Introvert people tend to be shy, inward turning, and focused more on internal thoughts. Many people wrongly believe that introverts lack social skills. The fact of the matter is that they are just shy, and do not want to mingle with others so much. With that in mind, escape room is a perfect experience not only for introverts, but for everyone else trying to improve his/her social skills. You are probably wondering how can escape room improve your social skills.

Well, an escape room is a thrilling and team-oriented experience, one in which players are required to communicate and solve puzzles together.

An escape room is a great team building experience. We are long gone pass going to a bar, making a barbecue and similar team building experiences. People nowadays want a bit of adrenaline rush when they are hanging out with their friends or colleagues.

Why improve your social skills?

Social and communication skills are important for every person. They can be valuable skills for both adults and children. Once you learn how to work in a team environment, listen to others, and work with others, you will have easier time in life.

And in an escape room, you are locked in a room with friends, family members, or colleagues for 45 minutes to 60 minutes. Odds are you are going to have to speak to each other, right? Of course, without communication, chances for a success are slim to none.

In an escape room, your team has to work together to solve the puzzles, find the clues, and finish tasks to exit the room. You will have to communicate every single detail, and that will vastly improve your teamwork, social, and communication skills. Here are all the ways how can escape room improve your social skills.

Escape room teaches you to listen

The first thing that happens when you enter an escape room is chaos. Let’s be honest, we all enter the room, and start working chaotically to find something or solve something. Every single member is running all around the room, they start yelling, grabbing objects, searching clues, and trying to put all the details together.

And at one point, you all understand that in order to win, you have to listen to each other. We all have something to say, and we cannot all speak at the same time. Each thought can be a game-changer, and in order to listen all thoughts, we have to be quiet and listen when others speak.

If you have troubles listening, playing an escape room will definitely help you boost that skill.

Work under time pressure

Escape room games are limited in time. In some rooms, the clock is set at 45 minutes, in others, at 60 minutes. But in any case, there is a time limit. And you have to solve the puzzles and exit the room within that timeframe. Yes, the game master will let you out, even if you do not solve the puzzles. But that is a lost game.

When there is a time limit, you cannot spend too much time planning or thinking. Instead, your brain has to function faster, and adjust to the time pressure. Not many people are faced with time pressure in life. And as such, they don’t know how to react.

But an escape room can vastly improve your concentration and communication skills while working under time pressure.

Builds empathy

Empathy, or the ability to understand and share the feelings of another is a crucial element of communication and social skills. Most relationships, be it love or friends, suffer because of lack of empathy.

In an escape room, there is a rule that the team that struggles together, stays together. Facing and overcoming challenges as a team will help you build empathy. Winning the room is important, but failing together is equally valuable. It is important that you do not point the finger at someone, and put blame when the whole team failed. There is no “I” in team.

Build a strong team

If you go to an escape room often, you will understand how to help new people. Building a team is a crucial social skill. There will always be newcomers, shy people, and others who are just not easy to talk to. But in an escape room, you will understand how to interact with others, even people who are shy.

Compared to professional training and seminars, escape room is much cheaper in effort, time, and money.

Teaches you how to value others

When playing an escape room, even the smallest detail can be valuable. In the real life, this translates that each and every contribution is significant. A lot of times, we overlook small contributions from others.

But after an escape room experience, you will value tem even more. You need to stop doing everything by yourself, and delegate tasks to others. The skill can be quite valuable when working on a large project with other people.

Develop problem-solving skills

The first thing you will notice in an escape room is that there is a problem, or a puzzle, and you have to solve. Most escape rooms nowadays are linear, meaning you need to solve one task, and then move to the next one. Filled with unique puzzles, escape rooms make you think outside of the box, and think in ways you have not in the past. Playing escape room games will give you alternate ways to solve problems in your everyday life.

Develop attention to details

One of the crucial skills for a successful social life is attention to details. A lot of people overlook details all around them. But take a good look around. Everything in an escape room is put there for a reason. And when you play, every object is valuable. The same attention to details translates to your real life as well.

When to play escape room games

By now, you probably know how can escape room improve your social skills. Now, the only question is when and how to play it. Escape rooms are great for the following purposes:

  • Holding an effective team building event
  • Having fun with friends
  • Spending quality time with family members

Playing an escape room doesn’t take that much time, and you do not need to organize everything by yourself. The one thing you have to do is book a room or buy an escape room kit. Make sure to book a room that will fit all of the team members, one that is suitable for your level of experience and expertise. Escape rooms are classified as easy (for beginners), intermediate, and hard. If one or more members are newcomers, try an easy room to start off.