What are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with
other people, both individually and in groups. People who have worked on developing
strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and
personal lives.
Employers often seek to hire staff with 'strong interpersonal skills' - they want people
who will work well in a team and be able to communicate effectively with colleagues,
customers and clients.
Interpersonal skills are not just important in the workplace, our personal and
social lives can also benefit from better interpersonal skills. People with good
interpersonal skills are usually perceived as optimistic, calm, confident
and charismatic - qualities that are often endearing or appealing to others.
Through awareness of how you interact with others - and with practice - you
can improve your interpersonal skills.
A List of Interpersonal Skills Includes:
Verbal Communication - What we say and how we say it.
Non-Verbal Communication - What we communicate without words, body language
is an example.
Listening Skills - How we interpret both the verbal and non-verbal messages sent by
others.
Negotiation - Working with others to find a mutually agreeable outcome.
Problem Solving - Working with others to identify, define and solve problems.
Decision Making Exploring and analysing options to make sound decisions.
Assertiveness Communicating our values, ideas, beliefs, opinions, needs and wants
freely.
Interpersonal Skills become so natural that we may take them for granted, never
thinking about how we communicate with other people. With a little time and effort you
can develop these skills. Good interpersonal skills can improve many aspects of your life
- professionally and socially - they lead to better understanding and relationships.
Interpersonal skills are also sometimes referred to as: social skills, people skills, soft
skills, communication skills or life skills. Although these terms can include
interpersonal skills they tend to be broader and therefore may also refer other types of
skills.

Develop Your Interpersonal Skills

There are a variety of skills that can help you to succeed in different areas of life and
SkillsYouNeed has sections covering many of these. However, the foundations for many
other skills are built on strong interpersonal skills since these are relevant to our
personal relationships, social affairs and professional lives. Without good
interpersonal skills it is often more difficult to develop other important life skills.
Unlike specialised and technical skills (hard skills), interpersonal skills (soft
skills) are used every day and in every area of our lives.

Ways to improve and develop your 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. Visit our Listening
Skills page to learn more.
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 and use appropriate questioning to
develop your understanding. Our page: Verbal Communication, introduces the subject,
you may also be interested in Effective Speech for tips on how to use your voice to full
effect and Questioning which can help you encourage communication in others and
clarify what they have said.
Understand Why Communication Fails
-Communication is rarely perfect and can fail for a number of reasons. Learn
about the various barriers to good communication so you can be aware of - and reduce
the likelihood of - ineffective interpersonal communication and misunderstandings. See
our page: Barriers to Communication for more information. Our page
Communicating in Difficult Situations offers further ideas to help you to get your
message across when stress levels or other emotions are running high.
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 whilst gaining the respect and trust of
others.

Understand Stress
-Learn to recognise, manage and reduce stress in yourself and others . Although stress
is not always bad, it can have a detrimental effect on your interpersonal communication.
Learning how to recognise and manage stress, in yourself and others, is an important
personal 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 you can
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.
Ten ways to Improve your Interpersonal Skills
Smile -Few people want to be around someone who is always down in the dumps. Do
your best to be friendly and upbeat with your fellow group members. Maintain a positive,
cheerful attitude about school and life. Smile often. The positive energy you radiate will
draw others to you.
Be appreciative -Find one positive thing about everyone you work with and let them
hear it. Be generous with praise and kind words of encouragement. Say thank you when
someone helps you. Make group members feel welcome when they call or ask questions.
If you let others know that they are appre- ciated, theyll want to give you their best.
Pay attention to others -Observe whats going on in other peoples lives. Acknowledge
their happy milestones, and ex- press concern and sympathy for difficult situations such
as an illness or death. Make eye contact. Ask others for their opinions.
Practice active listening. -To actively listen is to demonstrate that you intend to hear
and understand anothers point of view. It means restating, in your own words, what the
other person has said. In this way, you know that you un- derstood their meaning and
they know that your responses are more than lip service. Your peers will appreciate
knowing that you really do listen to what they have to say.
Bring people together -Create an environment that encourages others to work
together. Treat everyone equally, and don't play favorites. Avoid talking about others
behind their backs. Follow up on other people's sugges- tions or requests. When you
make a statement or announcement, check to see that you have been understood. If
folks see you as someone solid and fair, they will grow to trust you.
Resolve conflicts -Take a step beyond simply bringing people together, and become
someone who resolves conflicts when they arise. Learn how to be an effective mediator.
If group members bicker over personal disagreements, arrange to sit down with both
parties and help sort out their differences. By taking on such a leadership role, you will
garner respect and admiration from those around you.
Communicate clearly -Pay close attention to both what you say and how you say it. A
clear and effective communicator avoids misunderstandings with coworkers, colleagues,
and peers. Verbal eloquence projects an image of intelligence and maturity, no matter
what your age. If you tend to blurt out anything that comes to mind, people wont put
much weight on your words or opinions.
Humor them -Dont be afraid to be funny or clever. Most people are drawn to a person
that can make them laugh. Use your sense of humor as an effective tool to lower barriers
and gain peoples affection.
See it from their side -Empathy means being able to put yourself in someone elses
shoes and understand how they feel. Try to view situations and responses from another
persons perspective. This can be accomplished through staying in touch with your own
emotions; those who are cut off from their own feelings are often unable to empathize
with others.
Dont complain -There is nothing worse than a chronic complainer or whiner. If you
simply have to vent about something, save it for your journal. If you must verbalize your
grievances, vent to your personal friends and family, and keep it short. Spare those
around you, or else youll get a bad reputation.