How Good Are Your People Skills?

1. You crack a joke at someone's expense. You think it was good-natured, but from the body language of the person concerned you suspect he may have been offended. You:

Ignore your suspicion since the person hasn't protested
Later when the two of you are alone you ask the person if they were offended at the joke
Later when the two of you are alone you wait for the person to broach the issue

2. On arriving at a party you realize that you know very few people. You:

Go directly to the few people you know and let them introduce you to the others
Meet your host and then "dive in" and introduce yourself to the other guests
Meet your host, stay for a polite while and then leave

3. You come across the contact information of an old friend. You:

Call up the friend to catch up on each other's lives
Tell yourself you will call him one day
Assume that after all this while the person has moved on and you can never be friends in the same way again

4. At a party you are introduced to someone who seems to be shy and is having difficulty in having a conversation with you. You:

Give the impression that you are listening with interest and then when he finishes you move on to someone else
Do not interrupt, let the person finish what he is saying and then respond sincerely to what he said
Hijack the conversation at the first pause

5. A new person has just joined the office and has been assigned to work with you. You:

Introduce him to the few people he will need to work with
Introduce him to everyone in the office, especially those you are friendly with
Let the person introduce himself to the others

6. A friend calls in you in the middle of the night urgently requesting your help. You:

Ask the person if it can wait till morning
Recognize the gravity of the situation and agree to help immediately
Inform him that considering the time it would be really difficult to help and maybe he should contact another friend

7. Someone is trying to explain something important, but is taking up a lot of time and not quite being able to make his point and thereby keeping you from an important task. You:

Try and bring the conversation to a close as soon as possible
Request the person that since you are short of time, if he could summarize his argument
Pretend to listen, but keep looking at your watch so that he gets the point

8. A colleague at work is trying to explain a complicated issue, but you can't seem to focus on what he is saying. You:

Nod politely and give the impression that you are following what he is saying whilst internally hoping that the conversation comes to an end as soon as possible
Rub your eyes to indicate you are tired and ask him if you can continue the conversation later
Become proactive and ask questions which you think will help you understand the issue so that you can wrap up the conversation quickly