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Word of the Day: Social butterfly
Imagine you’re at a networking event with many people you don’t know, and being a social butterfly is a bonus.
It’s also no place to be a wallflower.
The purpose of this event is to build as many connections as you can.
If you are a wallflower, you should be mindful to observe what the social butterflies are doing.
A social butterfly moves from person to person making small talk and friends. They work a crowd like a butterfly works flowers in a meadow.
You’ll notice that they are moving from one person to the other, introducing themselves, stating what they do, handing out business cards and otherwise trying to make themselves memorable.
You never know when these connections will benefit you in the future.
These types of people are called social butterflies for a reason.
They move among a crowd the same way a butterfly moves among flowers in a meadow.
They flit from person to person to person, making small talk and friends.
Somehow, they have a knack for making people like them.
There is something about them that makes them likeable.
It’s often hard to put your finger on it.
If you are more of a wallflower than a social butterfly, don’t become discouraged.
Although this skill comes naturally for many people, it is a skill that can be learned.
For starters, be yourself.
Don’t pretend to be what you are not.
People notice when you are not acting like yourself and see you as insincere.
Next, it’s more important to be a good listener than a good speaker.
Throughout my career, I’ve learned that everyone is interesting if you listen to what they have to say.
When you listen to and show genuine interest in a person, you will be surprised by how many connections and real friends you can build.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 72.
The higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100, the easier the passage is to read.