Professional Documents
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There are certain skill sets that are crucial for professionals to be able to exercise in their work
environment. Regardless of your industry, interpersonal skills (such as being able to effectively
communicate) are important because they:
Help employees develop and foster strong working relationships with each other and with
their clients,
Contribute to increasing team and organizational productivity, and
Create an overall positive work environment.
One of the best and most basic ways to learn any skill, including various interpersonal skills, is
to learn by doing and actively practicing every day.
Here is a list of eight of the must-have interpersonal skills for every professional in the
workplace:
1) Exercising Self-Awareness
In general terms, self-awareness means that a person is able to consciously know what they’re
feeling and why they’re feeling it. Self-awareness falls within the realm of emotional
intelligence, a term coined by author, psychologist, and Big Think expert Daniel Goleman.
Emotional intelligence is comprised of four primary components:
1. Self-awareness,
2. Emotions,
3. Empathy, and
4. Relationship building.
Being aware of your own feelings and emotions can help you be cognizant of the messages you
convey to others whether through your words or non-verbal forms of communication. A lack of
employee self-awareness can be detrimental to the success and productivity of an organization.
However, nonverbal cues can either make relationships stronger or damage them depending on
how they’re used and the context of the situation.
Some forms of nonverbal communication include:
Eye contact,
Facial expressions,
Body language,
Gestures, and
Physical contact (such as shaking hands, touching an arm, pushing, etc.).
However, not all employers establish work environments that encourage respect. In some
cases, managers themselves can be among the biggest offenders in terms of being disrespectful
toward others.
Showing respect in the workplace can be done in any number of ways, including:
Empathy, along with active listening and strong communication skills, also is useful in terms of
negotiation tactics.
Everyone has their own unique insights, experiences, and perspectives on different subjects. By
actively listening to other viewpoints in the workplace (as well as in our personal lives), it helps
us as humans to learn and grow. We’re able to increase our own understanding by having an
open mind and considering new ideas.
7) Behaving Appropriately
Behaving appropriately should go without saying in the workplace. Depending on the culture of
your individual organization, what’s considered appropriate can vary. However, there are
some universally accepted behaviorsthat should be exercised by employees, including:
Being punctual;
Being friendly and respectful of others;
Showing courtesy;
Being cooperative and easy to work with;
Having a positive attitude;
Dressing appropriately; and
Taking personal responsibility and being accountable.
Be sure to check out National Public Radio’s (NPR) recent list of inappropriate behaviors that
should be avoided in the workplace.
8) Being Receptive to Feedback
Feedback is necessary for personal and professional growth. However, no one likes to feel like
they’re being criticized. This is why it’s important to recognize the difference between receiving
feedback and criticism. Feedback — whether positive or negative in nature — is like criticism in
that it involves an evaluation of some kind by another person. However, a significant difference
between these two terms is intent.
If you are open and receptive to feedback, it will help you to learn and grow from what others —
your colleagues, supervisors, and clients — have to say. All of the interpersonal skills that have
been addressed in this blog are important not only your employees’ professional futures but also
the success of your organization as a whole.
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