10 Tips How to Develop Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are essential for success no matter what field an individual you are operating within. Interpersonal skills also show that a person can use any resource at their disposal to succeed.

Some of the interpersonal skills relevant to a person’s success include how they act, how they communicate with others, and how well they can deal with difficult people. Interpersonal skills also show how well someone can get along in different cultures.

The following article will share some tips on developing these critical interpersonal skills. So, let’s begin our journey with some essential pieces of information.

What are Interpersonal Skills?

Many people think that interpersonal skills are how you interact with other people.

Here is the definition: Interpersonal Skills refer to a person’s ability to understand, communicate effectively and collaborate with others to work towards common goals or solve problems.

Interpersonal skills are the social graces that help people communicate positively and are essential for future success, especially in careers involving relationships like sales or teaching.

Some examples of soft skills that require interpersonal skills such as:

• Negotiation skills
• Conflict management
• Work in Team/Group
• Leadership
• Problem-solving

Types of Interpersonal Skills

There are four types of interpersonal skills:

Listening Skills

Known as one of the most important skills you can have, listening has a significant influence on your job efficacy and those around you. Listening is active. It means you’re not only hearing what someone says but also trying to understand how they feel about it and why they are saying the thing that just came out of their mouth.

Active Listening:

The best way to listen actively in any situation is easy –by asking questions! Interrogating your conversation partner may sound scary at first. Still, all active listeners instinctively do this without realizing it when they care enough to ask follow-up questions like “Why did you say that?” “How long has that been true?”. It is also crucial to keep eye contact while listening to another person.

Written Communication

Communication can be described as the transfer of information or ideas from one person to another. When you convey a written message, you’re engaging in written communication – from emails and text messages to more formal memoranda and reports; written communication is at the heart of most business interactions.

The science of written communication is a vast topic, but some fundamental principles can help you create more robust written communications.

• Communicate with clarity
• Use appropriate written language
• Include the right content in your written message
• Involve others as much as possible in the process.

Learn all the secrets with our post:

How to Improve Your Written Communication Skills

Verbal Communication

Verbal communication includes more than just the words you’re saying and the situation in which you’re speaking. Verbal communication also has intonation, meaning how your voice rises and falls with expression. It also includes silence. Verbal communication can be either passive or active. The topic at hand is how to improve interpersonal skills and get what you want in life out of conversations with other people, not how to take over a room — that’s the domain of public speaking.

Non-verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication involves both verbal or spoken word and non-verbal messages. Non-verbal messages can be gestures, such as nodding the head or shaking your fist in anger. Facial expressions like smiling or scowling; physical posture like standing up straight or slouching down over the table; dress codes (e.g., wearing a suit to make yourself look professional); or tone of voice such as sounding angry, happy, upset, or bored. Non-verbal messages can be used in place of words when you are at the store and want to get someone’s attention without saying anything (e.g., gesturing that they need help by pointing at something on the shelf). Non-verbal communication can also convey a message in place of words when you are angry or upset.

To develop good interpersonal skills, people need to learn how to interpret other people’s non-verbal skills and emotions. Interpersonal skills can be improved by practising reading facial expressions and listening for verbal cues. Interacting with people, such as volunteering or attending social events, will also help develop strong interpersonal skills, making it easier to understand what others are thinking and feeling.

How to improve interpersonal skills:

Here you’ll find some of the critical skills you need to pay attention to improve interpersonal skills.

Think about yourself and be aware of what you do.

The skill of self-awareness is recognizing what you are feeling, how far your strengths extend, where your weaknesses lie, and understanding the impact all these things have on people around you.’

Self-awareness allows the individual to identify their strengths and weaknesses to improve them or take advantage of a particular skill that would help with any given situation. For example, interpersonal skills can be used in a professional setting to help establish connections with others at work. In contrast, healthy relationships are established through active listening and empathy for the other person’s feelings or thoughts on any given topic.

Self-awareness is essential not only when interacting professionally but also personally as it allows one to understand themselves better and improve their relationships. Interpersonal skills can be developed by practising self-awareness and active listening to understand better what someone else is trying to communicate or feeling.

