Social Awareness

 What is Social Awareness? How it can help and Improve an Individual and the Nation as a whole? 

Social Awareness is an ability to know and understand the needs of other people - and do something about it. It is being sensitive and knowing what to do with it. If a person has a low social awareness, their attitude and behavior will appear to be selfish or self serving to the society in which they are involved.

Getting the right response to the needs of other people improves social standing and success. It is a must attribute for a leader or manager. This is why, in a corporate world, the management puts an emphasis on their managers to be socially aware. This skill will bring a person a long way and of course their organization as well. It is needless to say that being socially aware is a de-facto core competency aside from the technical skills or managing skills.

A harmonious society needs its people to be respectful towards its other, a pre-requisite of productive and prosperous nation. In this modern times and age of the internet, we observe many alternate egos appearing online - or the troll mentality. This attitude and behavior is detrimental to harmony.  Negative emotions or negative campaigns sometimes make a number of followers, that somehow give validation to their negative thoughts and feelings. 

The year 2020, has been a good specimen to observe the level of  Social Awareness because of many not ordinary challenges that occurs this year. In this aspect, many nation has shone and some were dim.

The Cores of  Social Awareness, according to Daniel Goleman are:

1. Service - the ability to understand and meet the needs of clients and customers.
2. Organizational Awareness - the ability to understand the politics within an organization and how these affect the people working in them.
3. Empathy -understanding the other person’s emotions, needs and concerns. However, it must be in the level that it doesn't disturb your emotional state or otherwise known as overly empathetic.

Awareness of social situations means you carefully consider what people want, and plan to communicate with them in a way that is intended to meet that need.

Some people says it is somehow a form of manipulation, and it yes it can be one of the application. However, it is better to have a genuine considerate feeling towards others as it unloads your conscience. It makes you feel better that you did the right thing, and nothing more.

Great leaders and public speakers are skilled in this ability as it helps them build support and pursue the agenda.

A society that has more socially aware members, tend to be peaceful and helpful towards the other. And because conflict is avoided, they can focus more of their time to be productive. 

Unfortunately, according to studies - people are now less caring than before. The USA (United States of America) has been observed to have an eroding level of empathy in this recent years as compared to before. This is not different to the Philippines, this Asian Country in its early years and decades are more compassionate towards each other than today. The changes came with rapid growth of technology. westernization of ideas and the biggest contributor or worst is because of Politics (or the Political ideas).

Six ways on How to be Socially Aware.

1. Improve the listening skills. This is a requirement to be effective in communication.
2.  Be aware of what people say, how they say it and what they do. Pay attention to the interaction.
3. Have a time for your self, meditate and recenter your thought every day.
4. Know the emotional state of the other people. Take note on how they respond to external events.
5. Acknowledge what you feel with regards to other's people emotion.
6. Give a clear level-headed answer after listening to them. Maintain an eye contact once in a while.

Self-Assessment

1. Am I actively listening to people who talks to me? Was I too busy to listen?
2. Did I interact or respond correctly on their emotion, story and feelings?
3. How did I react? How is my body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other elements in order to meet the needs of the other person?

Tips on how to improve your social awareness.

1. Interact often
2. Limit the use of social media
3. Read short classical books
4. Listen to audio of great speakers. Take note how they empathize and deliver their ideas..

Seek first to understand, then to be understood ~Stephen Covey

I hope this helps in a way. If it does, hit the like button and share.