How to improve your interpersonal skills

You improve your interpersonal skills by practicing empathy, having a positive attitude, and becoming self-aware. Interpersonal skills are the skills we use every day when we communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups.

They include a wide range of skills, but particularly communication skills such as listening and effective speaking. They also include the ability to control and manage your emotions. People with strong interpersonal skills tend to be able to work well with others both formally and informally.

It is important to work on developing your interpersonal skills because chances are, you interact with others regularly. These skills are essential for networking and career development as well as personal development. Employers will look for these skills in potential candidates in addition to your overall communication skills.

One of the ways that you can work on improving or developing your interpersonal skills is to practice empathy. This means being able to identify and understand the feelings and emotions of others around you. It means putting yourself in their shoes and seeing how it would feel.

By understanding the complexities of what others may be feeling, you can work to communicate thoughts and ideas on how to handle the situation in a way that makes sense to others. It can also help you to understand others when they are trying to communicate with you.

To practice empathy, you can:

• Practice listening to others without interrupting

• Observe your colleagues and try to gauge how they are feeling

• Practice focusing on your colleagues' emotions. Do not ignore their feelings. If someone looks upset, don't disregard it - address it.

• Try to understand rather than form a judgment.

• Practice keeping your body language open and regulating your voice to show sincerity. People are more likely to open up if you follow these techniques than if you appear cold or disinterested.

Along with practicing empathy, it is important to focus on having a positive attitude. This is especially important in the workplace because people want to be around others that are friendly and have a positive outlook. Negativity in the workplace can make company situations difficult or even toxic.

This does not mean that you have to be overly social, which can be difficult for introverted personalities, but you should work to develop a positive rapport with your teammates and coworkers. Make sure people know you are approachable and maintain a pleasant vibe.

Offering your assistance to others when you know they are struggling with a work task or maybe you sense that they don't understand something will also go a long way to improving your interpersonal skills. It is also a great way to build trust between you and your colleagues.

A positive attitude can shine through in so many different work scenarios, and it is something that can easily be developed for even the shyest personalities. In addition to what is listed above, you can work on letting colleagues know when they have done a good job. Let them know that they are valued and appreciated.

You can also work on showing interest in your colleagues and who they are. This is especially helpful when it comes to the people you work with on a daily basis. Learn who they are or what their spouse's and children's names are. Do they have pets? Do they play sports? Get to know what is important for them. This will help build relationships.

In addition to practicing empathy and having a positive attitude, being self-aware is an important step in improving your interpersonal skills. Self-awareness is the ability to accurately recognize your:

• Emotions

• Strengths

• Limitations

• Actions

Being self-aware is understanding how these affect others around you. By developing this skill, you will be able to act more thoughtfully. You can improve your self-awareness by: