It is no exaggeration to say that interpersonal skills are the foundation for success in life. People with strong interpersonal skills tend to work formally and informally with others, including in teams or groups. They communicate effectively with others, whether family, friends, colleagues, customers, or clients. They also have better relationships at home and work.
You can improve your interpersonal skills by developing your awareness of how you interact with others and practicing your skills.
What types of skills do employers look for when hiring? What skills make an employee valuable to a company? Many behavioral skills are social. They relate to how well you can get along with others, including your supervisor, colleagues, customers, vendors, and clients.
Communication
Good communication consists of many different sub-skills, from appropriate body language patterns and eye contact to the ability to write clear and accurate reports. Accurate listening and the ability to follow instructions are essential but are often ignored or taken for granted.
Many people do not pay close attention to what others communicate and fail to ask follow-up questions to understand fully. As a result, individuals act on their inaccurate assumptions and create inefficiencies and frustrations at work. If you can listen, your work will be cut above many of your peers.
- Active Listening
- Oral Communication
- Written Communication
- Ability to Follow Instructions
- Investigation
- Attention to Detail
- Negotiation
- Nonverbal Communication
Goal-Setting and Planning
Anybody can wish for something to happen, but to accomplish anything (except by accident), you need to make a plan—which, surprisingly, few people know how to do. Planning requires setting concrete goals, identifying workable action steps, and committing to see the project through.
Setting the initial goal can be difficult when multiple issues compete for attention. Effective planning requires arranging problems by importance and, often, delegation. It is impossible to do everything at once, but you can accomplish much if you focus on the most critical tasks and ask for help.
- Organizational Skills
- Prioritization
- Commitment
- Delegation
- Time Management
Numeracy
Numeracy is math, and literacy is to written language. Many adults are functionally innumerate, despite knowing how to solve complex math problems. Numeracy means thinking clearly and intelligently about numbers in real life, not just on a test.
A classic example of innumeracy is reacting differently to news stories or advertising depending on whether the same quantity is expressed as a percent, a decimal, or a fraction—and most people do just that, which is why sale signs always use percent. Becoming numerate is an integral part of critical thinking.
- Data Analysis
- Budgeting
- Critical Thinking
- Logical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Analytical Skills
Empathy
Behaving with empathy is more than feeling bad for someone sad or sharing in someone else’s joy. It means being able to step into someone else’s world to understand not just what their point of view is but also to know why they have that point of view. Being an empathetic individual comes naturally to some but is less natural to others.
The boss could be angry because they feel the pressure, you’re unaware of. A colleague might be concerned about a project because they fear losing their job. You never know what other people have going on. Empathy is a behavioral skill that can help you keep your peace of mind and grow in your career because empathetic people tend to put others at ease.
- Integrity
- Interpersonal
- Patience
- People Skills
- Emotional Intelligence
- Respect
- Teamwork
- Trust
An individual with the expertise to make others more confident with their skills and how to groom them more to make a good life out of it is the inspiration for our article today. Linda K Clemons is an individual who has high emotional intelligence, is charismatic, and loves to support, empower and equip others to live their best lives.
Linda believes that the best way to make the best impression is by using the correct body language and knowing the impact of communication skills in verbal and nonverbal both ways. Following all the pointers mentioned above would improve their interpersonal skills for personal and business development.
