What Are Interpersonal Skills? + 5 Ways to Develop Them

To be successful in our jobs, we often have completed a wide range of skills, from simple communication to in-depth product knowledge.

Soft skills like communication fall under the interpersonal skills category and are usually expected of everyone, regardless of the position you are applying for. This post will tell you what interpersonal skills are, examples of what they look like in practice, how to develop them and show them on your resume to help you stand out from other applicants.

Interpersonal skills relate to all aspects of life, from close relationships to business partnerships.

Interpersonal skills in the organization

In the business world, interpersonal skills determine how we interact with our team members. For example, let’s say you feel tension at work. You can take this up and use active listening to get to the root of the problem and then come to a solution through effective communication.

Why are interpersonal skills important?

Many career paths involve consistent interaction with people, be they coworkers or teammates. So it is important to know how to deal with everyone. Without them, it would be difficult to perform as expected.

With this in mind, employers look for people with strong interpersonal skills because they can work well with others and communicate in a way that drives business success. In some jobs, like customer service, strong interpersonal skills are essential.

Most of all, interpersonal skills help us interact with others in a respectful way. Even if you are a software engineer who spends most of your time on the computer, you still need to interact with your teammates and sometimes explain technical details to those who may not have the same level of expertise, which requires good communication.

There tends to be some confusion about interpersonal skills and intrapersonal skills, so we’ll explain the difference below.

Intrapersonal vs. interpersonal skills

A few letters make the difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, but they are different. Specifically, interpersonal skills are the way you mentally talk to yourself, and interpersonal skills are involved in conversations with other people.

However, both relate to each other through emotional intelligence. Having a strong sense of self (intrapersonal) can help you improve your interpersonal skills as you will be able to deal with your emotions and react accordingly regardless of the situation.

Types of Interpersonal Skills

There are different types of interpersonal skills and many are complementary. Below we list general interpersonal skills and give examples of what they look like in action.

• communication – The way in which you communicate clearly and effectively with others.
• Conflict management – How to deal with difficult business situations, be it mediating a problem between colleagues or finding solutions to a personal matter. Regardless of your seniority, conflict management is an essential skill.
• empathy – Empathy is the most important interpersonal skill as you need to have empathy, understanding and care for those around you and with whom you work on a daily basis.
• guide – Includes the ability to motivate and encourage others, whether or not you are in a leadership role, and to be able to come to the table in scenarios where a leader is needed.
• Hear – Relates heavily on communication and empathy; You need to listen to your co-workers to make them feel comfortable, listened to, and valued.
• cooperation – As an employee, getting along with others and working in a team to get the job done is critical.

Examples of interpersonal skills

Type of interpersonal skills	Example of interpersonal skills in action
communication	Nonverbal communication and body language, public speaking, verbal communication, written communication, ability to build a relationship
Conflict management	Problem solving, active listening, mediation
empathy	Caring, compassionate, diplomatic, kind, practicing active listening, being understanding, building a relationship
guide	Promotion, leadership, mentoring, motivation, reliability, advice, constructive criticism, diplomacy, flexibility
Hear	Active listening, curiosity, the ability to concentrate and the ability to concentrate as well as listening to the speakers
Working together	Ability to see both sides, make people feel respected and valued, work in teams and understand team dynamics

How to develop interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are important regardless of the role you are in. Here are some tips on how to develop your interpersonal skills and improve those you already have.

1. Use the resources available.

Look for online courses or books from experts that explain the importance of interpersonal skills and provide tips on developing them based on their own experiences.

2. Identify areas for improvement.

Identifying areas where there is room for improvement can help you develop your skills.

You can ask for feedback from people who work with you on a daily basis and find out about areas that they think could be improved. If you work in customer facing roles, you can monitor your NPS scores or customer feedback surveys to get a feel for where you think you are falling short.

3. Ask for feedback and learn from it.

One of the best ways to get a feel for your abilities is to ask for feedback on your current performance from people who interact with you every day, such as coworkers, mentors, or supervisors.

For example, maybe you work in teams every day and one of your colleagues says that sometimes they don’t feel they are heard from you. You can learn from their assessment and make an effort to practice active listening.

4. Practice your skills.

As with most skills, one of the best ways to develop them is to practice them. Bring yourself into situations where these skills are required of you, such as team meetings and leadership roles. As mentioned above, you can then get feedback from colleagues and learn what went right and where more work is needed.

5. Realize that there is no “end” to developing your skills.

Even if your desire is to be perfect, there is no way to be perfect. Everyone is constantly learning and developing their skills, especially since role requirements can vary.

For example, working in customer service may require you to focus more on problem solving and empathy, while as a manager you may need to spend more time on collaboration and conflict management. Realize that there is always room for growth and development, and as long as you are aware of it, you will develop the skills you need to be successful.

Interpersonal skills on the resume

It is important to highlight your interpersonal skills on a resume as many employers look for them. Sometimes interpersonal skills are referred to as soft skills instead of technical skills such as product knowledge.

The most important thing you need to do is identify your skills that match the job description of the new role so that you can explicitly show how they will help you succeed.

Once you identify these skills, you have three options to view them:

• A simple list of skills
• A list of your professional achievements and the interpersonal skills that led you to achieve them,
• In a summary of your experience at the top of your resume.

As mentioned above, there is no finish line for developing your interpersonal skills. The ones you need for each job are likely to change based on your industry, and it’s always important to keep learning. However, using the tips on this list will put yourself in situations where you need to practice your skills and you will succeed in your roles whether you are just starting out or a seasoned executive.