In every aspect of life, the ability to deal with and relate to people is very essential in order to succeed in personal as well as professional level. You cannot probably imagine living even a single day without facing people and talking to them. It is not just possible since you need to communicate in order to get what you want, attain what you wish to achieve, and to do scores of routine tasks.
As you grow and mature in life, you will eventually realize the value of having good people skills. Many people cannot easily relate to others in communication and often fail to get their attention. However, some people have the knack to make things convenient when interacting with people. Good people skills can be achieved by anyone who puts in concrete effort to improve on that ability. Yet, it is a gradual process, and achieving it is not easy. It requires mastery of many other skills needed to hone your talent in dealing with people.
These basic skills can be primarily classified into two major types; interpersonal and intrapersonal communication skills. Under these major competencies, many different kinds of abilities relating to communication needs to be enhanced to build strong people skills in the long run.
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Interpersonal competencies in the aspect of communication involve a person’s talent in relating, interacting, and socializing with people. The skills included in interpersonal communication are social interaction, working as a team, conflict resolution, negotiation skills, persuasion skills, listening and understanding, and giving or receiving feedback.
Working as a Team
Knowing how to play good in teamwork is an essential component in honing people skills. When working with a team, you simply cannot work individually as it only defeats the essence of teamwork. You need to know how to collaborate with your team members and make a contribution for the success of your team.
Conflict Resolution
Differences in views and opinions may result to arguments and clash of ideas. This is but an inevitable part of working with other people. But resolving conflicts is a skill that any individual can learn.
Listening and Understanding
The skill of empathy goes a long way in making good relations towards others. You need to learn how to genuinely listen and understand them so that it is easier for you to relate to their situation.
Negotiation and Persuasion Skills
Negotiation and persuasion skills are very useful on the professional front of your life. In business, people must learn how to arrive at a compromise, reach an agreed solution, and be able to convince people of your perceptions. You will find that it is a no challenge to make negotiations if you have the ability to influence and persuade others.
Giving and Receiving Feedback
Learn how to open your mind to criticisms from people, and also learn the skill of providing constructive feedback. The remarks and feedback you will get from people will help you realize the areas you still need to work on.
Factors that Influence Interpersonal Communication Skills
Interpersonal skills involve a lot social interaction with people and there are given factors that should be considered in this aspect. The following are:
- Cultural awareness
- Emotional intelligence
- Conversational language
- Non-verbal communication
The last factor pertains to your use of body language, facial expressions, gestures, and other forms of non-verbal cues. In most cases, people see more of the real intent through actions more than with the careful choice of words.
Intrapersonal Communication Skills
Intrapersonal communication abilities are the inner skills of an individual. These skills deal more with your manner of communicating and understanding yourself. It includes self-communication and the ability to understand personal emotions and goals. In the aspect of self-communication, stress management and self-control are crucial. If you want to connect to your inner self, talk to yourself or simply assess your own personality.
Before you are able to connect or relate to others, you must learn how to deal with yourself first. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to reach out to people, especially those you encounter and deal with every day. A smooth connection among people is brought about by well-developed intrapersonal skills.
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