Interpersonal Skills are the Key to a Thriving Business
These skills are critical, regardless of the workplace hierarchy or industry you work in
Good Interpersonal Skills are Vital for a Thriving Business
Is your place of work a productive, effective and happy place?
In a world that is increasingly driven by technology, interpersonal skills are more important than ever. Our success depends on our ability to communicate in every area of our lives – at home, with friends and in our place of work.
These skills are critical, regardless of your profession, role, level of seniority or the industry you work in. Without people working effectively together with the purpose of achieving a common goal, no organisation can work, operate and thrive.
People Skills
Interpersonal skills, or people skills as they are also known, allow us to convey ideas, solve problems and be first-rate team players and leaders. They also help us to show greater empathy and understanding towards others so they feel appreciated and valued.
Interpersonal skills are part of the suite of soft skills that include qualities like time management. Together, they form the building blocks of a successful and friendly office or workspace.
Furthermore, as we progress in our careers, it is important to improve and nurture these skills to the extent that we can begin to choose our personal impact on the world. The more effectively we can communicate and interact with each other, the more efficient and productive an organisation will be.
What Are Interpersonal Skills?
People skills can make the difference between good and great employees, but what exactly are they?
While hard skills are the technical expertise and knowledge needed to do a particular job, interpersonal skills are used when we interact with others. These people skills relate to qualities that you rely on when communicating.
Great interpersonal skills cover a broad range of strengths and are supported by active listening, empathy, motivation, dependability, engagement and teamwork.
These capabilities enable you to solve problems, work well in a group, lead a team and promote relationships in an effective and truthful way.
Most Important Interpersonal Skills
Leadership
Being a strong leader requires several soft skills, but even those who are not leaders will benefit from the value they bring, such as being able to influence others.
Leadership traits include being motivational, trustworthy, creative and having a strong ability to communicate. Being able to delegate clearly is also a valuable asset in a leader.
Good leaders enhance productivity and inspire confidence and enthusiasm in employees. They also encourage creative and innovative working environments.
Communication and Presentation
People with strong communication and presentation skills excel at understanding information and being able to convey it to others. Good verbal communicators deliver messages clearly, receive feedback well and use the right tone and language. They will also reflect on what they are saying through paraphrasing and summarising.
Good communicators also practice active listening. This is a communication technique that means you engage in listening to the person who is talking to you. Cues include eye contact, smiling and verbal support. Being an active listener increases productivity by helping to avoid mistakes and misunderstandings. It also makes people feel heard, valued and understood.
Positive Body Language
Another important factor in communication and presentation is positive body language. Experts agree that more than half of communication is non-verbal. Therefore, most of what is understood by another person is not communicated by words but through physical cues, including our bodies, posture and facial expressions.
Body language conveys our interest, and encourages others to talk to and connect with us. Positive non-verbal cues include having a relaxed and open posture, maintaining eye contact and smiling.
People Management
Good people management is about getting the best out of yourself and your team. Anyone can build good people management skills and deploy them in various situations, from running effective appraisals and productive meetings to leading change management programmes.
Teamwork
Productive team workers display many interpersonal skills. These include excellent communication, collaboration and leadership.
A good team worker will know when to stand back and listen, or when to show initiative and lead. Being able to work as part of a team will help you and everyone around you. It boosts relationships, lightens the workload and leads to creative problem-solving.
Conflict Management
Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. Whether you are a manager or not, you will more than likely encounter a situation where you have to resolve conflict.
Good conflict management skills resolve problematic situations quickly and peacefully and enable groups to work together more collaboratively. These skills also promote a more respectful and productive workplace.
Creativity and Strategic Thinking
Having an aptitude for effective and creative problem-solving is a valued attribute as most jobs require it. Good problem-solvers identify challenges, explore solutions and implement the most viable ones. This can be hugely beneficial in workplaces of all descriptions.
Other Interpersonal Skills
There are countless other interpersonal skills. These include assertiveness, negotiation, influencing, coaching, mentoring and resilience to name a few.
Why Interpersonal Skills Are So Vital
Interpersonal skills help with all aspects of life, and not just for the benefit of organisations. They are critical for your own personal goals and the motivation required to achieve them.
Productive and Dynamic Workplace
Businesses require their staff to have a strong understanding and grasp of interpersonal skills. Employers look for people who can communicate clearly and effectively, and who show a strong work ethic and drive. Organisations that have employees with strong interpersonal skills tend to be more productive and ultimately more successful.
By offering staff the right training and opportunities to focus on interpersonal development, businesses will have a competitive advantage over rivals and create a happier and more dynamic workplace. This will also have a positive impact on retention and talent attraction.
Emotional Intelligence
We associate interpersonal skills with emotional intelligence, sometimes called EQ. This ranks sixth in the World Economic Forum’s list of top skills that employees need to flourish in the workplace of the future. Despite the increase in technology, these skills are seen as increasingly important as human interaction is at the core of every business.
A LinkedIn report showed that 57 per cent of business leaders felt that interpersonal skills were more important than hard technical skills.
How to Improve and Reinforce Your Soft Skills
Interpersonal skills are not something we can learn solely from a book. They develop from the moment we are born, and some people find they come naturally while others feel they need to work harder at them. Being mindful of these skills and tapping into our awareness of them is the first step to boosting them.
One of the main ways you can improve interpersonal skills is through training, such as open courses or tailored training programmes that are designed in partnership with an organisation to achieve specific objectives.
With tailored training, every single course and training programme is bespoke to the people in the room. This ensures the learning is personalised and memorable and can be used straight away across the organisation. Interpersonal skills can also be developed using a more personalised coaching and mentoring programme.
Professional Personal Development
For example, Impact Factory uses a unique training method that builds from an individual’s strengths and personal associations. It employs elements from psychotherapy and drama and includes neuroscience games, icebreakers and a fully experiential delivery that promotes long-term behavioural change.
Psychotherapy
The elements of psychotherapy help delegates to understand what is going on in their mind and their internal narrative. The inner dialogue that we have with ourselves has a huge influence on the way we behave and how people perceive us.
Drama Techniques
Drama techniques such as role-play and Forum Theatre provide practical tools to change how people interact with others. They help delegates build on what they are already doing well, and stretch their comfort zone to help them make the smallest change for the biggest impact.
How to Reinforce Interpersonal Skills
Show Appreciation and Invest in Your People’s Development
Businesses that value their staff tend to have a motivated workforce that feel valued and appreciated. Investing in your people can increase retention and attract new talent, and is a great motivator for Millennials and Generation Z, as reported by a study from Allegis Group.
Spread Happiness
Happiness is contagious, so having a cheerful and harmonious workplace will enhance output and performance. Recent research shows that there is a direct link between employee happiness and their productivity at work. For example, a study at Warwick University shows that happier workers are 12 percent more productive.
Be an Active Listener
Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience suggests that we only remember around 20 per cent of what we hear. Therefore, listening well can have a major impact on our job effectiveness. Try to foster this by encouraging an environment where everyone feels listened to and understood.
Encourage Inclusivity and Diversity
No one wants to be left out of a group dynamic. Build a culture of inclusivity where everyone can share their ideas, which helps to further your competitive advantage.
Make sure your teams are populated with people who have different backgrounds, skillsets and approaches so your organisation’s projects, strategies and challenges are considered from many different perspectives.
Boost Assertiveness
An open and honest culture in which leaders are assertive creates an environment where staff can express their own views while appreciating those of others. Assertive behaviour includes accepting responsibilities and being able to delegate.
Interpersonal Skills
Impact Factory runs
Tailored Personal Impact Training
Five-Day Intensive Communicate With Impact Workshops
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