Digital Library: Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills concern the way to communicate, get in touch and then relate with others. These are all those attitudes that allow for a good relationship between those who own them and the environment, giving way to create synergy and harmony between people.

Therefore, they define the behaviour and methods of interaction towards other people. Having this ability means knowing how to identify with others and understand them. Knowing how to communicate effectively and understand the needs of others are among the most useful skills in professional life, but also in personal life. Establishing a connection and relationship with others is essential in multidisciplinary environments. Relational skills and competences are all those skills that allow to get in touch in a positive way with others. The goal is to set up positive and effective communication. To achieve this, listening and negotiation skills are required. The setting for positive interpersonal skills is positive, assertive and persuasive at the same time.

People with good interpersonal skills spend time in relationships with other individuals, they like to meet other people, also with different lifestyles and often they like to travel. Curiosity is an essential element, as it is also a positive attitude and a good education. Have good listening and negotiation skills it allows you to reach important goals more easily, strengthens team spirit in the group (including work), offers the opportunity for greater exchanges with the outside world and therefore generates greater personal and collective growth. Among the most important interpersonal skills, we can mention:

• Verbal and non-verbal communication: the ability to communicate one's thoughts clearly and effectively. From tone of voice to gestures, knowing how to communicate is an art that requires a lot of study and practice;
• Teamwork aptitude: the ability to work constructively with other people;
• Empathy and listening skills, that is, the predisposition to relationships with others and the understanding of people's moods.

Significance in Times of Crisis (e.g. pandemic)

In times of crisis, interpersonal skills help to communicate even in moments of greatest stress, helping to eliminate misunderstandings and dissolve tensions.