Communication Article

Great Interpersonal Communication Skills Tips

from: christine Gray




Great interpersonal communication skills is one of the keys to success is having. People with interpersonal communication skills have a higher chance to "make it" in the world today. This is because people have finally realized the importance of having the right connections in business.



Interpersonal communication skills are not inborn. Sure, some people are born with characteristics that naturally attract people to communicate with them. However, Interpersonal communication skills can be nurtured in order to be more effective.



So how should you develop interpersonal communication skills?



1) Accept your imperfections – The biggest obstacle to improvement is ego. People who think that there's nothing wrong with their interpersonal communication skills would naturally take no steps to improve them. In order to develop your interpersonal communication skills, you need to realize the fact that they need development. If there is one thing that man should seek in life, it is improvement.



2) Try to understand – Understanding is the key to having great interpersonal communication skills. If you learn how to understand others, you will be able to realize the fact that communication really is not that hard. It's all about putting yourself in the shoes of the other party and trying to see your message through their point of view. Although no one can really claim to be able to understand another person, making an effort to do so will really get you close.



3) Don't just hear. Listen – People have a trouble distinguishing listening from hearing. Here's the deal: Listening is active while hearing is passive. People cannot consciously control their ability to hear. What they can control is their ability to focus. Listening is composed of focusing your hearing on a conversation. When you are trying to communicate, you cannot just stop at hearing what the other party has to say, you should be able to understand.



4) Think before you talk – There are so many people today who speak a lot of words but fail to really say anything. The so-called "foot-in-mouth" disease is slowly spreading among our culture. In order to prevent this, think hard about the repercussions of what you are going to say. Remember that people who can be understood with just one word appear smarter than people who talk with the oral equivalent of an encyclopedia.



5) Think before you act – Learning about the aspects of non-verbal communication is just as important as knowing when to talk. Some people can say whole sentences with just a gesture or a facial expression. In order for you to improve your interpersonal communication skills, you should also pay attention to your non-verbal communication. People may think that non-verbal communication does not really happen at a conscious level, but you can learn how to control them. Let's take facial features, for example. People have been neutralizing their facial expressions for a long time. Hence, we have things such as the poker face.



Do not be rash with your actions. Think things through.



6) Practice – The best way to improve your interpersonal communication skills is to use them. In order to learn how much progress you've made and how much you still have to go, you need to use those skills everyday. Okay, so people actually use their interpersonal communication skills on a daily basis. What this tip means is that you should try to improve daily. Remember that your goal should always be becoming better.



Christine Gray is a recognized authority on the subject of communication skills. Her website www.selfimprovementsguide.com provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you will need to know about self improvement. All rights reserved. Articles may be reprinted as long as the content and links remains intact and unchanged.