The ability to be approachable means putting others at ease so that they can be at their best. It is an invaluable asset to have whether you're currently in the workplace or looking to get into the workplace. The qualities of approachability include listening, sharing, understanding and the ability to initiate rapport. Generally approachable people are likeable and have a wonderful ability to elicit more information from others; know things before everyone else does and get others to do more things for them. Sound like you? If not, don't panic, like self-promotion, approachability is an art and be learned through practice and putting yourself 'out there'.

SOME SOLUTIONS:

Take the lead: When meeting people be the first to offer your hand and make first eye contact. Ask the first question or share the first piece of information and work at making the environment comfortable so that the other person feels at ease.

Share: Approachable people share more information but importantly get more in return. They do this by sharing small pieces of information they think will help people to do their jobs better or broaden their perspective opening up the path for dialogue.

Ask lots of questions: Many people don't ask enough curiosity questions, they struggle when at interviews or when networking, and in their day to day working lives. Often people are too accepting of informational statements, conclusions, suggestions and solutions, and fail to ask the 'what if' or 'how do you see that' questions. Approachable people ask more questions than others; make fewer solution statements early on in a discussion and keep probing until they have fully understood what they are being told.

Non-verbal communication: Approachable people appear relaxed, calm and are acutely aware of the power of non-verbal communication. They smile, have good eye contact, and nod appropriately when in conversation with others. They work hard at eliminating (through practice) disruptive habits such as speaking too quickly, being too detail oriented etc and are very attuned to the signals from others i.e. they know when to 'cut and run'.

Active Listening: Approachable people are good listeners and do so without interrupting, or instantly judging the speaker. They ask clarifying questions and use appropriate body language to let the other party know they are being heard (eg nodding, paraphrasing, open body posture).

Know your audience: Know at least three things about the individuals within your target audience. This could be something around their interests, children, or footy team; probe a little deeper and you'll generally find you've something in common with virtually anyone!

Practice, practice, practice: Practicing your approachability tactics on friends is a good first step. Ask for feedback, what did you do well and what could be further developed. When networking or attending interviews ask yourself after the meeting - were you approachable, did you put the other person at ease, what could've been done better?

You'll know you've mastered this skill when the people around you approach you more often, share more information with you and are happy to fulfil requests for networking meetings and hey when at interview you can add that this is one of your key strengths (and of course you'll be able to back this up with examples!!).