Unit - 3
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Interpersonal Communication is a kind of communication in which people communicate their feeling, ideas, emotions and information face to face to each other. It can be in verbal or non-verbal form. Interpersonal communication is not only about what is said and what is received but also about how it is said, how the body language used, and what was the facial expression.
3.1.1 Methods of Interpersonal communication.
There are four methods of communication: verbal, nonverbal, written and visual. While many situations use one singular type of communication, you may find that some communications involve a blend of several different types at once. For example, sending an email involves only using written communication, but giving a presentation can involve all four types of communication.
Verbal communication
Nonverbal communication
Written communication
Visual communication
1. Verbal communication
Verbal communication is the most common type of communication. It involves the use of spoken words or sign language to share information. Verbal communication can either happen face to face or through other channels, such as mobile phone, radio and video conferencing. Thus, if your job involves conducting business meetings, giving presentations and making phone calls, your employer would expect you to have good verbal communication skills.
2. Nonverbal communication
Nonverbal communication involves passive communication through the use of gestures, tone of voice, body language and facial expressions to share your thoughts and feelings. You can even communicate non-verbally by the way you dress. Nonverbal communication often supports or adds to verbal communication. For example, the tone of your voice and your posture can reveal your mood or emotions to those around you.
3. Written communication
Written communication includes communicating through writing, typing or printing. It is done through channels such as letters, text messages, emails, social media and books. Businesses may prefer written communication because it has fewer chances of distortion. For example, communicating a business plan in writing ensures that everyone gets the same message and can refer to it any time in the future.
4. Visual communication
Visual communication uses graphs, charts, photographs, maps and logos to share information. It is mostly used in combination with verbal or written communication in order to simplify the information. For example, using slides and flow charts during a presentation makes it easier for the audience to grasp complex data.
3.1.2 Principles of Interpersonal communication.
“Knowledge is power"
These four principles of communication will help provide an understanding of the fundamental aspects of communication and aid in adjusting/developing fundamental communication skills.
Communication is Inevitable
“You cannot not communicate” is a term we communication scholars use quite often. The phrase explicitly illustrates that we do not stop communicating and that we are constantly communicating. Communication is a transaction process between a sender and a receiver. Effective communication resides in how accurately the receiver interprets the message. As senders, we are constantly broadcasting messages through verbal and nonverbal communication and behaviors. Aspects such as clothing, facial expressions, and body language are received and interpreted by the people around you. Although these aspects are very ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways. Therefore, competent communicators are constantly aware of what messages they are sending. Consequently, you should ask yourself “What messages am I sending out? How will people interpret these messages? How would I respond if I received this message?” Once you start becoming aware of the messages you are sending, you will be able to begin developing effective and efficient communication skills.
Communication is Irreversible
“Taste your words before you spit them out” is another saying that is prevalent among communication scholars. Once something is spoken it cannot be unspoken. From an early age, I have learned (the hard way) to think before you speak. Through several embarrassing slip-ups (saying things you immediately regard), I've realized that it is best to think about what you are about to say before you say it. Often in a fit of anger or when we are in relaxed social settings, we often say things that should not be said. As a competent communicator, your communication should remain positive and focused on building relationships.
Communication is Complex
Dr. Julia Wood (2014) defines communication as “a systemic process in which individuals interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings”. We use words as symbols to communicate. We ascribe meaning to these words that usually have connotative and denotative meanings. Connotative meanings are the literal definition of a word, whereas, the denotative meanings are the implied or underlying meaning of a word. Consequently, different words mean different things to different people. Furthermore, communication is complicated due to the number of identity variables. For example, theorists suggest that there are six identity variables when communicating with another person and significantly influences the communication interaction(s). These variables include 1) your perceptions you hold of yourself (e.g., self-concept), 2) the perceptions you have of the other person, 3) your perceptions of how the other person perceives you 4) the perceptions the other person holds of his/herself 5) the other person's perceptions of you 6) the other person's perceptions of your perception towards him/her. Therefore, a competent communicator will seek to minimize the possibilities for ambiguity and seek clarification to ensure the messages sent and received are interpreted accurately. Essentially, competency in interpersonal communication entails the ability to effectively and appropriately adapt and communicate within a specific context.
