How can you build social awareness in the workplace?

1 Assess your current level of social awareness

The first step to build social awareness is to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses in this area. You can use self-assessment tools, such as the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) or the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal (EIA), to measure your level of social awareness and identify areas for improvement. Alternatively, you can ask for feedback from your colleagues, managers, or mentors on how you interact with others and how you handle different situations. Be open to constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow.

2 Observe and listen actively to others

The second step to build social awareness is to pay more attention to the verbal and non-verbal cues of others, such as their tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, and gestures. These cues can reveal a lot about their emotions, intentions, and expectations, and help you adjust your communication style and behavior accordingly. To observe and listen actively, you need to avoid distractions, maintain eye contact, show interest and curiosity, and ask open-ended questions. You also need to avoid making assumptions or judgments based on your own biases or preferences, and instead try to understand the other person's point of view and context.

3 Empathize and validate others' feelings

The third step to build social awareness is to empathize and validate others' feelings, especially when they are different from your own or when they are experiencing stress, frustration, or conflict. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and imagine how they feel and why. Validation is the act of acknowledging and accepting someone else's feelings and perspective, without necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with them. To empathize and validate others, you need to express genuine concern and compassion, use empathic statements, such as "I can see how you feel that way" or "That must be hard for you", and offer support and assistance if needed.

4 Appreciate and respect diversity

The fourth step to build social awareness is to appreciate and respect diversity in the workplace, which includes not only cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity, but also diversity of gender, age, personality, values, beliefs, skills, and experiences. Diversity can enrich your work environment, foster creativity and innovation, and enhance your learning and development. To appreciate and respect diversity, you need to be aware of your own cultural and social background and how it influences your perceptions and behaviors, educate yourself about other cultures and social groups and their norms and practices, and celebrate and leverage the differences and similarities among your colleagues.

5 Seek feedback and learn from mistakes

The fifth step to build social awareness is to seek feedback and learn from mistakes, both from yourself and from others. Feedback can help you improve your social awareness by providing you with insights, suggestions, and recommendations on how to enhance your interpersonal skills and relationships. Mistakes can help you learn from your social awareness by allowing you to reflect, analyze, and correct your actions and attitudes. To seek feedback and learn from mistakes, you need to be humble, receptive, and proactive, ask for specific and constructive feedback regularly, admit and apologize for your errors, and implement changes and improvements based on your feedback and learning.

6 Practice and apply your social awareness skills

The sixth and final step to build social awareness is to practice and apply your social awareness skills in various situations and contexts in the workplace. Practice makes perfect, and the more you use your social awareness skills, the more confident and competent you will become. To practice and apply your social awareness skills, you need to challenge yourself, seek new opportunities and experiences, interact with different people and groups, and monitor and evaluate your progress and outcomes. You also need to be flexible, adaptable, and resilient, as social awareness is not a fixed or static skill, but a dynamic and evolving one that requires constant learning and development.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?