First, let’s break down the word interpersonal.
Inter – is a prefix found in words from the Latin language where it means, among or between.
Personal – on its own, it means the private life, relationships, and emotions of a person.
Using these definitions, we can explain the word interpersonal as the actions, communication, and relationships that take place between different people.
Most organizations require and value excellent interpersonal skills very highly, especially when their employees work together or as a team. For this reason, many people have ‘Good Interpersonal Skills’ as one of their good qualities on their resume / CV.
To have excellent Interpersonal Skills is like saying:
I have excellent communication skills because I am a good listener and can share my thoughts and feelings to others. I am easy to get along with and rarely have problems with others at work or in my personal life.
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Interpersonal skills are the skills to interact with people everyday. As we grow up and contact with people, we are constantly being socialized and we keep developing our interpersonal skills. These skills are quite important since we use them to make friends, communicate with colleagues, cooperate with groups, etc. .
Having strong interpersonal skills is often positively related with one’s success on his or her career and interpersonal relationships.
Interpersonal skills include communication skills, ability to observe other’s emotions, managing our own EQ, problem solving and decision making and many other abilities surrounding communication.
Good communication skills: No matter what job you are doing, communication skills are always the most essential skill you should possess. To communicate means to exchange your thoughts with others. Without doing so, a work might be difficult to progress.
Expressing yourself clearly and asking questions is always encouraged. Western people normally have better communication skills Eastern people and this might have something to do with culture. Western culture emphasizes on individuals while Eastern stresses on groups.
This cause the Eastern people(especially students) unwilling to ask questions. This may be one reason why Western people have more creativity than Eastern people, since they are more willing to exchange ideas.
Good observation skills: A good listener needs be to observant. Analyzing other people’s expression, words and gesture are crucial if you don’t want to get into conflict with someone. After knowing how they feel, you will be able to reduce the chance of putting your foot into your mouth.
Good EQ management: EQ, which stands for emotional quotient, is an important skill as well. Living in this society, it is inevitable to be annoyed or irritated by something. It may be an event that doesn’t go ideally, or someone talking gossips on you.
Controlling your emotions makes it important. It is estimated that while you are stressed out or in anger, you’re working efficiency is reduced by 40%. Sometimes, a simple smile instead of a furious fight back softens an awkward atmosphere.
Being Decisive: Having the ability to make decisions is one of the major skills for leaders. Being a leader, one must gather people’s opinion and make a decision. Successful people who leads large companies usually excel at making significant decisions.
However, not only those tycoons need to make decisions. We face decisions every day in our lives: What to eat for dinner? What tools to use on a certain problem? Whether to go to post-graduate or to work directly? These are the problems all of us will face in our lives.
Being decisive not only saves your time, it also prevents you from getting annoyed while choosing the options.
SO, how do we develop our interpersonal skills?
1. Identify area for improvement: Knowing your own weakness is definitely helpful. You can seek for help from other people. Ask them how they feel about you. Once they point out your insufficiency, try to improve it.
2. Develop personal skills first: If interpersonal skills are about others, then personal skills are about yourself. Though having great interpersonal skills is important, it starts with YOURSELF. Maintain a positive attitude.
3. Practice, practice and practice: The more you use, the more proficient you are. Some people don’t dare to communicate with other’s because they are afraid of being rejected. To be honest, you have nothing to lose. Practice makes perfect.
