Interpersonal skills are skills that we use every day when we talk and interact with other people, both in groups and individually. They include various skills, especially communication skills like effective speaking and listening. They also include the ability to manage and control your emotions. People are not exaggerating when they say that interpersonal skills are the foundation of a successful life. People who have strong interpersonal skills tend to work well with other people including groups, teams, both informally and formally. They can communicate well with other people whether it is friends, family members, customers, or co-workers. In this article, you will be able to learn how you can improve your interpersonal skills.
What are Interpersonal Skills?
According to Men’s Group “The skills you need and use to interact and communicate with other people”. These include communication skills, non-verbal communication, listening skills, emotional intelligence, team-working, influencing/negotiation/persuasion skills, conflict resolution, and mediation, as well as decision making and problem-solving.
How to Your Interpersonal Skills?
Developing and improving these skills are best done in steps, starting from:
- Identifying Areas for Improvement
The first step in improving your interpersonal skills is to know yourself, as well as your weaknesses. You might already know what you need to improve however, it is useful if you ask for feedback from people since it is the easiest way to see the “blind spots” about yourself.
- Focus on Your Basic Communication Skills
According to the experts from jofibo.com, communication is more than words. Some people would go as far as to suggest that there is a reason that people have two ears and one mouth and that you should listen twice until you choose to respond. One thing that the interpersonal definition did not state is that listening is also one of the most important things to consider when you want to improve your interpersonal skills.
- Improve your More Advanced Communication Skills
Once you are confident with your basic verbal and listening skills, you might want to move to a more advanced area around communication like being more effective in how you speak, as well as understanding why you might have communication issues. There are some problems that might occur such as physical barriers (being unable to speak or hear properly), emotional barriers (like not wanting to hear what someone is saying), and prejudices and expectations (that can affect what people hear and see). By overcoming these difficulties, you can improve your advanced communication skills.
- Look Inwards
Interpersonal skills might be about how you relate to other people, but they mostly start with you. Most of your skills can improve a lot if you work on your personal skills. For instance, people can be more drawn to you if you have a positive attitude. A positive attitude can also translate into improved self-confidence.
Conclusion
By using the tips in this article, you can easily and effectively improve your interpersonal skills that will make communication easier at work, as well as your home.
