Doors 2 Life Student section

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Good social skills are critical to success in life. The extent to which you possess these skills can influence your school performance, behavior, social and family relationships.

Social skills include behaviors, such as waiting your turn, asking to use something, joining a group, managing anger or frustration, respecting other people, not interrupting, asking for help, and understanding the social cues of other children.

	Show that you care about others.
	You can do this by listening to them and not always talking about yourself. When you listen to others, you can learn more about them and things that you might have in common.

	Be considerate of colleagues.
	Think about what it is you want to say before you say it. Also, be mindful of other peoples' time. Do not show up late to work meetings, this could delay everyone's day.

Promote togetherness.

Remember when you work in a group setting that you are part of a team and teamwork can be very important to being successfull. Be willing to work with others and also be willing to "play" with others.

You build togetherness when you learn to trust those around you.

Settle disputes!

In order to settle differences of opinions, first evaluate the situation. This involves indentifying all other options. Focus on the other side's needs, then try and compromise and meet in the middle. Do not overly show emotions such as anger, because that could cause the problem to become worse.

It's okay and natural to feel the emotions of anger and frustration when and if you don't "win" a dispute, but remember to be professional and wait until you are at home or have time to talk to a good friend instead of physically lashing out in a social setting.

	Be a great communicator.
	The words you use are just a small part of communication. How you use your tone of voice and your body language is over 90 percent of what you are saying. Be careful of what your body is saying!

	Put yourself in other people's shoes!
	Try to see things from their point of view in as many ways as you can. This will help you understand where they are coming from and help you to better explain yourself and your ideas to them.

Stay Positive!

You may not be able to do this all the time, but being positive is a habit just like eating well or doing your daily excercise.

It can be hard to get started and slow going at first. But when your mind gets used to this new behaviour it becomes almost automatic.