Do you have high social awareness as an athlete? Learn what social awareness is, why it’s important both in life and in sports, and the steps you can take to build it today.
Have you ever stopped to think about the importance of understanding those around you? How they feel, what they are thinking, or how your actions impact them?
Not in an obsessive way where you are constantly concerned about what others are thinking, but rather a healthy awareness and consideration.
In sports, this means being aware of your teammates’ emotions, your coach’s expectations, and how your energy affects the team.
When you develop this kind of understanding, relationships improve, conflicts ease, and team culture strengthens. That’s why social awareness is such an important part of emotional intelligence and athletic success.
What is Social Awareness?
Being the third step in developing emotional intelligence, social awareness is a skill that we all must work to build within ourselves. In a broad sense, it means having an awareness and understanding of the world around us.
This includes environments, cultures, communities, societal norms, problems, struggles, and all other areas that make up the social atmosphere in which we live.
In sports, social awareness means understanding the people and emotions that make up your competitive environment: teammates, coaches, and opponents.
One of the most prominent figures in the field of emotional intelligence is Daniel Goleman. He breaks emotional intelligence down into four subsects: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
In relation to emotional intelligence, social awareness is best defined as our ability to accurately understand the emotions of other people and empathize with them.
Empathy is a large component of effective social awareness, and something we will go into more depth later on in the article.
Social awareness is all about taking the focus off ourselves for a moment and beginning to think about those around us.
This can be difficult for athletes who are naturally focused on performance and results. But developing this awareness allows you to play with greater composure, build stronger team bonds, and better handle pressure situations.
The easiest way for me to understand social awareness is by one simple word: consideration.
It all boils down to taking a second to consider how our thoughts, emotions, and actions impact others.
This is a large aspect of external self-awareness which is why the two skills are often intertwined.
Consideration to me is a much simpler way of thinking about social awareness because since I was a kid, I’ve heard the phrase, “Be considerate of others.”
The same applies to sports. If I say something negative to a teammate, how will it make them feel?
If I act frustrated, could that bring down the team’s energy? Or on a positive note, how can I be the most helpful and supportive teammate possible?
But, however you define it, the fact remains the same: social awareness is an important skill to build—on and off the field.
“The easiest way for me to understand social awareness is by one simple word: consideration. It all boils down to taking a second to consider how our thoughts, emotions, and actions impact others.”
Why is Social Awareness Important?
We are social creatures, and we live in a world where relationships and social interactions play a large part in a successful life. This makes having the ability to understand the emotions of others incredibly important.
If we lack social awareness, then it can cause our lives to be much more difficult and full of friction.
You don’t need to be the most outgoing player on the team—just someone who relates well to others and understands what drives them.
The ability to relate to others is significant in creating rapport and building strong bonds.
Let’s look at a few key benefits that come from developing strong social awareness as an athlete.
Stronger Relationships and Team Chemistry
One of the main benefits of social awareness is the strength of relationships it creates.
In sports, this shows up in your connection with teammates and coaches. Teams built on trust, understanding, and mutual respect perform better—period.
When you can empathize with your coach, you’re more receptive to feedback. When you can read your teammate’s body language, you know when they need encouragement or accountability.
These small moments of awareness lead to better communication and unity.
Strong social awareness doesn’t just help you get more playing time or earn leadership roles—that’s simply a side effect. The real value is the satisfaction and positive energy that come from playing on a connected team.
Better Conflict Management
Conflict is a natural part of competition. Whether it’s tension between teammates or frustration with a coach, how you handle conflict reveals your emotional intelligence.
Without social awareness, conflict often leads to defensiveness and miscommunication.
But when you understand the other person’s emotions and point of view, you can de-escalate situations and reach solutions faster.
This doesn’t mean avoiding conflict—it means managing it well. Healthy, productive conflict can strengthen trust and team cohesion.
Increased Positivity & Composure
When you’re socially aware, you naturally become more positive and composed. You’re able to sense the energy of your environment and respond instead of react.
For example, if your team is frustrated after an error, you can use that awareness to stay calm, reset, and lift the group.
When you understand where others’ emotions come from, you’re less likely to take things personally—and that helps you maintain confidence and focus.
“It’s no secret that a positive life is a better-lived life. Anyone who used to sulk about and now lives more upbeat and positive can attest that it is a much better way to live (once you get over the initial addiction to that negative feeling).”
Less Judgment, More Respect
As you grow in social awareness, judgment and frustration toward others begin to fade.
You become more understanding and inclusive, seeing people beyond their role or ability.
In sports, that means respecting players from different backgrounds, recognizing diverse leadership styles, and appreciating teammates for their effort and mindset—not just their stats.
When you start to see through this lens, discrimination and favoritism have no place on your team.
