what to practice. | | | | name the skill and chances are that it'll have to be |
| This really hit me when I was having dinner with a | | | | learned. |
| friend a few weeks ago and she was talking about an | | | | Practice breaking away from your comfort zone and |
| upcoming conference she was planning on attending. | | | | being with other people is the implementation step of |
| She could already feel the butterflies flitting about her | | | | learning good social skills. The first step is to find out |
| stomach at the thought of entering the conference hall, | | | | what are the skills to practice so you're more likely to |
| yet she desperately wanted to network and meet | | | | be successful in social situations. |