Top 10 social skills students need to succeed

There is such an overemphasis on grades in Singapore that people are starting to overlook the importance of social skills. Check out 10 essential social skills students need to become successful and learn how to develop them.

Read on to find out what social skills are needed for students to become successful.

Most people won’t dispute the fact that Singapore places an overemphasis on academic results, because it’s the honest truth. It’s unfortunate that with the spotlight shining so heavily on academic pursuits, both teachers and parents are ignoring other fundamental ingredients for success. However, If all we needed to succeed in life was to be academically inclined, then life would be so much easier. But, success requires an equal amount of focus on social skills too. We go over some social skills, which students should develop, if they want to grow up to be successful.

Top 10 essential social skills

1. Ambition
An unrelenting drive to succeed can be a formidable weapon. Parents and teachers cannot be depended upon to push students forever, especially once they enter tertiary education.

Solution: Encourage students whenever they voice out their aspirations and don’t put them down.

2. Discipline
With the prevalence of social media, discipline is starting to seem like an impossible task. However, only by staying disciplined can one stay focused on achieving their goal.

Solution: Encourage students to engage in discipline building activities such as learning to play a musical instrument.

3. Diligence
No pain, no gain. There are no shortcuts in life and students need to learn that the only way to the top is sheer hard work.

Solution: Educate your child from a young age that nothing comes easy and they will only reap the rewards if they put in the effort.

4. Sociable
You will encounter a lot of people throughout the course of your life and you will need the help of others on your path to success and to do that, they need to like you.

Solution: Join as many extra-curricular activities from a young age. Students will be exposed to many people and thus, will develop the skills needed to get along with people from all walks of life.

RELATED: How to deal with a shy child

5. Leadership
Leadership is a quality, which many employers now desire in students. Even schools look at student’s leadership capabilities when it comes to admitting prospective students.

Solution: Joining co-curricular activities is a good way of cultivating a person’s leadership skills.

10 ways to be a successful student using social skills

6. Resilience
No one has a perfect life and everyone will get knocked down. The important thing is however, having the strength to get back up.

Solution: According to the American Psychological Association, cultivating strong bonds with friends and family will provide a strong support system for the individual to get the strength to make a comeback after suffering a setback.

7. Be nice
What goes around comes around. If you’re nice to others, then people will be nice to you as well.

Solution: Teach your children right from wrong from a young age, so they grow up to have a moral compass.

8. Responsibility
Successful people often have to shoulder heavy responsibilities and if students lack a sense of responsibility, then they will not go far in life.

Solution: Allocate some light responsibilities such as household chores to your children from a young age, so they learn the importance of being responsible.

9. Forgiveness
Being forgiving is important. Bearing grudges is not just tiring, but could cause you to miss out on opportunities and make you bitter and unhappy as well.

Solution: Teach children from a young age to forgive and forget so that they cultivate this healthy attitude.

10. Patience
Good things come to those who wait, which is why being patient is important. Being impulsive and hotheaded will likely lead to making regretful decisions instead.

Solution: Educate your child from a young age about the virtues of patience.

Tell us if these social skills have helped your child in succeeding!

Watch this video for more on using social skills in practical life:

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Written by

Sean Foo

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