Interpersonal communication is an essential part of our daily lives. Becoming aware of your interpersonal skills and improving them can impact your interaction with others as well as your relationships.
Indeed, without effective interpersonal communication, much can’t be achieved.
No matter what you do in life, it will always involve interacting and working with other people.
No family, relationship, business, or organization can thrive without it.
So it’s essential to develop this skillset as this could be the key to achieving success in every area of your life.
What is interpersonal communication?
Interpersonal communication is the process of expressing and exchanging thoughts, feelings, and information through verbal and non-verbal messages.
This is also known as “people skills.”
Interpersonal communication is the ability to effectively interact and build relationships with others.
When we want to work as part of a team, start a business, get deals from our clients, etc., we can benefit from well-developed interpersonal skills.
We use these skills every day when communicating and interacting with other people, both individually and in groups.
Importance of interpersonal communication skills
Conflict management
Conflicts are an aspect of our everyday life that is almost inevitable.
It is usual for people to disagree and quarrel.
However, our ability to handle such conflict peacefully without being aggressive or messy is what makes us good communicators.
This skill helps resolve conflicts that are individual, group, or work-related.
An effective interpersonal communicator is judged by a person’s ability to effectively convey a message to the other party or conflicting parties and arrive at a resolution.
Problem-solving
Your ability to effectively communicate your problems may determine how soon you may find a solution.
Indeed no man is an island as a problem shared is half solved.
Interpersonal communication skills allow individuals to come together to brainstorm and provide solutions to the problem.
Builds relationships
Having good interpersonal communication helps build and strengthen your relationships with others both at home and at work.
Having a healthy relationship with people you interact with makes life easier, especially at the workplace.
This leads to the quick and smooth execution of projects or duties and the achievement of organizational goals.
The 6 elements of interpersonal communication
1. Communicators
For effective interpersonal communication to occur, two people must at least be involved.
Communication must involve the sender and the receiver of the message.
This element views the communication process in two ways.
• One-way process
• Two-way process
Communication as a one-way process is when a person sends a message, and the other person receives the message.
It is a process where one person talks and the other person receives the message.
As a two-way process, communication is quite complex as communication is an interactive process where one person is talking and the other person listens.
Simultaneously, the listener sends feedbacks. This could be in the form of a nod or a smile.
2. Message
This is the second and most important element.
The message is the information that the sender conveys to the receiver.
Additional information can be passed through the tone of voice, gestures, and body language.
The combination of the communicators (sender and receiver) and the message gives us a basic communication process.
The message could be verbal or non-verbal, or a combination of both.
3. Channel
The channel is the medium through which the communicators (sender and receiver)exchange messages.
It is the vehicle through which the communication or message is conveyed.
For example, when we talk about digital media, the channel could be e-mail.
This e-mailing platform becomes the channel through which the message is conveyed.
Also, when it comes to non-verbal communication, the channels are the five senses.
Your tone, body language, your facial expressions all come together to form your channel of communication.
For effective communication, it is important to fully understand the channel through which he intends to send and/or receive the message.
4. Noise
In communication studies, the word noise means anything that can interfere with the delivery of a message to someone else.
Noise can be external or internal.
An external noise could be the environment. For instance, the physical discomfort you experience when trying to talk to someone on the phone but the network is too bad that you could barely hear them.
Noise could also be internal.
It includes semantic and psychological noise. It affects the effective delivery of your message
For example, racism on a sender can be considered a noise because it might affect he communicates with someone else.
5. Feedback
Feedback is the information we get in response to that message that we have sent.
It is the message that a sender gets in return from the receiver.
Feedback can be positive or negative.
Also, keep in mind that there are two types of feedback; verbal feedback or non-verbal feedback.
Verbal feedback occurs when someone directly claims to have received and understood your sent message, or/and might want to discuss it.
Non-verbal feedback is when the actions or gestures of the receiver tell you whether they have understood the message or not.
6. Context
The context influences the whole communication process.
The context may be situational or social.
Social context includes the past relationships between the parties, communicators’ status, etc.
This is important as you cannot communicate with your boss the same way you would with your friend at the bar.
Situational context is the place where the communication is taking place. For example, the park, in the room, in the office, etc.
The 6 main areas of interpersonal communication
1. Verbal communication skills
Verbal communication involves the words used to convey a message.
Your choice of words becomes the center of focus here. It includes what we say and how we say it.
As a skilled communicator, it is essential to convey your message using the right words, voice, and tone.
2. Non-verbal communication skills
Non-verbal communication refers to communication that occurs through various means other than words.
Non-verbal communication consists of facial expressions, body language, silence, and gestures.
3. Active listening skills
Active listening in the communication process refers to the ability to receive and accurately interpret messages.
When you show your ability to sincerely listen to what others are saying, they feel comfortable sharing information with you.
It simply shows the other person that you are interested in what they are saying.
4. Negotiation skills
Negotiation is another skill that is important in achieving effective interpersonal communication, especially in the workplace.
It is the ability to discuss and reach an agreement with someone or a group of people.
For instance, while working with other people, you would often have to sell your ideas and come to a win-win outcome.
5. Decision making & problem-solving skills
Decision-making skill is your ability to successfully make a good choice out of two or more options.
It is a form of problem-solving which is the ability to find a solution to a problem after considerable thought.
People like to be around those who are not afraid to make a decision and take action.
Decision-making involves the use of reasoning, intuition, or a combination of both.
6. Assertiveness
Assertiveness is the ability to be self-assured and confident in one’s actions.
Being able to stand up for yourself and others calmly and positively, without being aggressive makes you stand out from your competition.
7. Empathy
Empathy is your ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes by trying to understand the other person’s feelings, situation, and perception from their point of view.
It also involves your ability to communicate your understanding of the feeling or situation back to the other person
For a leader, this is an important skill to have.
By the way, check out our recent post on how emotional intelligence makes leaders more impactful.
5 ways to improve your interpersonal communication skills
1. Respect people’s opinions and thought
As tempting as it may be to quickly disagree with what the other person is saying, it is important to remember that people have the right to express their own opinion.
Always wait for the speaker to finish making his point before expressing your thought on the subject.
Do this without being confrontational.
Truth be told, nobody knows everything, so the other person’s opinion might simply be better than yours.
2. Mind your body language
Your body language speaks volumes when communicating with someone.
Is your face looking the other direction? Are your legs crossed? Or are you busy fondling with your nails?
Be sure to give attention to your body language when interacting with others.
3. Actively listen
Try not to be the person whose mind is everywhere, but with their conversation partner.
Show your conversation partner that you are interested in what they are talking about by giving them your undivided attention.
Active listening can be expressed through eye contact, a nod indicating that you are following along, and responding when asked a question.
4. Show interest in others
We often get lost in our world that we fail to realize what others around us are going through.
Learn to ask about the welfare of the person you interact with rather than vent your disappointment and complaining about your problem.
Getting to know your conversation partner on a deeper level helps you connect better with them and can ultimately strengthen the bond that exists in the relationship.
5. Practice your interpersonal skills
Practicing is the best and most important part.
The best way to improve your interpersonal communication skills is by practicing and applying these skills in the real world.
Practice, they say, makes perfect.
This becomes necessary to developing your awareness of how you interact with others.
Conclusion
Showing strong Interpersonal communication skills makes you stand out from your competitors.
It strengthens the quality of your overall communication, as well as your social interaction with others.
To develop your interpersonal communication skills, you have to become the observer, watch and listen to how people interact and soon you will be able to read them like an open book.
Your opinion…
For any questions or contributions, please comment below.
I would love to hear from you.
This article was contributed by Godwin Amanyi
