Interpersonal Skills & Use on the Job

What Are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are the behaviors and tactics a person uses to interact with others effectively. In the business world, the term refers to an employee's ability to work well with others. Interpersonal skills range from communication and listening to attitude and deportment.

Understanding Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are often referred to as social intelligence. They depend on reading the signals others send and interpreting them accurately in order to form a response.

Everyone has a personal style and an interpersonal style, but some are more successful than others. While interpersonal skills may be based in part on personality and instinct, they can also be developed.

Although interpersonal skills can be developed, they cannot be learned solely from a textbook. They come naturally to some people, while others have to work at cultivating them and this is often done through continuous interaction with other individuals.

In many organizations, employees with strong interpersonal skills are valued for their pleasant demeanor and positive, solution-oriented attitude. These employees are seen as team players, who work well with others to achieve a goal. In more human terms, everyone likes being around them, and that never hurts.

Interpersonal skills are strongly linked to a knowledge of social expectations and customs, whether learned or acquired. People with the strongest interpersonal skills adjust their tactics and communications on the fly depending on the reactions of others.

Interpersonal Skills in the Job Search

Interpersonal skills are highly valued in the business world. Job seekers should use every opportunity to show their interpersonal skills at interviews and on resumes. It can be difficult for an interviewer to gauge a prospective employee's actual ability to perform the job in a short interview; therefore, many interviewers rely on the interpersonal skills of a candidate and how those skills would fit within the larger organization.

Strong interpersonal skills are prerequisites for many professional jobs and for a successful career.

Among the interpersonal skills often required in business are active listening; the ability to elicit and fully process information from a speaker. Negotiation is a skill that is prized in sales, marketing, law, and customer service. Other desirable interpersonal skills include public speaking, conflict management, team building, and collaboration.

Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace

Strong interpersonal skills such as negotiating, problem-solving, and knowledge-sharing are the main requirements for many jobs. Other skills are seen as essential qualifications for all employees, including:

It's difficult to imagine a company thriving if its employees do not have these interpersonal skills. Most jobs are not isolated and require the interaction between many individuals within a firm. These can be colleagues on your level or those with a higher role in the firm, such as a managing director or CEO. Having strong interpersonal skills will allow for more efficiency in getting tasks done as well as done correctly all to the betterment of the company.

Having poor interpersonal skills can be a detriment. Even if an employee is able to do their work correctly and well, having poor interpersonal skills can be a factor in the limitations of their growth at a firm as well as holding on to a position. People want to work with individuals that they like and whose personality improves their workday. Having strong interpersonal skills only helps.

Improving Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are best honed by practice. Expressing appreciation for team members and support staff, displaying empathy, moderating disputes quickly, and controlling displays of temper are all good exercises.

Active listening can be practiced by repeating back a speaker's comment to make sure true communication is taking place. Furthermore, people can demonstrate active listening by providing a well thought out and appropriate answer

If all that isn't enough, there are courses that teach these skills and many firms offer them to their employees as a part of cultivating a strong workforce.