More Social Skills help

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Just got my performance review at work today was all goo on the tech side thanks to my obsessions with the ITPro.TV content but on the softskills side it was pretty bad. writing emails without typos and grammar and my lack of social interactions and verbal communications were the main key points. (confidence might be nice to work on too) This held me back at other positions I applied for recently too. These were topics that gave me trouble in the past, i have mental conditions that make it harder to tackle.

Was thinking of taking some sort of class on these skills but not sure where to find them, might be after I'm done with security+ cert so i have some time. Its pricey so I have to save up for that first. Work doesn't reimburse anything unfortunately. My question is does anyone know of good online/in person courses that help teach/practice these skills, for lower costs?

@Brian-Bauer,

I'm not sure about any online class out there, I'm sure there are some on each topic you posted on.

But on the social and verbal interaction side, I would say a better idea, since what they looking at is your interpersonal skills that you currently have, is to go beyond "online" where' you're comfortable to a class or a group of people that require you to interact. As uncomfortable as it may be, actual social interaction is where you can observe others interacting will be helpful. Also you interacting with others will be more helpful to you in a professional setting.

On the writing emails without typos. There's probably multiple blogs you can read about what should a professional email have in it and if all else fails there is a service that you can use for a fee called grammarly.

@Brian-Bauer ,

You might also look into local tech chapters or clubs. Start attending meetings (virtually these days) and join conversations. Then volunteer to present a topic. When I first started teaching, I was forced in front of people, and was extremely nervous. @Ronnie-Wong can tell you many funny stories. But I slowly became more comfortable presenting, and talking in front of people. Like you suggested, it's mainly a confidence thing! The best way to get past that is to put yourself in those uncomfortable situations, they eventually become comfortable. Once your confidence improves, you will find your ability to speak clearly, make eye contact, etc, will all improve.

As for spelling and grammer in emails, type everything in Word first! It has great checkers for both, even suggestions. Then you can copy/paste into whatever.

Thanks Mike and Ronnie. Great suggestions.
Grammarly is great works like a charm. Not having much luck with local tech clubs in the state of WI yet but will continue the search been looking on meetup.

@Brian-Bauer,

So it the idea of tech clubs might be a little too narrow....Heck a meetup even like Toastmasters is awesome and can build your confidence in a public setting. They exist to help folks become more comfortable too.

Also other social outlets, like church or volunteering for a particular community activity might also be a possibility.