Social awareness is the ability to understand other people’s emotions, behavior and recognize their point of view.
1. Reflecting on others’ personalities
We can often be so self-focused, that we don't recognize what’s going on with others. Try to observe people around you, how they behave, what their habits are, how they feel. Ask questions to get to know them better and show them that you care.
2. Listen
We think that we don’t have to develop our listening skills and that every one of us can do it. In fact, effective listening is a rare talent that can solve problems and build relationships. Below are a few examples of how you can develop your listening skills.
- Listen with your full attention.
- Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.
- Wait for the speaker to pause before asking clarifying questions.
- Try to feel what the speaker is saying.
- Close the conversation.
3. Be sensitive to timing
You need to be aware of what is going on in your environment, so you can determine if now is or isn't the right time to raise an issue with someone.
4. Develop empathy
To have empathy means to be able to feel other people’s feelings and realize their experience just like your own. Be curious about others and show them that you care, look for commonalities, try to get closer to people who are really different from you and understand their point of view, listen carefully and try someone else's lifestyle. All of us have a friend who is very different from us. So try to live their life for one day and try out their habits in an effort to better understand their experiences.
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