Communication is Contextual
All of the communication happens in a contextual framework, which includes the following
Psychological context refers to the state someone is in (e.g., moods, emotions). Depending on what you are feeling and what your audience is feeling will have a significant impact on the communication that is taking place. For example, as most of you can relate, I need my morning cup of coffee before I’m able to process anything.
Relational context refers to the degree of depth you have with the other person. The communication with a stranger in the airport will take on a completely different nature than communication with your longtime friends or partner. Consequently, we naturally adapt our communication behavior based on the nature of the relationship (termed in Howard Gile's Communication Accommodation Theory as convergent communication).
A competent communicator will take into consideration these contexts which enhances the ability and flexibility to adapt to different communication contexts. Overall communication is far more in-depth than people seem to think. Consequently, these four principles provide you with a general overview of communication that will aid you in becoming a competent communicator.
"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something" – Plato
3.1.3 Requisite of Team-work.
Teamwork skills consist of interrelated abilities that let you work effectively in an organized group. Teamwork skills are vital to employers, as teams are a basic organizational unit within many companies. Teamwork happens when people cooperate and use their individual skills to achieve common goals. Top teamwork skills include:
1. Communication
The ability to get your point across, and truly understand what other people want to tell you is the cornerstone of effective teamwork. And it doesn’t matter if you communicate in person, via email writing, instant messages, or on the phone—the exchange of information must be effective regardless of the medium. Plus, the nonverbal aspects of communication are just as important. Great teams nurture a culture of openness and mutual trust. Everyone must feel safe enough to speak their mind.
2. Conflict resolution
Conflict is part and parcel of any team effort. What matters most is how adept you are at dealing with issues as they arise. Remember, it’s crucial not to let any conflicts escalate—that’s why the best team players are also great mediators.
3. Rapport-building and listening
You can only build rapport if you’re listening to other people’s voices. Mind you—it’s equally important to pay heed to their enthusiasm and the lack of it. Rapport and listening skills go hand in hand, one can’t exist without the other.
4. Decision-making
Making decisions may seem like a pretty straightforward thing to do. And that's the case when everyone agrees on the course of action. But everything changes when opinions start to differ and you need to make an unpopular decision. What distinguishes great team players from the average ones is the ability to see the big picture, put their egos aside, and work towards the common goal.
5. Problem-solving
The very idea behind organizing a team is to solve a problem. That’s why problem-solving skills are fundamental for each and every team member. The ability to look at an issue from multiple angles and utilize your time management skills on the basis of individual team member’s skills drive the entire team’s performance and success.
6. Organizational and planning skills
To solve any problem effectively and efficiently you must be able to devise a master plan that every team member understands, follows, and knows where it leads to. Once the plan is agreed upon, all team members will be able to organize their tasks, establish deadlines, and orchestrate their efforts.
7. Persuasion and influencing skills
Being persuasive isn’t a character trait. It’s a skill you can learn. In the context of teamwork, this applies mostly to team leaders who must inspire everyone to contribute to achieving team goals and objectives. A good start to build such leadership skills is to hone-in on your presentation skills.
8. Reliability
Teams form because they can achieve more than each team member could on their own. That’s obvious, isn’t it? What people tend to forget, though, is that when working together as a team you depend on the others as much as they depend on you. Show your reliability by sticking to deadlines, delivering your tasks, and over communicating any obstacles along the way.
9. Respectfulness
Being respectful towards other people doesn’t mean you have to like them or agree with them. Show your respect by not taking anyone for granted, and listening to them actively. Don’t know where to start? Learn your teammates’ names first!
10. Tolerance
Tolerance and respectfulness go hand in hand. Be open-minded and eager to learn. People of different ethnicities, religions, or minorities are what makes this planet such a fascinating place to live. Again, you don’t have to see eye to eye with everybody. But soak in as much diversity as you can, and form your opinions afterward. Don’t let any common misconceptions fool you.
According to a study, teamwork is a cooperative process that allows ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results. Such synergy is only possible when all team members know what their roles are, compliment each other’s skills, and are committed to team success.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person, animal, or fictional character. Developing empathy is crucial for establishing relationships and behaving compassionately. It involves experiencing another person’s point of view, rather than just one’s own, and enables prosocial or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced.
