How to Improve Interpersonal Communication Skills

Interpersonal communication is often ignored, but top priority skill required to excel in your career. Instead of harping on its importance, lets get right to learning techniques to improve interpersonal skills.

Interpersonal communication can be classified into three categories:

• Verbal communication: The words we choose to communicate must be brief, succinct and free of jargon
• Non-verbal communication: Facial expressions, body movements, and hand gestures
• Para–verbal communication: The tone we use it for communication (How we say it?)

Further interpersonal communication can take place in following ways

• Dynamic (between two people) communication
• Public speaking
• Small groups communication

Interpersonal communication skill is not only about sending and receiving information between two or more people, but also how we say it in the tone of voice, gestures, body language, facial expressions, etc.

In any type of communication, it follows a similar pattern

 Main features for effective communication are

• Staying focused: Stay focus on your topic for discussion
• Listening carefully: Listen to understand. Listening carefully is important to avoid any misunderstanding
• Understanding others point of view: If you want others to hear you, you need to hear them and understand their point of view
• Expressing empathy: Try to understand other person’s difficulties and respond with empathy
• Take a break if necessary: If conversation is intense, you need to take a break in the middle of discussion and then continue
• Ask for help: Seek help of others if you cannot address to particular person directly
• Clarify the speaker’s intentions: Paraphrase the message you heard, especially to clarify the speakers message
• Rate of Speech: Maintain the standard rate of speech while communicating with others. The average rate of speech is about 125-150 words

Speaking

Speaking makes most of our daily communication. Interpersonal speech is more crucial than public speaking or even writing.  Different people have different tone and pitch while talking to each other, which might create misunderstanding if not spoken clearly. Here are few tips which can help to speak clearly and effectively.

• Don’t speak too loud or too low- Maintain steady volume
• While your words are respectful your tone can send a wrong message- A positive tone is usually preferable

Listening

Listening skills are usually not given importance as other communication skills but for the fact listening is equally important like those of other interpersonal skills. Unknowingly while listening we adapt ourselves to different types of listening they are

Types of listening

• Appreciative listening: When we listen to some music or song
• Empathetic listening: When we listen to some distressed friend
• Comprehensive listening: When we listen to the lecturer and comprehend the message
• Critical Listening: When the purpose is to reject or accept (judgmental) the message

Written communication

Like verbal communication, written communication is also a powerful trait for effective interpersonal communication.  Sometimes when verbal communication fails or misses the message to convey, written communication is more helpful.  But while relying on written communication, people have to be little cautious on their writing style, especially when preparing a covering letter or CV. Remember following points while availing written communication.

• Clarify your thoughts and purpose
• Identify the keypoints, themes, and facts
• Try to convey message in short and simple sentences
• Highlight key point to stand out
• Use a strong introduction and ending

Barrier against communication

• Poor listening skills
• Drop in self-esteem and confidence
• Conflict and arguments
• Ignoring information contrary to our beliefs
• Failing to ask questions and give feedback
• Responding before someone has completed speaking
• Unclear process and long chain of command
• Large size of an organization and geographic distance
• Personal limitations and Negative emotions

Tips to improve communication

• Adapt to writing orders then verbal orders: Make a practice of writing the orders, as such we all tend to forget or miss the information what is said then what is written
• Enhance direct communication: Skype, Facebook, and other social sites are good way of communication, but direct communication is also important
• Team building activities: Team building activities can increase fun at the workplace and can improve employee engagement
• Resolve small issues quickly: To avoid conflict among employees, it is important that issues should be taken to upper management and resolved quickly before it get worse
• Use appropriate tone and body language: While communicating with co-workers or employees it is imperative to use a soft tone and a relaxed body stature
• Use the communication P.O.W.E.R: While communicating with message then Plan, Organize, Write, Edit and Revise
• Develop your critical thinking skill: Critical thinking is nothing but questioning every step of your thinking process. For example, Is your thinking process rational, logical and complete? Is your reasoning sound? etc.
• Seek out opportunities to lead: Great leaders are great communicators, it means they are pro-active and taking the initiatives. For example bringing co-workers together to solve a problem
• Take a speech course: A good speech course could help you build confidence and teaches you how to communication effectively
• Take an acting class: Acting gives you an opportunity to relate to different kinds of people
• Rehearse with a recording tool: By recording and hearing yourself you can figure out the area of improvement in your speech