How to do Social Interaction with Rusty Social Skills
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In a post-pandemic world what does social interaction look like? How can we do social interaction with rusty social skills? Learn how to readjust to social interaction and reintegrate into society. No need to feel socially anxious because we've all been affected and we all need time to readjust and recalibrate.

Now that we're slowing re-entering society, thanks to modern science and technology, it's about time we brush up on our sociaSl skills, wouldn't you say?

Getting back into the swing of things might be intimidating and challenging at first. But don't feel uneasy about social interaction or fear social judgement, because we're all in the same boat. 

We've all been affected by the global pandemic and have had to press pause on our social lives. It's only natural that we'll be recalibrating our thought patterns, our communication styles, and readjust to the new normal.

And that's just it, it'll be an adjustment for everyone. We're all venturing into unchartered waters of this Brave New World. So by definition, opportunities for exploration and discovery abound. 

It's totally expected that some of our social skills are a bit rusty. After all, they've hardly been used over the course of a year and a half, and virtual interaction is a poor substitution for face-to-face communication. 

So don't be hard on yourself if you feel like your social skills have taken a hit. 

Social skills are a muscle.

The more we use them and better we nurture them, the more they grow.

Here are some ways the readjustment process can run more smoothly:

Ease Into It

Don't feel pressure to get pick up (and with whom you might've left off) right away. Take some time to recalibrate, readjust, and reassess priorities.

Vis-à-vis social skills and your social life, what might've been a priority to you pre-pandemic might not be a priority post-pandemic.

Start reintroducing in-person social interaction with the people with whom you've been in close contact with. This way there's less pressure to catch up and more about focusing on what it's like to do face-to-face communication again.

Make these interactions as low-touch as possible. And that's why we want to ease into it gently.

Small Talk Skills

Start by brushing up on making small talk. This will help the flow of the conversation and make it feel as smooth as possible.

In this lesson we share some small talk topics you might want to give a go.

And if you want to invite friends in a cool, confident way, check this video out.

Again, ease your way into small talk and be sure to remember that the key with this is authenticity.

When you can be yourself, social interaction becomes way easier and less anxiety-inducing.

Avoid Over-Talking

After being cooped up for so long it might be hard to keep yourself from jabbering away. This certainly happens when we're excited to see someone we're close to and have missed seeing! 

As tempting as it may be to do all the talking and share all the important updates, give the other person some space to talk (and breathe!) as well. 

It's no fun being in a one-way conversation. Communication is a two-way street, remember?

Call upon some active listening strategies to help you listen more.

Use Your Non-Verbals

Keep in mind that your non-verbal communication skills might be a bit rusty. After all, how much action did they get during your virtual interactions? Probably not as much as they deserve.

Communication is comprised of non-verbal gestures, so it'll be a good focus point when reintegrating into society and brushing up on your social skills.

Non-verbal communication, hand gestures, facial expressions, and micro expressions enliven the conversation and give so much more depth to our communication than our words could ever do alone.

Here are some strategies for improving your non-verbal communication such as hand-gestures.

Start Small

One of the best ways to reintegrate into this new world is to start small. Feel no pressure whatsoever to be that social butterfly you once were, right off the bat. If that's your goal you'll get there. 

On the flip side, feel no pressure to have the same social identity you once had. We're all evolving and growing. Maybe you've created a new social identity for yourself and you're ready to debut it.

Either way, start small. By this we mean to commit to one social event at a time and in small doses. It might be overwhelming at first to book a full day of social activities, even if you were the type of person who had a full calendar of social engagements every month.

Balance some extroversion with some introversion. 

Psychologically, starting with small steps will be more manageable that trying to make up for lost face-to-face time.

***

There is a silver lining and that is to see this as an opportunity for quality control.

Quality control over the types of social engagement, the quality of social interaction, and the relationships to the people you genuinely care about.

Deeper conversations, more meaningful social interaction, spending time with people who actually matter. Prioritizing in-person interaction over virtual interaction, whenever possible. 

If you're feeling like you want to brush up on any of these communication strategies and social skills be sure to check out the following lessons:

See you in the next one!

Happy Explearning ⚡

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:


Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

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