4 Interpersonal Skills to Succeed in Today's Marketplace

4 Interpersonal Skills to Succeed in Today’s Marketplace

Even if you work for yourself, you have to work with others eventually. No person is an island, and interpersonal skills are crucial for anyone’s success.

Unfortunately, few business schools teach interpersonal skills. Most people learn how to relate to others in the business world by trial and error. While that approach can eventually work, too many errors can ruin your reputation and halt your company’s productivity.

Whether you know you need an interpersonal skills tune-up or just some new ideas to relate to others better, the following 4 interpersonal skills will enable you to work better with others so you can all achieve your goals.

True listening goes way beyond just hearing the words someone else is saying. When you’re an active listener, you don’t interrupt or judge the other person. Even if you disagree with what the person is saying, you’re able to understand the person’s contribution from his or her point of view. Listening also involves prompting the other person to tell you more by asking open-ended inquiries. Simple statements like, “Tell me more,” or “How interesting,” show people that you are actively listening. Finally, taking some time to summarize the person’s main points helps reinforce what you just heard and alerts the speaker to any potential misunderstandings.

Just because you support someone doesn’t mean you completely agree with him or her. You need to accept what others say without putting your own bias in the picture. Trying to control or manipulate the person’s ideas will only lead to mistrust. Therefore, always assume the other person has a useful idea and avoid unnecessary criticism. The goal is simply to let the person know you’re listening and that you value his or her contributions.