Interpersonal Skills For The Workplace

Interpersonal Skills For The Workplace

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.
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:
 Self-awareness,

 Emotions,

 Empathy, and

 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.
2) Being Cognizant of Nonverbal Communication
 Are you conscious about the nonverbal messages you are
sending throughout the work day? Nonverbal communication
is an often overlooked bridge between yourself and others,
including your colleagues, supervisor, partners, and clients.
 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.).
3) Being Respectful of Others

It’s well known that respect can go a long way in fostering positive
relationships and work environments. In fact, a survey by the
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) listed respectful
treatment of all employees as the top factor contributing to employee
job satisfaction.
Showing respect in the workplace can be done in any number of ways,
including:
 Showing appreciation for employees’ efforts and time;

 Showing gratitude and courtesy;

 Listening to what others have to say rather than listening only to

respond;
 Being respectful of others’ ideas and opinions, even when they differ

from yours;
 Not disparaging, insulting, or attacking others; and

 Not taking credit for others’ work; even if you build or improve upon

someone else’s work, be sure to acknowledge their initial

contributions.
4) Showing Empathy and Understanding

Having empathy for others is a crucial part of

relationship building in the workplace because
it helps you take into account the thoughts,
feelings, and needs of others. There are
different ways that learning and development
professionals can encourage employees to
develop and grow these skills through
empathy-building exercises.
 Empathy, along with active listening and

strong communication skills, also is useful in

terms of negotiation tactics.
5) Being a Clear Communicator

 Regardless of where you’re from,

communication is an important part of life, as
well as a necessary component of any
personal or business relationship. Having
effective communication skills can be the
difference between success and failure.
6) Engaging in Active Listening

 Active listening is pretty self-explanatory. It’s all

about actively listening to what someone else has to
say rather than passively hearing their message.
Approach each conversation like you have something
to learn — because, in reality, you likely will find
yourself doing just that.
 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 behaviors
that 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.

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.

 The goal of feedback is to provide corrective, constructive

input based on an evaluation of information, whereas
criticism is geared more toward delivering judgment based
on that information.
 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
Assignment

 List features of Interpersonal Communication

in organisation and explain any one.
Thanks