The Ultimate Test of Your Social Skills

You’ll know you’ve truly become socially adept when you finally manage to make small talk with that most challenging and unforgiving of characters: a small child you hardly know.

FURTHER READING

“It can be easy to imagine we possess reasonable social skills, because we know how to maintain a conversation with strangers and – every now and then – manage to make a whole table laugh.
But there’s a test far sterner than this, surprising in its ability to trip us up: the challenge of having a pleasant time with a child we don’t know. Theoretically speaking, this should be so easy. We were all once kids. We know a great deal more than they do and – as far as they’re concerned – hold all the cards: if we felt like it, we could buy 26 packets of biscuits and go to bed whenever we wanted…”

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CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Martin Pickles

[HarunFarah]

The actual test is reading the story on the screen while listening to the narrator.

[Nick_Lamb]

"they don't ask polite questions, they don't have feeling for our lives, they don't do the news and the weather..."

Oh fiddle sticks, I might be a kid.

[sonarbuge]

The ultimate test:
>can you hold a conversation with the hairdresser

[NathanCashion]

I vehemently disagree. It is so much easier to talk with small children precisely for the reasons mentioned in the video. Because children aren't good at small talk, you aren't forced to navigate the tricky & sensitive waters of 'polite conversation' which often serves no purpose but to convince an adult that you are harmless. In most cases, children answer questions honestly without pretense.
I easily get along well with children, but I struggle with almost all adults. I often find myself escaping to hang with the kids rather than continue forcing an uncomfortably polite conversation with adults.

[KevsUploads]

Children are easy. Adults are anxiety attacks

[dirkdiggler]

Me: well.. I'm off to practice socializing with kids at the park.

Police officer: you have the right to remain silent!!

[DJNHmusic]

I find myself disagreeing some with this video. Adults can be a much tougher test of your social skills than children. Children are more predictable in what they want and how they behave and don't set up barriers complex enough that you'd have to try very hard to get under their skin. Adults on the other hand, riddled with insecurities and anxieties can be a much tougher nut to crack.

[ForsakenPixel]

I find it easier to talk to children than adults. Adults seem to have walls built around them.. children on the other hand are open and carefree.

[m]

It's hard to converse with children when you're legally obligated to stay 500ft away from them

[TheAnarchist]

I'm shy around kids, boys, girls, teenagers, young adults, middle aged adults, elders and even family, and I have always been like this, so I'm pretty screwed up ain't I ?

[markmunyui]

Dear God.

Guys we need to donate or the animations will keep digressing to stick figures and eventually dots that talk in emoji's

[dusanmelentijevic]

I don't care if modern "philosophers" say this is fake philosophy or someone says it's phony. This is the philosophy I want to live by and learn from. Thank you, School Of Life.

[Kyleology]

Why did that chick leave a total stranger in her home with her kids? She doesn't even know the guy's name!

[wydawg]

The trick is to memorize a bunch of random facts and stories. I tell them to anyone I don’t want to talk with. By the way did you know that some jellyfish can change their own age at will

[jazzy]

Fuck. I'm shit at talking to kids.

[endlessdrive]

As someone who worked for 5 years as tennis coach for juniors and 2 years as a Kumon teacher, I actually found it easier to get along with kids. Kids, esp. when they are young, lack the life context to truly judge people more than at surface level therefore it is much easier to gain their trust by being open and honest to them. Also you learn very quickly that the key to getting along with them is to become a mentor...not necessarily the "adult". They understand you're an adult relative to them, but by being a mentor, you give them a chance to feel more open and free to be themselves around you and in doing so, they will often become more engaged with what you have to say. Working/spending time with kids is about them wanting and feeling comfortable in engaging with you as much as it is you engaging with them. I work in the corporate world now, but I do miss the fulfillment of working with and mentoring kids, all I ever wished for was to pass down my knowledge to help them to become good people.

[cjiscool]

I actually have anxiety around kids too. I find it's easiest to talk to really old people

[Araanor]

i don't know how to hold a conversation with a stranger.

[cherry.]

I'm amazing with kids it's adults that are hard to get on with because they are so judgemental and selfish

[aliciavar]

Personally, I have always found children easier to talk to than adults. Children are much more straightforward and simpler. I find that adult's often say one thing, but often they are implying something else. There are also so many more rules and rituals you need to follow. Kids seem to like you as long as you are being your true self.