Key Interpersonal Communication Skills you need to Improve

Strong interpersonal skills are important for employers because most jobs require
you to effectively interact with other people. These skills are now vital for success
in the workplace.
In this article, we discuss different types of interpersonal communication skills.

What is interpersonal communication?

Interpersonal communication is the interaction and exchange of information

between two or more people. This can be verbal and/or non-verbal
communication.

Key interpersonal communication skills

Effective interpersonal communication skills are required to form connections
and establish relationships. There are many different types - we have described
eleven of the most important skills:

Verbal communication

Verbal communication skills are important for the majority of occupations

because they help you interact effectively and build rapport.
Tips:

• Tailor your speech to the audience by, for example, avoiding technical
terminology.
• Ask questions to show your interest in what is being said.
• Match what you're saying with your voice and your body language.
• Reflect on what someone has said by summarising and paraphrasing.
• Actively listening.

Active listening
Active listening is listening beyond the words being spoken - understanding the
message being communicated. During conversations, a lot of the time the
"listener" is thinking about how they're going to respond rather than concentrating
on what the speaker is saying.
By really listening you can provide a more thoughtful answer that takes the
speaker's thoughts and opinions into account. This will help people around you
understand that you value and appreciate them.

To develop active listening you should practice the following:

1. Pay attention - give the speaker your complete attention rather than
thinking about your response.
2. Show the speaker that you're listening and that you're interested - body
language is especially helpful for this.
3. Clarify your understanding - you need to ensure that you understand what
the speaker is saying without your judgments and beliefs getting in the way
so ensure you reflect and ask questions.
4. Don't interrupt or redirect the conversation.
5. Provide a suitable response that is honest but polite.

Body language

The impression others form of you is roughly split by:

• Body (visuals) 55%

• Voice (sound) 38%
• Words (content) 7%

So body language is significantly used to understand what is being said.

When communicating with others your aim is to display open body language,
such as, a relaxed posture, maintaining eye contact, uncrossed arms, nodding your
head, smiling etc. Closed body language should be avoided as you may be
perceived as uninterested or even untrustworthy, for example, folding arms or
legs, avoiding eye contact, shifting eyes, fidgeting etc.

Openness

Don't just speak with people who have similar views to your own, you should
also speak to those who have opposing opinions. Show an interest in what they
say with the aim of understanding how they think. This will help with your own
development as it challenges you and people will admire you for this because it
shows a willingness to learn from others even if you are in disagreement.

Negotiation skills

Negotiation is important in a variety of situations, for example, you may need it

to resolve a conflict or create a contract. You must be able to come to mutual
agreements that keep everyone satisfied even if there is compromise. Being able
to negotiate leads to respect and people will trust you as they know you look out
for everyone's best interests.

Decision making and problem-solving skills

Most jobs have elements of problem-solving - this is where you think of solutions
to deal with a problem. This type of creative thinking can help maintain harmony
within a team. The general structure to problem-solving is:

• Identifying the problem

• Exploring all of the solutions
• Deciding on which solution to implement
• Implementing the solution
• Reviewing the outcome

Conflict resolution

It's likely that you'll need to resolve a conflict at some point. Active listening and
problem-solving are useful for this as you'll need to hear from all sides objectively
and you'll need to come to a positive resolution.
Resolving conflict is not always a negative experience - it can be very
constructive and provide you with an understanding of underlying problems, for
example, perhaps a team member is having difficulties at home which is making
them more irritable.
By forming a plan with those involved, you can help them move forward and
manage their difficulties. They may have never experienced this constructive help
before your mediation.
Assertiveness

Assertiveness is when you confidently express your needs and opinions in a fair,
honest and calm way whilst considering the needs and views of other people.
People are more likely to like and respect you if you're assertive in your
communication rather than passive or aggressive.
Tips:

• Tell the other person how you feel.

• Listen to what the other person says and empathise.
• Speak at a normal conversational volume.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Avoid words that exaggerate, such as, "always" and never".
• Use facts rather than judgements.

Positive attitude

People want to be around others that are friendly and have a positive outlook even
when the company may be in a difficult situation. You don't have to be incredibly
sociable but you must develop some type of positive rapport with your team so
that the workplace is pleasant for everybody.

Teamwork

For a business to function effectively people must work well together in order to
achieve a common goal. Some people struggle with teamwork because they
believe that they know how to do the job better than anyone else and they do not
trust others to do their roles. This can create conflict and hurt the overall
effectiveness of the team.
If this is something you find difficult assist your colleagues whenever you can
and ask your colleagues for their opinions and ideas - be enthusiastic when
colleagues offer their own ideas.
Empathy

To be empathetic means that you are able to identify and understand others'
emotions i.e. imagining yourself in someone else's position. Being
empathetic shows your team that you care. For example, if a manager reacts
angrily after finding out that an employee has been arriving to work late because
their child is unwell, the team is likely to react negatively towards the manager.
It would be more favorable for the manager to be understanding and agree on a
plan of action with the employee, such as, the employee starting work earlier and
finishing later. Employees and colleagues will respect and trust you more if you
empathize with them and express compassion.
Also, understanding how people feel will help you communicate your thoughts
and ideas in a way that makes sense to others and it helps you understand others
when they communicate.

Conclusions:
Your job performance will improve if you develop your interpersonal skills
because you will be more of a cohesive member of the company. It's also likely
that your job satisfaction will increase because you will form stronger
relationships with your colleagues.
By becoming more aware of how you interact with others and by practicing you
can improve your interpersonal communication skills.