Interpersonal skills (also known as soft skills) are one of the most critical factors that HR managers look at when hiring new talent. These skills are a great asset and they can allow you to build strong relationships at your workplace. Also, it shows that you have people skills and can blend with the team.
However, employees today lack interpersonal skills and are falling behind in their careers. According to a report by Society for Human Resource Management, employers believe that students are unable to develop or enhance their interpersonal skills at college levels.
Hence, business owners and HR managers are unable to find the right fit for the vacant positions. So, if you are someone who is struggling with interpersonal skills, then there are a few tips to help you out. This article will delve deeper into the ways that can help you improve your soft skills.
Interpersonal Skills: 7 Ways You Can Enhance Them
Learning technical skills can help you become a master in various domains, such as Adobe, PHP, and much more. However, HR experts from Acuity Training suggested that it is equally important to focus on developing and improving your soft skills. On that note, here are a few ways to help you with your soft skills training and development.
- Think Before You Say or Do Anything
One of the best ways to improve your interpersonal skills is by putting a thought process into it. This means that you should consider or think before saying anything or reacting in a certain way. Also, be carefully observant to know what others are doing or saying in a particular situation
That way, you can learn how you could react to scenarios the next time. Also, don’t try to be over-emotional at your workplace. Whether you’re extremely delighted about something or severely depressed, it is best to react to any situation calmly and peacefully.
- Practice Active Listening
Active listening is a critical and also the most difficult interpersonal skill to develop. It can be beneficial for you in the workplace. We heard a lot of opinions from different people throughout the day about a particular topic.
But if you actively listen to the opinions of others, you can get a good deal of insight. So, if you’re in a meeting, then take notes to show that you’re actively listening to the other person.
Similarly, if you’re in a management position, then you should ensure that everyone gets a chance to share their thoughts and opinions. Gestures also play an important role in showing the other person that you are actively listening to them. This leads us to our other main point.
- Focus on Your Body Language
Body language shows what a person is feeling at any particular moment. Just like words, they can also help you to give positive and negative implications. So, you should focus on this interpersonal skill more than anything.
Some of the things that people consider as negative body language such as not maintaining eye contact, not standing in proper posture, folding arms, etc. It shows that you are not giving other person’s opinions any importance or disagreeing with what they are saying.
On the flip side, positive body language entails maintaining eye contact, standing properly, and nodding your head. All these nonverbal cues show that you’re listening to the other person and are interested in the conversation.
Also, avoid using mobile phones or any other screen when engaging in a conversation with some. It presents a really bad sign that you don’t care or are not interested in the conversation. Therefore, you should avoid personal media consumption while at work.
- Show Respect
Showing respect is also a great way to enhance your reputation in the workplace. People will also respect you if you talk and interact with them politely while using your manners. You should start by saying thank you when someone helps you with anything or say please when requesting something.
Also, don’t interrupt people when they are talking to you. Listen to their point of view first and then start speaking to give your opinions. Moreover, you should also return favors as it is a show of kindness and respect. If someone makes you a cup of coffee, you should do the same for them the next day.
- Solicit Feedback and Modify Accordingly
There are times when you need to evaluate the growth and development of your soft skills. Therefore, you should set a reminder or note in the calendar time after time to evaluate or assess your development.
Check what skills you have improved and the elements that you can focus on to make them better. Make relevant changes and modifications that will support the growth and development of your interpersonal and professional skills.
- Incorporate Good Traits of Others
Each of your teammates might have one or two good qualities. While we might not like every person in the workplace, it is best to focus on their good qualities. You should not let your preferences hamper your development of interpersonal skills.
You’ll find colleagues that would have a different personality than yours. So, the best way to deal with them is to find a good quality or trait about that individual —preferably something professional.
For instance, you might have some differences with Sam, the head of web development. However, you can keep in mind that he’s an expert in his domain who can handle any technical task that comes his way. Hence, it will become easier for you to interact with him professionally.
- Leverage Tools and Technologies
Lastly, you should also focus on self-learning by making use of different tools and technologies. You should make self-observations regarding your communication style to see things that you can improve. For instance, a recorder can come in handy for mock communication scenarios.
Wrapping Up
Interpersonal skills allow you to land job opportunities and progress in your career. You can use these tips to improve and boost your performance at the workplace. Also, you can go for relevant training courses that will allow you to enhance your soft skills.