In today’s society - where many people are more connected to their devices than to other humans, where the narcissist rate dangerously increases among young teenagers and where many people feel isolated at their workplace - developing deeper connections with our loved ones, friends and colleagues should be of high priority.
Relationship skills is one of our five key emotional intelligence competencies. People with high EQ (emotional quotient) have a number of strong relationships in all areas of their lives. Relationship mastery is about making choices and acting with the goal of creating an honest, deep connection with others. And the good news is that our emotional intelligence skills can be developed.
The below strategies will help you to improve and strengthen your relationships:
Cultivate self-awareness. Building healthy relationships with others starts from the inside out. Knowing your key values, how you show up and want to be seen by others and how to be consistent with your behavior, words and actions are some of the key self-awareness areas about which you should be clear.
Make active listening your priority. Have the capacity to fully concentrate and pay attention to the content of what another person is saying. Most people have a tendency to prepare their response rather than listening. Observe other’s nonverbal behavior carefully and don’t interrupt.
Challenge yourself to read and identify other’s emotions. Watch their facial expressions and body language. Get in touch on an emotional level with a person. The more you can determine what another person’s emotions are, the better you will be able to help them.
Show empathy. Empathy is the ability to be aware of and to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. It allows you to learn how and why someone feels a certain way. Try to see things from another’s point of view. Empathy increases trust and closeness.
Learn how to stop when things have gone too far. Find a middle ground among the needs and perceptions of each person. Be open-minded.
Take feedback well. Feedback is a unique gift. It’s meant to help you improve in ways that we perhaps can not see on our own. Whether or not you agree with what is said, appreciate the person’s willingness to share, because it takes almost as much grace to give feedback as it does to receive it.
Be generous. Embrace generosity by doing little things in unexpected ways to show that you care. Generous people know that you gain so much satisfaction from giving. You don’t need to be rich to give. Your gift can be as simple as a smile. Be generous in your own special way!
