Four People Skills Worth Mastering

Every day we meet a great many people. Even if we do not speak to all of them, there are always some we do. At work and in our personal lives alike, we need to sharpen our social skills so we can connect well and enrich our lives. Here are four worth mastering.

Learn to persuade

It helps to know how to get others to say yes to your requests, whether you are selling a product, asking your manager for something, or anything else. By learning a few principles of human behaviour and applying them ethically, you can greatly improve your chances of success. The word that matters there is ethically: persuasion is about helping people see value, never about tricking them.

Learn to show empathy

Knowing the right moment and place for empathy is a skill in itself. Anyone who wants to avoid seeming cold should work on it. People forget clever words quickly; they remember whether you understood how they felt.

Use warm gestures

Sometimes a simple physical gesture opens doors and reaches people as nothing else can. A pat on the back for a colleague who has done well, a proper handshake instead of a curt nod, a hug when someone needs love or comfort: these are small, harmless gestures worth getting right, always with respect for what the other person is comfortable with.

Learn to network well

Many people dislike networking, but it matters for success. You need a strong circle of professional contacts you can call on, and who can turn to you in return for guidance or facts. Join such a circle, and give as much as you take.

Why it pays

None of these skills is a trick. Each one is a way of treating people well and making it easy for them to work with you. Practise them daily, and every meeting, request and conversation starts working in your favour.