Interpersonal Communication Skills

Interpersonal communication skills

 

Interpersonal communication skills is Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups. Employers often seek to hire staff with strong interpersonal skills, they want people who will work well in a team and be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers and clients.

Methods

Verbal/oral communication is the most common method of communication although there are many more. Oral communication is simply using words verbally to inform people of decisions being made, providing information, and so on. This is usually done either by phone or face to face. The person on the receiving sided of the conversation must also need to be cautious as to whether or not they can clearly understand what is being said. This therefore means that you will need both listening and speaking skills to communicate verbally.

Another method of communication is lip reading which is used to allow you to ‘listen’ to a speaker by watching the speaker’s face to figure out their speech patterns. This method can be valuable to someone with a speech deficiency. In everyday conversation, people with normal vision, hearing and social skills sub-consciously use information from the lips and face to aid them and most fluent speakers of a language are able to lip read to some extent. If you were presenting to someone who is lip reading, you need to make sure that you keep facing them and speak with an emphasis on words or long words that are important to your presentation.

 

Techniques and cues

 

Techniques and cues are a method of communication that go far beyond words and signals for example; many messages can be understood from body language such as, folded arms and a sad mouth would suggest that the person is unhappy or upset. Once these signals are understood, these signs allows for effective communication. The first technique for effective communication is listening, this is one of the most important aspects of effective communication. For this to succeed, you must understand how the speaker feels about what they’re communicating. When presenting, you need to create an environment where everyone feels safe, you will also need to relieve negative emotions and feel that you’re being heard and understood.

 

Body language is extremely important when presenting, firstly you must watch the audience for signs that gives you a hint if the message is getting across. Some of these signs might be how over tilted heads can represent sympathy or lowered heads indicate a reason to hide something so just remember to watch their head position. Another body language to look out for is you need to look into the audience eyes as people who look to the side or somewhere else seem more distracted or nervous. If someone mimics your body language then this is a sign that they are trying to establish rapport with you. When presenting, make sure your arms are not folded or down by the side, you need to be aware of your surroundings when presenting. Make gestures when presenting, exaggerated movements can express passion or interest in the subject you are presenting. Don’t just stand still when presenting, you need to move around and express great enthusiasm for the subject and then the audience will become more inclined. Also, don’t forget to keep a strong posture as this shows confidence and dedication.

 

Intonation is all about expressing the message in your voice. The voice you use is part of who you are and what you believe, when giving a presentation you need to use your voice effectively. From the sound of your voice, your listeners will make judgments about your attitude toward them and the ideas you're presenting. Make sure you do not speak in a monotone, use various different tones, pitch, volumes and rhythm, this creates work expression in your voice by varying the elements in your voice. Use changes in volume to prevent your voice from slipping into a monotone sound and to alert your audience to the focus of your message.