Three Types of Empathy
Psychologists have identified three types of empathy: cognitive empathy, emotional empathy and compassionate empathy.
Cognitive empathy is understanding someone’s thoughts and emotions, in a very rational, rather than emotional sense.
Emotional empathy is also known as emotional contagion, and is ‘catching’ someone else’s feelings, so that you literally feel them too.
Compassionate empathy is understanding someone’s feelings, and taking appropriate action to help.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it's an inborn characteristic.
The ability to express and control emotions is essential, but so is the ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others. Imagine a world in which you could not understand when a friend was feeling sad or when a co-worker was angry. Psychologists refer to this ability as emotional intelligence.
The term emotional intelligence was created by two researchers, Peter Salavoy and John Mayer in their article “Emotional Intelligence” in the journal Imagination, Cognition, and Personality in 1990. It was later popularized by Dan Goleman in his 1996 book Emotional Intelligence.
Importance Emotional Intelligence
It’s a scientific fact that emotions precede thought. When emotions run high, they change the way our brain’s function…diminishing our cognitive abilities, decision-making powers, and even interpersonal skills. Understanding and managing our emotions (and the emotions of others) helps us to be more successful in both our personal and professional lives.
At a personal level, emotional intelligence helps us:
At work, emotional intelligence can help us:
Empathic listening
Empathic (also called active listening or reflective listening) is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding and trust. It is an essential skill for third parties and disputants alike, as it enables the listener to receive and accurately interpret the speaker's message, and then provide an appropriate response. The response is an integral part of the listening process and can be critical to the success of a negotiation or mediation. Among its benefits, empathic listening.
Benefits of empathic listening
Here are some of the main reasons to practice empathic listening in your career
Building working relationships: If you’ve demonstrated that you can listen empathically, others may be more inclined to share their experience with you. This can help build trust and more positive interactions in the workplace.
Helping you act considerately: Once you’re in the habit of considering others’ feelings, you may be more likely to act kindly and compassionately in your day-to-day life. For instance, if a coworker was hurt by the tone of a colleague’s email, you can consider making the wording of your own emails more upbeat and encouraging.
Increasing productivity: When coworkers trust and understand each other, they typically work better as a team. When there is minimized conflict, they can spend more of the day working, resulting in greater output.
Problem solving: Workplace challenges frequently require that teammates work together to find solutions. If you have a history of trust and open sharing with your coworkers, you all may feel more comfortable proposing new approaches to workplace issues. For instance, if your colleague just told you they feel like another coworker has not respected their proposals for new sales approaches, you can find ways to validate their input in a meeting so others are more considerate. As a result, the new campaign might be more comprehensive and successful.
Time management is the ability to use your time productively and efficiently. You could also think of it as the art of having time to do everything that you need, without feeling stressed about it. It sounds simple, but it is much harder in practice. This page explains some of the principles behind good time management.
The Importance of Time Management
Time management skills are essential because few, if any, of us ever have enough time to do everything that is asked of us, or that we want to do.
Time management is defined as using your time productively and efficiently—but what about when you are working as productively as possible, and you still can’t get everything done? It may be better to think about time management as a combination of working productively and prioritizing your time.
In other words, people who are good at time management are good at getting on and doing things. They are also, however, better at prioritizing, and working out what really needs doing—and then discarding the other things.
They can do this because they understand the difference between urgent and important.
‘Urgent’ tasks demand your immediate attention, but whether you actually give them that attention may or may not matter.
'Important' tasks matter, and not doing them may have serious consequences for you or others.
If you want to excel in life, you have to respect the importance of time and find a way to manage it efficiently. Time management skills help you systematically organize your tasks and accomplish them by their deadline.
For example, if you are looking for a job, you need to devote time to updating your resume, searching for job openings, researching good companies for openings, applying and preparing for interviews. Setting aside some specific time daily for the job-related tasks can help you in getting the right job. For example, managing your time properly can give you more time to read job postings thoroughly and finding the ones that best suit your needs.
Proper time management allows you to be creative and proactive with your goals. With a well-defined time frame for each workplace task, you can ensure you're contributing to the company in a reliable way.
