Interpersonal skills - 2

Interpersonal skills are the skills that a person uses to interact with other people. Interpersonal skills are sometimes also referred to as people skills or communication skills. Interpersonal skills involve using skills such as active listening and tone of voice, they include delegation and leadership. It is how well you communicate with someone and how well you behave or carry yourself. Also they help people further their careers.

Interpersonal skills refers to mental and communicative algorithms applied during social communications and interaction to reach certain effects or results. The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a person's ability to operate within business organizations through social communication and interactions. Interpersonal skills are how people relate to one another.

As an illustration, it is generally understood that communicating respect for other people or professionals within will enable one to reduce conflict and increase participation or assistance in obtaining information or completing tasks. For instance, to interrupt someone who is currently preoccupied with the task of obtaining information needed immediately, it is recommended that a professional use a deferential approach with language such as, "Excuse me, are you busy? I have an urgent matter to discuss with you if you have the time at the moment." This allows the receiving professional to make their own judgement regarding the importance of their current task versus entering into a discussion with their colleague. While it is generally understood that interrupting someone with an "urgent" request will often take priority, allowing the receiver of the message to judge independently the request and agree to further interaction will likely result in a higher quality interaction. Following these kinds of heuristics to achieve better professional results generally results in a professional being ranked as one with 'good interpersonal skills.' Often these evaluations occur in formal and informal settings.

Having positive interpersonal skills increases the productivity in the organization since the number of conflicts is reduced. In informal situations, it allows communication to be easy and comfortable. People with good interpersonal skills can generally control the feelings that emerge in difficult situations and respond appropriately, instead of being overwhelmed by emotion.

Some ways to improve interpersonal skills are to;

• Think positively, and enter the mindset to work well with others and maintain good relationships.

• Do not criticise others or yourself.

• Be patient.

• Learn to listen, experts recommend listening 80% of the time and only talking 20%.

• Be sensitive to others, this includes not gossiping.

• Have a sense of humour appropriate to your situation. Many people benefit from a good joke.

• Treat others and their experience with respect.

• Praise and compliment people when they deserve it.

• When someone is telling a story, don’t interrupt or try to upstage them with a story of your own.

• Smile – even when you don’t feel like smiling.

• Be cheerful and try to make others smile.

• Look for solutions.

• When someone compliments you, don’t disagree or boast about it – simply say thank-you with a smile and move on.

• Don’t complain.

• When you’re unhappy, try your best to act happy anyway. You will end up feeling better and so will the people around you, your mood is contagious.

• Fake it ‘till you make it. If you’re not naturally confident or happy, fake it until you generally possess the desired characteristics.

• Learn to appreciate, be helpful and not demotivate your team members. Work as a team, not as an individual. This will achieve better results.

• Treat your team members and colleagues as friends and not as strangers or subordinates.

Beatrice Vincent once said, “The people with whom you work reflect your own attitude. If you are suspicious, unfriendly and condescending, you will find these unlovely traits echoed all about you. But if you are on your best behaviour, you will bring out the best in the persons with whom you are going to spend most of your working hours.”