Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills, also called people skills are a vital part of your communication. You may be an extraordinary person but if you don’t have good communication skills, you may not be able to succeed in your career. These help in different areas of your life – personal, professional or social. Here are ten tips to help you improve your people skills.

10. Be clear in communication

Always be clear in your communication. Unclear messages lead to misunderstandings. This can impact the work being done. Also be very careful about the words being used in conversation.

9. Work as a team

Create an environment that can promote people to work as a team. This can only be possible if you treat everyone equally. Favoritism should be avoided as much as possible. Always be open to your co-workers’ suggestions.

8. Show a happy face

A happy face spreads positive energy and draws attention of people. So, you should try your best to be friendly and cheerful. This upbeat attitude can take you a long way in various aspects of your life.

7. Be an attentive listener

An active listener is a person who hears and recognizes other person’s words. By doing this, you show your co-workers that you have better understood them and will respond genuinely. This builds their trust and a good relationship.

6. Resolve conflicts

An effective employer strives to resolve conflicts. This can be done by bringing parties to sit down at one place and sort out their differences. This leadership attribute can help you gain respect and admiration from your group members.

5. Be empathetic

Be compassionate towards your colleagues. Always show that you care about them and look from their point of view. This encourages them to do the same and motivates them to give you their best in return.

4. Initiate humor

A person who has a good sense of humor can easily draw people towards him. So, you should not feel afraid of initiating humorous conversations. In fact, you can use this as a tool to gain popularity.

3. Don’t make assumptions

Assumptions especially about people are generally misleading and adversely affect your communication with them. So, try to avoid these as much as possible.

2. Avoid complaining

Avoid being a whiner or complainer. Complaining only promotes negativity and de-motivates your colleagues. Instead, appreciate and recognize their work. Just a small word of recognition can make a big difference.

1. Look from others’ perspective

You should try to put yourself in others’ shoes and analyze from their angle. Only then you can be an effective leader. So, consider acknowledging happiness of others and show your concern in their difficult times.