Faculty of

Hotel & Tourism

Management
Committed to Nurturing
Talent, Passion and Innovation

1
CHAPTER FOUR

INTERPERSONAL
SKILLS,
DECISION-MAKING AND
TEAM LEARNING
 WELCOME
CREATIVE

ZURENA@RENA SHAHRIL, PhD

300K
Friday, November 27, 2020 l 9.00AM

03-32587764/ 012-3480875
zurena511@uitm.edu.my
 Topic 1
Interpersonal Skills

PRESENTATION
OUTLINE
CREATIVE
Topic 2
Decision-Making

Topic 3
Team Learning
 Topic 1
Interpersonal Skills
What are Interpersonal Skills?
• The skills needed and used to communicate and interact with other
people

• Sometimes referred to as social skills, people skills, soft skills, or life

skills

• They include a wide range of skills, but particularly communication

skills such as listening and effective speaking

• Also include the ability to control and manage your emotions

What are Interpersonal Skills?
• The foundation for success in life

• People with strong interpersonal skills tend to be able to work well

with other people, including in teams or groups, formally and
informally

• They communicate effectively with others, whether family, friends,

colleagues, customers or clients

• They also have better relationships at home and at work

 Interpersonal Skills
CREATIVE

Skill one

Communication Skills
1 4 Skill four

Negotiation, Persuasion
and Influencing Skills

Skill two

Emotional Intelligence
2 5 Skill five

Conflict Resolution and

Mediation

Skill three

Team Working
3 6 Skill six

Problem Solving and

Decision-Making
Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal skills therefore include:

1. Communication skills, which in turn covers:

• Verbal Communication – what we say and how we say it;
• Non-Verbal Communication – what we communicate
without words, for example through body language, or tone of
voice; and
• Listening Skills – how we interpret both the verbal and
non-verbal messages sent by others
Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal skills therefore include:
2. Emotional intelligence – being able to understand and manage your
own and others’ emotions
3. Team-working – being able to work with others in groups and
teams, both formal and informal
4. Negotiation, persuasion and influencing skills – working with others
to find a mutually agreeable (Win/Win) outcome. This may be
considered a subset of communication, but it is often treated
separately
Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal skills therefore include:
5. Conflict resolution and mediation – working with others to resolve
interpersonal conflict and disagreements in a positive way, which
again may be considered a subset of communication
6. Problem solving and decision-making – working with others to
identify, define and solve problems, which includes making
decisions about the best course of action
 Topic 2
Decision-Making
What is Decision Making?
• The act of choosing between two or more courses of action

• In the wider process of problem-solving, decision-making

involves choosing between possible solutions to a problem

• Decisions can be made through either

an intuitive or reasoned process, or a combination of the two
What is Decision Making?
Intuition

• Using your ‘gut feeling’ about possible courses of action

• Although people talk about it as if it was a magical ‘sense’, intuition is

actually a combination of past experience and your personal values

• It is worth taking your intuition into account, because it reflects your

learning about life
What is Decision Making?
Intuition

• It is, however, not always based on reality, only your perceptions,

many of which may have started in childhood and may not be very
mature as a result

• It is therefore worth examining your gut feeling closely, especially if

you have a very strong feeling against a particular course of action, to
see if you can work out why, and whether the feeling is justified
What is Decision Making?
Intuition

• Intuition is a perfectly acceptable means of making a decision,

although it is generally more appropriate when the decision is of a
simple nature or needs to be made quickly
What is Decision Making?
Reasoning

• Using the facts and figures in front of you to make decisions

• Has its roots in the here-and-now, and in facts

• It can, however, ignore emotional aspects to the decision, and in

particular, issues from the past that may affect the way that the
decision is implemented
What is Decision Making?
Reasoning

