Having strong interpersonal skills is a necessary aspect to help you communicate and interact with others.
By practicing and developing these skills periodically, you will also become an expert in communication.
The different types of interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are the kind of skills that you can employ every day when communicating and interacting with others. They include listening skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and emotional intelligence.
1. Verbal communication
It means talking but it is also important to consider it as a form of listening. For example, when saying something, the speaker may speak slowly or firmly to emphasize a specific point.
2. Listen
Part of the engagement process is also about demonstrating your effective listening skills, by paying attention to the speaker, focusing on what he or she is saying, avoiding interruption, and providing visual cues that show you're listening, such as: nodding and responding with appropriate feedback.
3- Non-verbal communication
Facial expressions, hand movements, eye contact, sitting or standing posture, and physiological changes such as facial flushing.
Although physiological changes are involuntary movements, noticing them on yourself and others helps keep you in touch with what's going on in the conversation, such as realizing how much someone cares about what you're saying.
As with verbal communication, appropriate nonverbal communication depends on establishing awareness of your own behavior and the behavior of others.
To get the most out of your communication experience, you must apply nonverbal communication effectively as well as carefully analyze the nonverbal communication skills of others.
4- Emotional intelligence
Awareness of yourself and others is related to emotional intelligence and the ability to recognize and control your emotions or interact with others.
A person with strong emotional intelligence tends to be a good listener, and is known to be caring and considerate, with problem-solving skills and handling stressful situations calmly and decisively.
And because effective communication depends almost entirely on successful communication, it is definitely worth investing time and effort to improve your interpersonal skills.
The importance of your interpersonal skills in communication
This is true whether you are communicating or interacting personally, face-to-face or in a group and using verbal and non-verbal means.
They all fall under the umbrella of interpersonal skills and are closely related to communication activities.
Thus, your development of your skills in dealing with others has a positive impact on the approach to communication.
What is the result of applying your interpersonal skills
Imagine meeting someone at an event for the first time. First, you'll salute. Introducing yourself and shaking hands is a good business approach, but keep in mind that standards for physical contact may vary by culture.
Then, you can introduce yourself more formally.
Tips to help you interact better with others
1- Make sure that others remember you
State your name at the beginning of the conversation. Try to maintain eye contact with everyone during the process of communicating with them.
Eye contact promotes trust and engagement and helps us realize self-awareness and self-regulation of emotions. But don't overdo your eye contact, but try to shift your gaze from person to person from time to time.
See: How to Manage Your Time Effectively
2- Body language
Also take into consideration your body language. Empathy, self-awareness, and self-regulation of emotions are behaviors that also result from body language.
Express your body language with calm, candid gestures. Make sure you are facing the person speaking, but at a slight angle to avoid any discomfort.
Use the movements of your hands and arms to emphasize what you are saying or hearing. Smiling also helps in self-regulation of your emotions and promotes empathy.
3- Self-regulation
With regard to verbal communication, self-regulation of emotions helps avoid side conversations and chatting.
This ensures that listeners receive the important message you are trying to communicate, but it also reflects that you are a good communicator and makes it easier for them to respond.
4- Your enthusiasm for communication
You can also express your enthusiasm for communication by making sure you listen to others.
Use positive words or gestures and paraphrase back in front of the speaker to make sure you get your point across clearly.
Also, slightly bowing to the speaker indicates that you are interested in what he is saying.
5- Ask questions
Throughout the process, be sure to ask relevant questions. The skill of asking social questions greatly emphasizes your self-motivation.
If you are truly interested in other people, you will ask relevant questions that demonstrate that you are listening.
These questions often call for additional useful information that may help build your network or give you more ideas about what you can offer.
6- Continue to communicate
Conclude the conversation by agreeing to any follow-up plans with the other person. This enables you to make a serious decision, so you can be sure of the next steps in your relationship.
Summary
Combining all of these tips will enhance your communication with confidence and effectiveness with others, giving you a powerful boost to your communication skills.