Your Guide to Becoming a Better Communicator Personally & Professionally
Interpersonal skills make up the core of who you are as a person. They are the way people communicate with others in a variety of social situations, both professionally and personally. Having good interpersonal skills will help you grow and set you up for success in many parts of your life. At Dardis Communications, we help businesses, organizations, and individuals enhance their interpersonal skills. Along the way, our experienced team of communication professionals has put together some helpful tips and tools.
Worried about how you will lead effectively in the workplace? Going to a networking event? Meeting the parents for the first time? Interpersonal communication is key and can determine the outcome of your relationships with others. Here are four easy ways to improve your interpersonal skills.
1. Learn To Actively Listen
Active listening is, unfortunately, becoming less common as our brains are constantly distracted by screens. With information and visuals at our fingertips, we become addicted to turning off our minds. When you’re speaking and holding a conversation with someone, it can be easy to immediately begin forming a response in your brain before the other person has finished speaking. Active listening requires you to mentally slow down, pay close attention to the other individual, and maintain eye contact.
Another part of active listening is another important aspect of interpersonal skills, and that’s acknowledgement. Everyone wants to feel heard when they speak. Make sure your nonverbal body language communicates that you are listening, as well as asking clarifying questions when appropriate. Don’t cross your arms, slouch, or use a tone that can be off-putting. Be sure to be upright with a strong stance while maintaining a friendly posture.
2. Practice Effective Conflict Resolution
With conversation, there is always room for conflict. While uncomfortable, it’s an important part of who we are and what makes us unique. We may not always agree on the same things, but it’s important to know how to ease into a resolution that will benefit both parties. Instead of letting your emotions take over, be sure to give yourself a moment of calm. Then, approach the conflict with a respectful attitude to find common ground.
While this may vary person to person, acknowledging the other person’s perspective is always a good starting point. This shows that you were actively listening, while not necessarily agreeing with them.
3. Be & Stay Attentive in Your Relationships
Whether they’re personal or professional, the end goal of having great interpersonal skills is to keep and maintain a relationship. Strengthen them through reliability and follow-through on plans. Don’t be the type of person who cancels at the last minute or cannot be trusted to perform specific tasks. It’s important to be available for others, as they are to you.
Go the extra mile by offering support when necessary. Keep track of important dates, details, and information about the relationship you’re in. Acknowledging these will help you stand out as a trustworthy figure in any setting.
4. Have Patience & Practice Regularly
Unlike learning a new math equation or recipe, interpersonal skills require more practice to master. There isn’t necessarily one perfect method to excel at interpersonal skills. It may require a lot of patience and persistence to actively work on building these. We encourage you to set time aside every day to practice different situations, such as actively listening to a recording, practicing conflict resolution, and evaluating how you can improve your relationships.
Receive Interpersonal Skills Support From Dardis Communications
At Dardis Communications, we think everyone can benefit from interpersonal skills training. After all, we’re all human and need extra support from time to time on how we can be better. Interpersonal skills will help you in the workplace, at home, and beyond. Learn more by contacting us today! We’d love to chat about how we can create a training that is unique to you.