AN ASSIGNMENT ON INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Submitted By SALAM BASANTA (Roll no.

:12PBA062) DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

AVS COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCE RAMALINGAPURAM SALEM-636106 18th FEBRUARY 2013

WHAT ARE INTERPERSONAL SKILLS?

Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people, individually and 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.

FOUR TYPES OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Good interpersonal skills are critical in all work environments. The better your interpersonal skills the more effective you will be in your personal and career life. Lets have a look at four types of strong interpersonal skills that should be mentioned. 1. Assertion Skills These are both non-verbal and verbal behaviors that allow you to remain respectful, defend your rights, and satisfy your needs, all without abusing, manipulating, controlling, or dominating. 2. Active Listening When using Active Listening the listener is focused on the person speaking absorbing what is said and responding appropriately.

3. Questioning Skills How you ask the questions will establish the type of answer you get, the quality of that answer, and the quantity of that answer. You can improve the overall communication with the right questions. 4. Conflict Resolution Skills These are skills that will allow managing and resolving conflicts effectively.

EXAMPLES OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Lets look at a list of interpersonal skills that are essential to your communication dialogue. Look While you are listening to what a person has to say you should also be looking at facial expressions, body language, well as dress, hair, and eyes. Develop your skills to look for this information and then use it. For example, are the lips clenched or is the body relaxed? Ask Ask questions that are open-ended improving your ability to extract more information from the other person and quickly identify the value of that information. Its a great way to become extremely efficient at interpersonal skills. Listen While it may sound simple, the fact of the matter is only a small percentage of people listen well. Its critical that you actually hear the persons message. Missing just a little piece can change the entire meaning or perception of that message. Listen for tone, inflection, and volume. For example, whats your problem? said in a soft tone would imply you want to assist someone, but said in a loud boisterous voice might indicate someone is angry.

Comprehend With the information gathered it must be processed and then learned. You must apply what you have learned to the person you are having a dialogue with. When you comprehend what their emotional state is, their mood, or how they are feeling you can better understand the true meaning of their message.

Learn When you Look, listen, and ask you will generate a significant amount of information in a relatively short period of time, allowing you to quickly and efficiently process the information.

Identify After youve gathered the information, you need to process it and identify where the real value is. This enables you to see possible relationship opportunities and to identify the persons needs.

Commit Commitment is a key interpersonal skill requiring your time an effort. When you are committed to the development of your interpersonal skills, it will benefit everyone you communicate with.

You already have interpersonal skills. We all learn how people are likely to react to what we say, how we say it and what we do, as well as how these actions make others, and us, feel. These skills are easily further developed with a little time and effort spent working, thinking and practising them. Remember it is worth spending time developing these skills as good interpersonal skills can improve many aspects of your life. Interpersonal skills are also sometimes referred to as social skills, people skills, soft skills or life skills, although these terms can be broader and may also refer to other skills.

DEVELOPING YOUR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

There are a variety of skills that will help you to succeed in different areas of life. However, the foundation for many areas of our lives are good interpersonal skills since these are relevant to our personal relationships, social affairs and professional lives and are the basis on which we can develop other life skills. Unlike specialised and technical skills (hard skills), interpersonal skills (soft skills) will be used everyday and in every area of our lives. Here, you can find out how to develop specific interpersonal skills including: 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 communication. 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. Empathise Understand that other people may have different points of view. Try to see things from their perspective. You may learn something while you gain the respect and trust of others. 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. Learning how to recognise and manage stress, in yourself and others, is an important interpersonal skill. 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. Working in Groups We often find ourselves in group situations, professionally and socially. Learn all about the different types of groups and teams in our article: What is a Group. Further articles about groups include: Group and Team Roles, Group Life Cycles, Building Group Cohesiveness and How to Recognise and Avoid Problem Behaviours in Groups. Smile When you smile you look friends and approachable and that will draw people to you. Be Appreciative Say thank you, speak kindly, and encourage others with your words.

CONCLUSIONS
Thus, there are plenty of ways to improve your interpersonal skills but these will get you started. Lastly, I would like to conclude by saying that Interpersonal skills can improve your communication and your life and is a must for all the MBA students.