Humans are regarded as highly brilliant and talented, and our ability to communicate and connect with others has made our ventures successful for many years. However, People are not born with a natural ability to develop good relationships with others. Therefore, they are required to learn and master certain skills to build good relationships.
Nowadays, many people find themselves working or living in a secluded environment that doesn’t Forster building a good relationship with others. Since our ability to develop relationships is crucial to how successful we will be in our life, we must recognize the need to develop these skills, and also put in the time and effort to improve them.
To become a pro at building better relationships anywhere you go, here are a few essential habits you need to start practising now.
1. Calling People by Name
A lot of people prefer to be called by their names. Remembering people’s names can be a difficult task for some people, but rather than calling a person something else, make constant attempts to call them by name, this would make it easier to remember. Calling a person by name is the first step to building a good relationship, it is also crucial to take note of other important aspects of the person’s life as you continue the building process.
All you have to do is listen and pay attention whenever they speak about a family member, a significant life experience, or a hobby. However you don’t have to remember every single thing they say, you just have to take note of what’s most important to them.
2. Listening to Others
We all desire to be heard and understood in every conversation. Unfortunately, not everyone was taught how to be good listeners. During a conversation, most people fail to realize that the person they are talking to, also desire to be heard and understood. They become too busy thinking of the next thing to say, not paying attention to what the other person is saying. This attentiveness could make the other person lose interest in having that conversation and could gradually ruin the relationship.
Whenever you notice yourself, not listening, take a pause, and try to correct the pattern of the conversation by listening and asking questions that help you understand better or prove your point. This way, you get to understand the other person’s point of view and stand a better chance of accessing it correctly. People naturally bond and spend time with those who listen to them.
3. Know When to Talk
If you happen to meet someone for the first time, and they tell you their whole life story just a few minutes into the first conversation, you probably would have no interest in hearing that much information at that point in time, likewise others. To build a strong relationship, you should be able to pace yourself when it comes to sharing your personal information. Only share when it’s appropriate and also in a consistent manner with the depth of the relationship.
4. Being sincere about paying attention
Most times, you may not be in the right frame of mind to listen to others. If you are going through a phase of intense emotions that keep us from being fully attentive to the other person, it is better to let the person know what is going on with you rather than pretend to listen. The person would appreciate your openness and honesty. If you are a person with mood swings, you may find it challenging to create meaningful relationships. In such a case, you need to put your feelings aside for a moment to listen and engage with the other person entirely.
5. Reciprocal Effect of Concern
It is easy for people to remember those who check on them to see if everything is okay, especially if they haven’t told the person there’s a problem yet. This shows that most of us like when others pay attention to our wellbeing. When someone is always checking on you, chances are they care about you, and it is let for you to show appreciation by giving a mutual concern about the person. This would help strengthen the relationship as both parties would get to know more about each other more frequently.
6. Feeling Good About Yourself and Others
To build a great relationship, one must first feel good about themselves and always stay positive, and it is only when you feel good about yourself that others can be comfortable with you. Everyone wants to be around those who genuinely want the best for them, and it is difficult for people who don’t feel good about themselves to be happy for others.When building relationships, you have to share in the feelings of the other person.
You can show this by mirroring the emotions of the person when they speak to you. When having a conversation, do not concentrate only on the words they say or their tone of expression. Also, take note of their facial expression and body language. This would let you know when the person means what they say or when they are joking. It would also lead to meaningful conversations that will help develop trust and a stronger connection.
If possible, you can share a similar situation from your own experience to show that you can relate with what the person is saying, but do so with empathy in a way that it doesn’t surpass the person experience. Sharing moments of excitement, joy, sorrow, disappointment and frustration, help us to bond with others.
7. Trust and Confidence
Trust is crucial to a healthy relationship. However, it is something that develops with time into the relationship. However, one way to build trust is not to gossip about others in public, and also keep the other person secret confidential. To achieve this, you have to be confident in yourself. This way, you wouldn’t feel the need to draw attention to yourself by talking about others. Another way to build trust is to learn to make out time for the other person, being there for a friend when they need you to help them confide in you.