Attitude:
An attitude refers to a set of emotions, beliefs, and behaviors toward a particular object, person, thing, or event. Attitudes are often the result of experience or upbringing, and they can have a powerful influence over behavior. While attitudes are enduring, they can also change.
Psychologists define attitudes as a learned tendency to evaluate things in a certain way. This can include evaluations of people, issues, objects, or events. Such evaluations are often positive or negative, but they can also be uncertain at times.
For example, you might have mixed feelings about a particular person or issue. Researchers also suggest that there are several different components that make up attitudes.1 The components of attitudes are sometimes referred to as CAB or the ABC's of attitude.
Components of Attitude
Cognitive Component: Your thoughts and beliefs about the subject
Affective Component: How the object, person, issue, or event makes you feel
Behavioral Component: How attitude influences your behavior
Attitudes can also be explicit and implicit. Explicit attitudes are those that we are consciously aware of and that clearly influence our behaviors and beliefs. Implicit attitudes are unconscious but still have an effect on our beliefs and behaviors.
Attitude Formation
There are a number of factors that can influence how and why attitudes form. Here is a closer look at how attitudes form.
Experience
Attitudes form directly as a result of experience. They may emerge due to direct personal experience, or they may result from observation.
Social Factors
Social roles and social norms can have a strong influence on attitudes. Social roles relate to how people are expected to behave in a particular role or context. Social norms involve society's rules for what behaviors are considered appropriate.
Learning
Attitudes can be learned in a variety of ways. Consider how advertisers use classical conditioning to influence your attitude toward a particular product. In a television commercial, you see young, beautiful people having fun on a tropical beach while enjoying a sports drink. This attractive and appealing imagery causes you to develop a positive association with this particular beverage.
Conditioning
Operant conditioning can also be used to influence how attitudes develop. Imagine a young man who has just started smoking. Whenever he lights up a cigarette, people complain, chastise him, and ask him to leave their vicinity. This negative feedback from those around him eventually causes him to develop an unfavorable opinion of smoking and he decides to give up the habit.
Observation
Finally, people also learn attitudes by observing people around them. When someone you admire greatly espouses a particular attitude, you are more likely to develop the same beliefs. For example, children spend a great deal of time observing the attitudes of their parents and usually begin to demonstrate similar outlooks.
Responsibility
Responsibility refers to an obligation to perform certain functions in order to achieve certain results. Following are the main characteristics or features of responsibility:
An organization can assign responsibility to human beings only and not to any non-living objects such as a machine, equipment, etc.
It arises from a superior-subordinate relationship. A senior possesses the authority to get the required task done from his subordinates. Thus, for this purpose, he assigns duties to subordinates. The subordinates are under a duty to perform the work assigned to them.
The management can confine it to the performance of a single function or can be a continuing obligation.
We can also define it in terms of functions, targets or goals. When responsibility is expressed in terms of targets, it enables the subordinates to know by what standards their performance shall be evaluated.
The core of responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform the duty or task which the superior assigns to him.
Responsibility is coextensive with authority. When a superior delegates authority to his subordinate, the latter becomes responsible to the former for the performance of the task and also for proper use of authority. Thus, responsibility is a derivative of authority.
Responsibility is absolute and one cannot delegate it. A subordinate to whom his superior assigns a task, may himself perform it or may get it done from his own subordinate. But, in both cases, he shall only remain responsible to his superior.
It always flows upward. A subordinate will only be always responsible to his superior.
Accountability arises out of responsibility. The person who accepts responsibility is also accountable for his performance. However, the management can use various techniques to define responsibilities in order to involve members of an organization in its coordination effort.
The two techniques of Responsibility are: -
1. Responsibility Charting: A responsibility chart is a manner of summarizing the relationship between tasks and task performers. It lists the complicated activities or the decisions that need to be made and the individuals who are responsible for each of them. The organization needs to show the tasks on the vertical axis and the task performers on the horizontal axis.
However, the following four roles are very important:
An individual is responsible for the activity or the decision.
He shall approve the activity or decision.
The management shall consult him before completing the activity or making the decision.
The management needs to inform an individual about the activity or the decision.
2. Role Negotiation: It is an important technique and can supplement the use of responsibility charting. The basis of the technique is that nobody gets anything without promising something in exchange. Members of the organization list the re-allotment of tasks at periodic intervals in order to maximize coordination.
