Unit 3: Professional Practice

Lesson [2]
Interpersonal skills

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By the end of this unit a student
will be able to:
LO1 Demonstrate a range of interpersonal and transferable communication
skills to a target audience

LO2 Apply critical reasoning and thinking to a range of problem-solving

scenarios

LO3 Discuss the importance and dynamics of working within a team and the
impact of team working in different environments
LO4 Examine the need for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and
its role within the workplace and for higher level learning

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Pass , Merit and Distinction
criteria For this section

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Interpersonal skills

▪ Interpersonal skills are traits you rely on when you

interact and communicate with others.

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Some examples of interpersonal
skills include:
▪ Active listening
▪ Teamwork
▪ Responsibility
▪ Dependability
▪ Leadership
▪ Motivation
▪ Flexibility
▪ Patience
▪ Empathy

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Why are interpersonal skills
important?

▪ Strong interpersonal skills can help you during the job interview
process as interviewers look for applicants who can work well with
others.
▪ They will also help you succeed in almost any job by helping you
understand other people and adjusting your approach to work
together effectively.
▪ This is especially true as more companies implement collaborative
agile frameworks for getting work done.
▪ Employers will be looking for workers who can both perform
technical tasks with excellence and communicate well with
colleagues.

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Hard Skills vs Soft Skills

▪ Unlike technical or “hard” skills, interpersonal skills are

“soft” skills that are easily transferable across
industries and positions.
▪ Employers value interpersonal skills because they
contribute to positive work environments and help
maintain an efficient workflow.

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Set of Key Soft Skills

▪ Personal effectiveness
▪ Working with others
▪ Use of initiative
▪ Negotiating skills
▪ Assertiveness skills
▪ Social skills.

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Personal Effectiveness

▪ Personal Effectiveness refers to making the best use of

your time and making use of the resources at your
disposal, in order to perform to the best of your ability
in your workplace.
▪ This will then mean you will be excellent in achieving
your goals!

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Personal Effectiveness Cont..
▪ People are personally effective in different ways
because everyone has different goals, values and
priorities.

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Working with others

▪ Working successfully with others requires practical as

well as personal skills.
▪ One of the main advantages of working with others is
that you can benefit from the skills of others that
you may not have yourself, and share your own
skills.

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Working with others Cont.…

▪Working in a group is about:

a. Communicating effectively
b. Contributing ideas
c. Listening and receiving feedback
d. Leading or following as appropriate

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Use of initiative

▪ Initiative and creativity move the world.

▪ Innovative ideas in various industries contribute to
constant development.
▪ There is a great demand for energetic professionals
who are inventive and enterprising enough to be
proactive in everything they do.

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Use of initiative Cont.…

▪ Here are 8 tips to help you be one of those proactive

professionals and take more initiative at work:
1. Never stand still
2. Do more than is required of you
3. Think as a team member, not an employee
4. Speak up and share your ideas
5. Consider every opportunity
6. Always be prepared
7. Be self-motivated
8. Ask many questions

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Developing Negotiation Skills

▪ Negotiation is another important skill which people

settle differences.
▪ It is a process by which compromise or agreement is
reached while avoiding argument and dispute.
▪ However, the principles of fairness, seeking mutual
benefit and maintaining a relationship are the keys to a
successful outcome.

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Negotiations are used in many
situations:
▪ international affairs,
▪ the legal system,
▪ Government
▪ industrial disputes or domestic relationships as
examples.
▪ Negotiation skills can be of great benefit in resolving
any differences that arise between you and others.

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Assertiveness skills

▪ Being assertive means being able to stand up for your

own or other people’s rights in a calm and positive
way, without being either aggressive, or passively
accepting ‘wrong’.
▪ Assertive individuals are able to get their point across
without upsetting others, or becoming upset
themselves.

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Social Skills

▪ Social skills are the skills we use to communicate and interact with
each other, both verbally and non-verbally, through gestures, body
language and our personal appearance.
▪ Developing social skills is about being aware of how we
communicate with others, the messages we send and how
methods of communication can be improved to make the way we
communicate more efficient and effective.

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Advantages of having well
developed social skills
1. More and Better Relationships
2. Better Communication
3. Greater Efficiency
4. Advancing Career Prospects
5. Increased Overall Happiness

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Activity

▪ Working in groups to plan the delivery of a training

event for a given target audience. (45 minutes)

▪ At the end of the discussion learners are required to

orally present the project proposal of training
programme.

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End of Lesson 2

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