• More complicated decisions tend to require a more formal, structured

approach, usually involving both intuition and reasoning

• It is important to be wary of impulsive reactions to a situation

Applying Both Reason and Intuition
• One way to do this is to apply the two aspects in turn.
• It’s useful to start with reason, and gather facts and figures.
• Once you have an obvious ‘decision’, it’s the turn of intuition.
• How do you feel about the ‘answer’?
• Does it feel right?
• If not, have another look, and see if you can work out why not.
• If you’re not emotionally committed to the decision you’ve made, you
won’t implement it well or effectively.
Effective Decision Making
• Decisions need to be capable of being implemented, whether on a
personal or organizational level

• You do, therefore, need to be committed to the decision personally,

and be able to persuade others of its merits

• An effective decision-making process, therefore, needs to ensure that

you are able to do so
What Can Prevent Effective
Decision Making?
1. Not Enough Information
• If you do not have enough information, it can feel like you are
making a decision without any basis
• Take some time to gather the necessary data to inform your decision,
even if the timescale is very tight
• If necessary, prioritize your information-gathering by identifying
which information will be most important to you
What Can Prevent Effective
Decision Making?
2. Too Much Information

• The opposite problem, but one that is seen surprisingly often: having
so much conflicting information that it is impossible to see ‘the wood
for the trees’

• This is sometimes called analysis paralysis, and is also used as a

tactic to delay organizational decision-making, with those involved
demanding ever more information before they can decide
•
What Can Prevent Effective
Decision Making?
2. Too Much Information

• This problem can often be resolved by getting everyone together to

decide what information is really important and why, and by setting a
clear timescale for decision-making, including an
information-gathering stage
What Can Prevent Effective
Decision Making?
3. Too Many People

• Making decisions by committee is difficult

• Everyone has their own views, and their own values

• It’s important to know what these views are, and why and how they
are important, it may be essential for one person to take responsibility
for making a decision

• Sometimes, any decision is better than none.

What Can Prevent Effective
Decision Making?
4. Vested Interests

• Decision-making processes often founder under the weight of vested interests

• These vested interests are often not overtly expressed, but may be a crucial
blockage

• Because they are not overtly expressed, it is hard to identify them clearly, and
therefore address them, but it can sometimes be possible to do so by exploring
them with someone outside the process, but in a similar position
What Can Prevent Effective
Decision Making?
5. Emotional Attachments

• People are often very attached to the status quo

• Decisions tend to involve the prospect of change, which many people

find difficult
What Can Prevent Effective
Decision Making?
6. No Emotional Attachment

• Sometimes it’s difficult to make a decision because you just don’t

care one way or the other

• In this case, a structured decision-making process can often help by

identifying some very real pros and cons of particular actions, that
perhaps you hadn’t thought about before
Power, Authority and Influence
Power

• The capacity of a person or a group to influence other people or

groups

• (i.e. Manager may decide to recognize the way tasks are allocated
within an organization, which will affect the on how the people
work)
Authority

• Is the power which is formally given to an individual or group

because of the position or rule they occupy within an organization

• Authority is subset of power

Influence

• Occurs when a person or a group affects what another person or

group does and/or thinks

• (i.e. New Senior Manager had adopted new dress code which had led
to others in the organization starts to do so)
Topic 3
Team Learning
What are Teamwork Skills?
• Essential to your success at work, no matter your industry or job title

• Working well with clients, colleagues, managers and other people in

your workplace can help you complete tasks efficiently while creating
an enjoyable environment both for yourself and others

• An organization that emphasizes good teamwork skills is typically a

healthy, high-functioning workplace
What are Teamwork Skills?
• The qualities and abilities that allow you to work well with others
during conversations, projects, meetings or other collaborations.

• Having teamwork skills is dependent on your ability to communicate

well, actively listen and be responsible and honest.
Why are Teamwork Skills
Important?
• Required to work alongside others in every industry at every level in
the career.

• Doing so in an empathetic, efficient and responsible manner can help

to accomplish career goals, grow resume and contribute positively to
the organization.

• It can also help to build rapport with others.

• Building rapport can lead to deeper working relationships, new

connections and possibly new opportunities.
 Teamwork Skills Qualities
CREATIVE

Communicatio Responsibility Honest Active Listening

n y
Teamwork Skills Qualities
CREATIVE

Empath Collaboration Awarenes

y s
 THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION