Interpersonal skills are those life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people, individually or in groups.
Interpersonal skills include not only how we
communicate with others, but also our confidence and our ability to
listen and understand. Problem solving, decision making and personal
stress management are also considered interpersonal skills.
People with strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in
both their professional and personal lives. They are perceived as more
calm, confident and charismatic - qualities that are often endearing or
appealing to others. Being more aware of your interpersonal skills can
help you improve and develop them.
Here are some of these skills which will discussed later with details:
- Learn To Listen: Listening is not the same as hearing. Take time to listen carefully to
what others are saying through both their verbal and non-verbal
communications.
- Choose your words: Be aware of the words you are using when talking to others. Could you
be misunderstood or confuse the issue? Practise clarity and learn to
seek feedback to ensure your message has been understood. Encourage
others to engage in communication use appropriate questioning to develop
your understanding.
- Understand why communication fails: By learning about the various barriers to good communication you can be aware of and reduce the likelihood of ineffective interpersonal communication.
- Relax: When we are nervous we tend to talk more quickly and therefore less
clearly. Being tense is also evident in our body language and other
non-verbal communication. Instead, try to stay calm, make eye contact
and smile. Let your confidence shine.
- Clarify: Show an interest in the people you talk to. Ask questions and seek
clarification on any points that could be easily misunderstood.
- Be Positive: Try to remain positive and cheerful. People are much more likely to be drawn to you if you can maintain a positive attitude.
- Understand stress: Learn to recognise, manage and reduce stress in others and yourself.
Although stress is not always bad it can have a detrimental effect on
the communication process.
- Learn to be Assertive: You should aim to be neither passive nor aggressive. Being assertive is
about expressing your feelings and beliefs in a way that others can
understand and respect. Assertiveness is fundamental to successful
negotiation.
- Reflect and Improve: Think about previous conversations and other interpersonal interactions;
learn from your mistakes and successes. Always keep a positive
attitude but realise that we can all always improve our communication skills.
- Negotiate: Learn how to effectively negotiate with others paving the way to mutual respect, trust and lasting interpersonal relations.
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