Life

Three people skills for every Londoner to learn

As of 2019, there are more than 9.1 million people living in London spread out across 32 boroughs. This busy and bustling city makes it difficult to stand out and get ahead in the workplace and in your personal life.

One way you can prime yourself for success, however, is to learn a few handy people skills. By learning people skills, you’ll be able to navigate your relationships, save money, form business partnerships, and shop smarter. That may seem like an incredibly tall order, but you may be surprised by all the ways that you can put these skills to good use.

Haggling

London may have huge name brands such as Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and Fortnum and Mason, which purchases things for the royal family, but you can find great products and better prices at London’s hundreds of markets. Visit London’s official article of markets in London says that the huge Borough Market with its specialist stalls and local produce, Brick Lane Market’s second-hand goods, and the variety of the Camden Lock Market are some of the best locations.

You can also save more by learning how to haggle. If you’re buying in bulk and want to try and get a deal, ask if you can bring the price down. Some stall holders may not budge but a talented haggler can potentially knock 10 to 20% off of the price that you would have paid had you not tried to haggle.

How to read people

Reading people is an invaluable skill that will help you anywhere, not just in London. By being able to read people, you can work to negotiate with them, solve their issues, and address their feelings.

In business, your ability to read someone’s emotions can tell you when to push to make a deal or sell more of a product or cool off. In gaming, being able to read someone can help you beat the dealer in games like blackjack where you want to try and suss out the dealer’s next move. In live blackjack, where you have a real-life dealer, this really comes into play as the dealer will try not to give away what cards they have and if they may beat you.

While the act of reading someone is more intensive in a game of blackjack, being able to handle such a situation can put you in good stead for reading people in any scenario.

Communicate effectively

London is one of the busiest cities in the world, and one article suggested that London is more sleep deprived than anywhere else in the UK. People in England’s capital city just don’t have time for idle chit chat because they have to get to work, run errands, and navigate public transport.

Something that can really help you in London is to communicate effectively. Can you get straight to the point? Can you make a case in just a couple of seconds? If not, then you may end up being ignored by busy Londoners who just don’t have time to hear what you have to say.

These people skills can go well with physical skills such as being able to run for the tube, quickly getting your Oyster card out of your wallet, and knowing the best spot to avoid the rain. Put them all together and you’ll find yourself succeeding in London in no time.

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