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Interpersonal Communication Skills

Stephen Rampur
If you want to become a true professional, you necessarily need to hone your interpersonal communication skills. Here are some activities to improve these skills and their importance.
"To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others."
- Anthony Robbins
Communication is a very integral part of our lives, be it personal or professional. If a team has to reach its goal, it has to participate in effectively communicating its ideas and viewpoints.
Without good workplace communication, the team will in no way be able to achieve what it has aimed for. To work in a corporate environment, you inevitably need to possess some skills, and one of the primary ones is that of interpersonal communication.

Meaning

These skills relate to a person's abilities to interact with others in the group, by verbal or non-verbal methods. They are also known as people skills or soft skills. There are many aspects that are included in this group, and each one has its own significance. Typically, there are three major categories: listening, assertion, and conflict handling skills.

Importance

Assertiveness helps you in getting the work done without any conflicts and without dominating others. It even enables you to maintain a level of respect to and from other colleagues.
Conflict resolution skills play a very important role in handling and resolving disputes created among employees with different mindsets and backgrounds. One can bring them to a common ground and develop a sense of understanding that is a win-win for both the opposing parties.
Many people do have the habit of communicating one-way. They pass on the information to the receiver, but miss out on ensuring if the receiver has actually understood it. A two-way interaction is essential, which includes providing some information and getting a response from the receiver.
A leader should listen to his people regarding their views, suggestions, and feedback. The act of listening clearly rather than just hearing someone speak is one of the topmost essentials for any people manager or leader. Deficiency in this aspect leads to misunderstandings and filtering of information that can have an adverse impact on the organization.

Development

First, learn the art of verbal communication, which includes face-to-face and telephonic interaction, and non-verbal behavior such as facial gestures, hand movements, body language, etc.
While in a face-to-face conversation, maintain eye contact and listen to the other person with your complete attention. Show respect to others, no matter if you are the boss or a subordinate.
Do not dominate the suggestions of others, instead make them understand the benefits of whatever decisions are planned that will affect them. Do not assume things about the situation.
If you are not sure about some aspect of the information to be passed on, ask questions and receive feedback from the parties involved. If you want to conduct a presentation or a meeting, make sure you summarize all points and present everything in a clear and concise manner.
For effective communication, conflict resolution, decision-making, and teamwork, using interpersonal communication skills has proven to be a must.