Think about what you say

Many people tend to talk before that think, which can lead to misunderstandings and potential conflicts. Interpersonal skills are vital because they allow individuals to think about what they want to say before actually saying it and listen actively without interrupting or talking over the other person.

The ability of an individual to choose their words carefully is a crucial interpersonal skill that must be practised for one’s professional or personal relationships with others to grow more successful and fulfilling.

People must learn how their words affect others and adjust accordingly for interpersonal relationships to grow more prosperous.

Cultivate a positive attitude and work environment

Try to be always positive and avoid the negative talk. Interpersonal relations will always flourish in an environment that is positive and encouraging.

Always say a good word to others, even when you don’t like them. Interpersonal skills development is all about communicating effectively with different people and being selected by them.

Keep the environment around you motivated and positive to develop interpersonal skills. Interpersonal relations flourish best in positive and encouraging environments, which is why it’s essential always to say something nice even if you don’t like the person. I

Show interest in colleagues.

Another critical task is to show interest in colleagues and genuinely connect with them. Interpersonal skills will develop when one takes an interest in the people around them, including their co-workers or classmates.

Showing genuine concern for others is a crucial way to develop interpersonal skills by showing that you are interested in knowing all about who they are and what they have been up to lately. Interactively participating in conversations is also important because it allows individuals better to understand another person’s thoughts on any given topic while establishing connections with those around them.

Remembering names can be challenging, but show a commitment by asking someone how he/she pronounces his name before forgetting it immediately after hearing it correctly pronounced.

The skill of remembering people’s names is crucial and should be practised to become less of a burden. In addition, interpersonal skills are developed by remembering names and asking someone how they pronounce their name correctly before forgetting about it just moments later.

Avoid finishing others’ sentences.

No one likes someone interrupting them during a conversation or finishing their sentence. Interpersonal skills are developed by avoiding this type of behaviour, as it can be seen as disrespectful and overwhelming to others.

Some people tend to talk over others when they want to share their thoughts. Good communication is by not doing this, but instead listening and allowing everyone a chance to speak during a conversation before jumping in with your own opinion.

Respect others’ thoughts and opinions

Appreciate other’s ideas and be open to new ones. You develop interpersonal skills when you respect others’ thoughts and opinions, even if they differ from your own.

Individuals need to respect other people’s opinions to take in what an individual is trying to communicate or feeling without getting frustrated, regardless of whether their ideas coincide with yours.

Get constructive criticism from friends and colleagues you trust.

Criticism is not a bad thing but can be received very personally if said in a certain way. Improve your interpersonal communication by getting constructive criticism from friends and colleagues that you trust, who will give their opinion of how to make things better without being too harsh or destructive.

Don’t jump the gun on anyone’s comment made about your work.

Before you dismiss any one person’s opinion of your work and get emotional, take the time to listen to the speaker. Constructive criticism is not always harmful or destructive if it comes from someone who cares about you.

It’s important not to get defensive or feel attacked when it comes to criticism.

Don’t force your opinion on someone else.

It’s easy for people to come off as forceful because they want what’s best for someone else, but this is not how to develop interpersonal skills. Interpersonal relations are created by respecting what others wish to and then leaving it up to them how they would like their opinion/situation handled

Try to handling difficult colleagues.

Often you will have to deal with difficult colleagues in the workplace. It would be best to interact with these individuals without creating more conflict or becoming annoyed, but instead trying to help them understand others’ opinions and thoughts on any given situation.

You will inevitably have a difficult colleague at some point; this does not mean they can’t be dealt with civilly.

Use conflict resolution to reconcile difficult situations

Conflict resolution is an essential skill that can be learned and applied to any given situation. Interpersonal skills are developed by using conflict resolutions to understand different points of view better, even if they’re not the same as yours or anyone else’s opinion.

Check Interpersonal Skills Guide With this Video!

In conclusion

With these ten tips, you can develop your interpersonal skills and be a better communicator. The people around you definitely will notice the difference in how they are treated by you and feel more at ease when cooperating with others. Please share this post to help someone else learn how to improve their communication skills!

Learn also:

• What You Need to Know about Passive-Aggressive Communication
• Essential Conflict Management Skills: The Basics, Examples, and Best Practices