A successful life has a solid foundation of soft skills. People with these skills tend to have good relationships with others. Strong interpersonal skills enable them to have effective communication with family, colleagues, friends, neighbors, clients, partners, etc., benefiting both lives at work and at home. If you think you lack these skills, there are many ways to develop them and increase your awareness of how to interact well with other people.
Determine Areas to Improve
Know what areas that you lack or what specific skills are essential in your job. It is not easy to do a self-evaluation, so consider asking family and friends regarding their feedback. With this, you may be able to identify any conflicts with your loved ones. Also, think about your relationships with your colleagues, bosses, or partners — their feedback, whether directly or indirectly, can help in your self-development.
- Enhance your emotional intelligence. When it comes to interpersonal skills, it means you can read other people correctly, and you can empathize with them. By acquiring emotional intelligence, you know how to accept the differences of others and accept their points of view.
- Practice listening and communicating. If you are typically a quiet person, learn communication skills and put yourself out there as a way to practice. Eventually, you will gain the confidence you need to keep improving.
- Consider online training. After identifying the skills you are weak in, there are online courses that can help you learn social skills and interpersonal skills. Also, you can find books that you can read to further your learning.
What Comprises Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication involves the tone of your voice, your touch, and your facial expressions. These are visual cues that are incredibly vital to deliver and perceive compared to audio cues. While body language is part of non-verbal communication, people interpret facial expressions much easier. For example, you can make facial cues such as smiling and laughing when you are happy, which are more effective in expressing your emotions than doing some body language to show your pleasant feeling. Besides, there are times when you do not want to show what you are feeling at the moment, like being afraid, and it is better to conceal such emotions.
Non-verbal communication consists of about 60% of the meaning of your interpersonal skills. Even though they are non-verbal, you need to be effective in expressing your emotions in a way that other people can understand you easily. Think about the nonverbal signs that you send to others when interacting with them. While doing so, take into consideration how you receive the nonverbal cues from other people.
Manage Emotional Cues
A big part of effective communication is learning how to regulate emotional cues. Some circumstances give you an overwhelming feeling. When you need to calm yourself and be aware of the cues you are sending, you can relax those tense signals by taking a deep breath, unclenching your fists, and avoid gritting your teeth.
There are many ways to enhance your interpersonal skills. It includes imagining how you want other people to treat you. These soft skills are not only necessary at home, in the workplace, and in life in general. These are critical skills you must acquire regardless of your status at work or in society.