Social Agility

We are taking a break to recharge and replenish with friends and family. Hope you are too. Our offices are now closed until 10 January 2022. Happy Holidays! The Social Agility Team

As we return to some kind of 'old' normal, maybe it's a chance to reflect on the 'new' normal that was? There will definitely be things we will NOT miss, but some that we may. How about you?

Clothes are a visual expression of our personal and social identity. Clients have shared with us how clothing or artefacts such as watches or jewellery form an essential part of how they ’show up’ at work. What we wear contributes to our self-esteem and confidence.

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Not long now until we can head back to the office. It’s exciting and surreal all at the same time. It makes you realise what we have missed and possibly even taken for granted in our daily work interactions. A simple human connection can now start once again. Acknowledgement of one unmistakeable truth - we are a social species. Let’s make the most of it! Happy reconnecting all.

Anyone who works in or leads a team knows we are a collaborative bunch. Now more than ever it’s time to reconnect with the social side of work. How are you harnessing the wisdom of your happy work crowd today?

Finally some freedoms! Let’s make the most of it. Face to face requests are shown to be 34 times more effective than an email. So, go and ask your boss for a pay rise! Or just get some great stuff done this week - through people power.

Exploding airbags, phones catching fire, oil spills. All examples of corporate malfunction. These epic fails were PR disasters, let alone the environmental and social impacts. However, many of these mistakes could have been avoided by simply listening to staff more effectively. Not only does hearing the voice of employees mitigate mistakes, it also leads to greater loyalty, happier teams and stronger innovation. So, next time you ‘know you are right’, maybe think again and open your ears to colleagues and clients.

Laugh and the world laughs with you as the saying goes. We could all do with a belly laugh right now, especially those doing it tough in lockdown. It turns out laughter is also a great medicine at work. University of Warwick research shows that laughter helps with concentration and focus, increasing productivity by up to 12%. So next time Barbara (or Bob) from Accounts is looking at cat videos or wears a silly virtual hat on the teams call, do yourself a productivity solid and laugh with them.

What IS social flexibility?

- Adaptability to social contexts, can moderate behaviour depending on the demographic of who you're engaging with.
- Confidence in yourself and speaking.
- Able to handle difficult conversations.
- Can diffuse tension and de-escalate situations.
-Ability to hold your own in conversations.

It's understandable if you're feeling distinctly NOT socially flexible during these times of working from home.

Our live online courses for October have a few spots left if you'd like to sharpen your presentation and communication skills.
Bookings via link in bio.

Hands up if you feel rustier than a tin roof with your social skills after all of this lockdown isolation! Social skills are like muscles, when not in use they atrophy. Our face to face courses won't make a comeback until 2022, however we've got some spots left on our Presenting Naturally live online course on Oct 19th and 26th!

Confident Communications live online dates are the 20th and 27th Oct. Each course is 2 hours and split over two sessions. Let's bust that social flab and bring back social abs for work and life post-lockdown!