 10 Social Skills Every Successful Person Has According to Daniel Goleman, an author and science journalist, when we focus on others, our world expands. However, we can only focus on others when we know how to socialize, which is the act of learning social skills. Social skills, as defined by skillyourneed.com, are the skills we use to communicate and interact with each other, both verbally and non-verbally, through gestures, body language and our parents. Social skills help us integrate ourselves into groups and communicate effectively, even if you are not the smartest, most attractive or eloquent person. If you have solid social skills, it'll be easier to succeed in both your personal and professional life. Do you know what the good news is? Social skills can be learned and developed with consistent practice. Just like learning how to cook, develop software, or play a sport, the ability to connect with others is a skill and you can learn how to do it more effectively. In this video, I'll share with you 10 social skills every successful person has. This, I believe, will help you become a successful person. If you're new here, consider subscribing so that you won't miss other interesting videos like this. 1. Speak Less and Ask More Questions One of the most important social skills you can build is learning to speak less and ask questions more. Not a way that makes you seem interrogative, but because you want to understand people better and strengthen your relationships with them. You see, people like to talk about themselves and ask in questions that take them down memory lane or cause them to air their opinion about a subject will help foster the relationship that exists between you two. 2. Maintain Eye Contact When you make eye contact with the person you are speaking with, it shows that you are confident and fully engaged in the conversation. Even if you are trying to take note or certain points of the conversation, ensure that you'll make eye contact from time to time. 3. Respect Others No matter your level of achievement in life, you need to show respect to people. When you respect people, it shows that you regard them and that you care, admire and value their position. Even if you are better experienced and knowledgeable than they are, staying calm and humble is one social skill that will earn you a soft spot in their hearts. 4. Use Proper Body Language Sometimes it is not what you say that matters, but how you say it. Your body language can communicate and provide plenty of information and make people figure out if you are interested in the conversation or not. For instance, your body language can project a nonchalant or unserious attitude and no one wants to have any business with an unserious person. So when conversing with people, pay attention to your body clues and avoid postures that might speak ill of you, such as folding your arms, turning your body away and so on. 5. Be Polite People appreciate and connect with people who have manners. For instance, you'll be surprised how much same things like please, thank you, you're welcome and the likes can do to a person. It always goes a long way when you are polite to people regardless of their financial, educational or professional status. 6. Smile More When you smile, it shows that you are receptive and approachable and attribute people always admiring others. According to Pamela McClain, TDSS, a past president of the American Academy of Periondontology, she says and I quote, when someone has a big smile, it shows they're willing to open up and expose a part of themselves. A smile conveys confidence in professionalism, says Lily T. Garcia. When you smile, you say a lot of positive things about yourself, even without talking. This makes people enjoy being around you and enjoy spending time with you. 7. Be Teachable Successful people are constantly looking for avenues to get things done effectively and efficiently, hence they are always learning and growing. They never stop seeking knowledge from others. If you're going to satisfy your thirst for knowledge and keep learning, then you must be teachable. Learn how to ask questions and seek help from experts even when they are younger than you are. If you are not teachable, then you won't learn new things. And when you don't learn new things, you won't grow. Nobody wants to be around someone who is stagnant and making no effort to grow. So be teachable. 8. Use Criticism Without Getting Defensive Criticism, constructive criticism, are there for a reason to help us understand a better approach to that which you are doing. When people give you feedback about your work, especially criticism, take time to understand what they are saying. Absorb the information properly instead of getting defensive. Be open-minded and relaxed. Even if you didn't ask for their opinion, be careful not to immediately attack them and get defensive. 9. Celebrate People's Wings When you commend people for a job well done, they want to get closer to you because you are not a selfish person who is concerned with only himself or herself. So when someone shares a piece of good news with you, instead of dismissing it by sharing your personal experiences, be excited and celebrate with them. 10. Be Resilient Successful people are resilient people. Resilience is the ability to overcome emotional pain and adverse situations. Being resilient will help you survive and prosper no matter the situation that you find yourself. That way, you'll serve as a motivation to others who are interested in becoming successful entrepreneurs. Thank you very much for watching our videos. 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