A social image is a crucially important aspect of your social life. It’s like your reputation; something that precedes you. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to boost your social image. So without further ado, here are simple things you can do to boost your social image.
7 Simple Things You Can Do to Boost Your Social Image
1. Find Your Style
First impressions play a big role in how you are perceived. In a way, they generate the first version of your social image in someone’s mind, so it’s important to start positively. Because if the generated social image is negative, overriding it can be difficult later on.
And what’s one of the first things people pay attention to before they form an impression on you? It’s your fashion sense.
The great thing is that you don’t have to be a fashion industry expert to pick the right clothes and plan outfits that show your individualistic style. Also, try to choose the type of clothing or accessories that reveal something about your personality.
For example, if you admire flowers, you can wear a ring with the shape of a flower. Or if you are a big fan of the Lord of the Rings, you can choose a T-shirt with the characters from the movie or a quote from the book.
These kinds of things can help people know something about you even before they have the chance to talk to you. And if they turn out to be fans of the same things you are, they will feel more positive toward you because you already have something in common.
But even if they don’t initially think you’ll have much in common, you’ll still be able to generate great first impressions because of your fashion sense and the way you present yourself. So either way, you win.
2. Use the Power of Your Smile During Certain Social Interactions
Of course no one would recommend you to smile all the time and for no reason at all. After all, it’s not like you are a Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. But there are certain social interactions that can go even better if you decide to use the power of your smile.
What are these social settings, you ask? Just simple things; first introductions, greetings, and goodbyes. If you pay attention to the highly likable people, you’ll notice that many of them use the power of smile during these social interactions.
And it’s not forced or fake either. In other words, they don’t do it just for the sake of appearing nice or friendly. They do it genuinely because it’s their way of showing and sharing positivity in this world. And people can see it too, which is precisely why they tend to like such genuinely positive individuals.
3. Pay Attention to How You Carry Yourself
Body language is one of the most important factors people look at when they are trying to read a person. In a way, it reveals your inner thoughts and emotional state. For example, avoiding eye contact and constantly crossing and uncrossing your legs are considered some of the signs of nervousness.
On the other hand, maintaining eye contact as well as mirroring other people’s body language or speech patterns can be seen as signs of confidence and being comfortable in your own skin.
In other words, your body language reveals more about yourself than you think, so you should learn how to work with it. The best thing to do is to study the basics of body language and use it to your advantage.
As a matter of fact, you can use confident body language even when you are nervous and boost your confidence in the process. How? Because doing so can trick your brain into thinking that you are really confident, even if you don’t feel that way initially, helping you appear as self-assured.
So next time you are feeling nervous, try to turn on positive, self-assured body language and wait for your brain to catch up. Once it does, people will have no doubt about how confident you are.
4. Give Your Conversational Partner an Undivided Attention
Don’t you just hate it when you are talking to someone and they can’t stop looking at their phone? It’s like their phone is more important than you. Now imagine the opposite of that; speaking with someone who focuses solely on you. These types of people know how to maintain eye contact and keep you engaged in the conversation by asking you follow-up questions.
And the good thing is, you can easily become one of them if you aren’t already. All it takes is a little practice and dedication. For example, if you have problems with maintaining eye contact, you can use a triangle technique. Instead of looking them in the eyes, choose another spot on the person’s face you can look at. Now try to picture the inverted triangle that connects their mouth and eyes. Keep rotating the triangle every five seconds and try to imagine which part of it you are looking at after each rotation.
5. Compliment People, Especially About the Things Most Others Ignore
Giving someone a compliment is a great way to establish a positive connection with them. After all, who does not like it when someone takes a moment to show you a little appreciation? But there is a different category of compliments people enjoy hearing even more; compliments about the things most people overlook.
For example, a person may be really good at remembering birthdays and choosing the right presents for the birthday person, and although most people appreciate it, they never take the time to express it outwardly.
This is just one example of a little thing you can compliment someone about. It’s exactly compliments like these that make a person seen and noticed. And although any kind of appreciation can be well-received, some leave a stronger impression than the rest, and these types of compliments are one of them.
6. Learn When to Laugh At Yourself
Social interactions can be tricky to navigate at times. You have to pay attention to all the little details and cues someone is giving you, stay calm even when you are nervous, and come up with a good response.
But every now and then, you may find yourself in a situation you were hoping to avoid; you just said or did something that can only be considered “weird” by those around you.
So what do you do in such a situation? Do you keep repeating it in your head and becoming more and more self-conscious in the process? Or do you decide to laugh about it to lighten the mood?
If you have to choose between the two, it’s always better to go with the second option. Why? Because it can make everyone feel better, especially you. Think of laughter as a good social tool or a damage control; it can help you amend a social interaction that has gone wrong.
Plus, people love those who don’t take themselves or life too seriously. After all, no one is perfect, so it is only natural to slip up every now and then.
7. Offer Help Whenever You Can
Whether it’s helping your neighbor carry things or assisting your coworker with a task they have trouble with, being helpful to others does wonders for you in the long run.
It makes you more trustworthy, reliable, and likable to those around you. Not to mention, it will also be more likely for people to give you a helping hand when you are in need of assistance.
Extending your helping hand can also make you feel good about yourself, especially when you are having one of those days where nothing goes your way. Lighting up someone’s mood can immediately make you feel better too because of how fast positivity can spread.
And spreading positivity is always better than spreading viruses, isn’t it? (Or spreading negativity, which can be called a virus in its own right). So keep spreading positivity and making the world a better place.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many actions you can take to ensure the improvement of your social image. And the great thing is, all of them are effective, yet simple to do, which means boosting your social image won’t be difficult.