Components of Social Awareness
Now that we have gone over what social awareness is in a broad sense and why it is so important, it will be useful to go into more detail as to what the components are.
The definition of social awareness that was given earlier sheds a little light on this but leaves a bit of room for wondering.
What exactly makes up social awareness? What are the intricate characteristics that we all must possess in order to display this skill?
Well, there are four components of social awareness, some of which have already been alluded to. The components are as follows:
Empathy
This is such a big one, that it could stand alone in a description of social awareness.
Merriam-Webster defines empathy as, “The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.”
This really fits the overall definition of social awareness. Simply by focusing on being more empathetic, your social awareness will grow and become much stronger.
In sports, empathy helps you sense when a teammate is struggling, when a coach is stressed, or when an opponent needs respect.
Empathy builds connection—and connection builds trust.
Perspective
The second component of social awareness is perspective. This refers to the viewpoint we take on situations or concepts.
In terms of social awareness, it’s not enough to simply look at a situation from our own perspective. We must have the ability to see through the lenses of other people.
When we can take a situation, like a conflict as described above, and look at it from different perspectives, this shows incredibly high levels of social awareness.
It’s easy to get frustrated when a teammate makes a mistake or a coach gives tough feedback, but perspective helps you pause and see the situation differently.
Maybe your coach isn’t yelling—they’re trying to motivate. Maybe your teammate isn’t slacking—they’re overwhelmed.
Perspective gives you emotional balance and helps you respond effectively instead of reacting emotionally.
Respect
The third component of social awareness is respect. What I am referencing here is the ability to give another individual your respect and consideration when it comes to their beliefs and opinions.
Being socially aware involves empathizing and taking the perspectives of other people, especially those of different backgrounds and cultures. This is primarily where respect comes into play.
We must have the ability to push our own opinions and judgments aside and truly listen and seek to understand the views of someone else.
Compassion
Here we have the fourth component of social awareness. This is the culmination of the previous three into more of an actionable piece.
Compassion involves taking action on behalf of another person. This action is a result of the empathy, perspective, and respect you have developed.
Think about compassion as taking action for those who cannot take action for themselves. You stick up for those individuals who cannot, in order to alleviate their burden.
As an athlete, this can take the form of sticking up for a teammate who makes a mistake or a coach seeking to help lift the feelings of defeat from their players.
How to Build Social Awareness
Like every mental skill, social awareness can be developed with intention and practice. Here are a few practical ways to strengthen it as an athlete.
Become a Better Listener
If we want to improve our social awareness, then one of the easiest ways to immediately do so is by becoming a better listener.
When talking about becoming a better listener, it’s all about our frame of mind going into the conversation.
Many times, we will be having a discussion or listening to someone with the sole purpose of responding. This puts us in a defensive mindset and does not allow us to really gain insight into how the other person is feeling.
What we must do is listen to understand.
The next time your coach or teammate talks, focus fully on their message—not on what you’ll say next.
When you listen to understand, you gain valuable insight into their emotions and perspective.
Pay Attention to Body Language
We can tell a lot by the way a person presents themselves.
During practices and games, observe your teammates’ expressions and posture. Are they confident? Frustrated? Disengaged?
Noticing these cues helps you adjust your own behavior and support them effectively.
By simply noticing the other person’s body language you can gain a better understanding of how they are feeling in that moment.
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
I’m sure this is a phrase you’ve heard often but is it something you actually do? It can be quite difficult to actually put ourselves in the shoes of another, especially if we are in conflict with them.
But, in order to gain a complete understanding of their opinions and beliefs, it is a vital tool to use.
When tension arises, take a moment to imagine how you would feel in their position.
- Would your reaction help or hurt?
- Would what you’re saying motivate or discourage?
That mental exercise builds empathy and patience instantly.
Reflect After Games
After practices or games, reflect on how you interacted with others.
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Did I communicate positively?
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Did I listen or interrupt?
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How did my energy impact the team?
Reflection turns awareness into growth and helps you improve week after week.
Final Thoughts
Social awareness is one of the key components of emotional intelligence. It is a skill that allows us to understand how another person is feeling, empathize with them, and take a different perspective on a situation.
As athletes, we often focus on our own mindset—confidence, focus, composure—but emotional intelligence also includes how we relate to others.
By building social awareness, you’ll not only elevate your own performance but also the performance of your entire team.
Start by listening more, paying attention to others’ energy, and practicing empathy in action.
Because when you play with awareness of those around you, you don’t just compete—you connect.
I hope that this article was helpful, and you gained a better understanding of what social awareness is in sports, why it’s important, and how to better develop it within yourself and your game.
If you’re interested in working more on your social awareness, or any other mental skill, click here to learn more about my one-on-one mental coaching program.
I’ve also created two online mental training courses for athletes:
And if you’re more of a reader, check out my books:
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