The main aim of this approach is the identification of the independent clusters of tasks completed by the organization. It also aims at matching the personal needs and works preference of individuals with the tasks that need to be completed.
Leadership traits refer to personal qualities that define effective leaders. Leadership refers to the ability of an individual or an organization to guide individuals, teams, or organizations toward the fulfillment of goals and objectives. It plays an important function in management, as it helps maximize efficiency and achieve strategic and organizational goals. Leaders help motivate others, provide guidance, build morale, improve the work environment, and initiate action.
Integrity and Trust.
Integrity means that you are honest and faithful in what you say & do. You put honesty, sense of duty, and sound moral principles above all else. Integrity is doing the right thing, all the time, regardless of personal cost or credit to you. Leader live, eat, and breathe integrity.
Trust is dependability that you can rely on to perform the duties properly. It means that you can be trusted to complete a job. It is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and order of the chain of command. Trust also means consistently putting forth your best effort in an attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance.
Self- confidence plays an important role in decision making and in gaining other's trust. As a person with self- doubt never has ability to take required steps. A self-confident person has a self-assured bearing. He is flexible and willing to change. He easily gives others credit and isn’t afraid to tell the truth.
Courage.
Courage is what allows you to remain calm while encountering fear. It is willingness to take risk and accept responsibility for the outcome. It is a consistent quality among effective leaders. This trait helps a leader to always do the proper thing regardless of the consequences, real leaders have courage.
We live in a world of technological advancements where we owe a lot of it to networking. Networking has enabled us to communicate with people in distant lands in a matter of seconds. This was not possible in previous years. We can easily talk to our family and friends living far away from us. It is not only the messages that are shared but also data. A computer network (a. k. a data network) is a communication medium which allows computers to exchange data. The best-known computer network is the internet.
The field of networking and communication includes the analysis, design, implementation, and use of local, wide-area, and mobile networks that link computers together. The Internet itself is a network that makes it feasible for nearly all computers in the world to communicate.
When using a network, people can communicate efficiently with a group of people through instant messaging, video conferencing, social media, chat rooms, etc. It is easy to share files, data, and information. A computer network is basically a set or group of a computer system and other related hardware devices which are interrelated through different communication channels to implement proper communication procedures and related networking methodologies.
Communication Networks can be of following 5 types:
- Local Area Network (LAN)
- Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
- Wide Area Network (WAN)
- Wireless.
- Inter Network (Internet)
Speed reading is the process of rapidly recognizing and absorbing phrases or sentences on a page all at once, rather than identifying individual words.
The most important reason to learn speed reading is because it helps you to read a lot more than you would be able to read normally. It enhances the ability to engage socially, as a speed reader reads a lot more than an average reader, is up to date on the news and views and has a lot more to add to a conversation.
Most people read at an average rate of 250 words per minute (wpm), though some are naturally quicker than others. But, the ability to speed read could mean that you double this rate.
Problem-solving is a mental process that involves discovering, analyzing, and solving problems. The ultimate goal of problem-solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue.
The best strategy for solving a problem depends largely on the unique situation. In some cases, people are better off learning everything they can about the issue and then using factual knowledge to come up with a solution. In other instances, creativity and insight are the best options.
The Steps in Problem-Solving
In order to correctly solve a problem, it is often important to follow a series of steps. Many researchers refer to this as the problem-solving cycle.1 While this cycle is portrayed sequentially, people rarely follow a rigid series of steps to find a solution.
It is not necessary to follow problem-solving steps sequentially, it is common to skip steps or even go back through steps multiple times until the desired solution is reached.
The following steps include developing strategies and organizing knowledge.
It is important to remember that there are many different problem-solving processes with different steps and this is just one example. Problem-solving in real-world situations requires a great deal of resourcefulness, flexibility, resilience, and continuous interaction with the environment.
3.8.1 Trouble- Shooting
The ability to adopt a systematic approach towards identifying and then solving a problem or issue at hand is referred to as one’s troubleshooting skills. In simple words, troubleshooting skills are the problem-solving abilities of a person.
It requires a system of thoughts and actions to overcome any challenges that you or others face. Ideal troubleshooting skills mean you begin with gathering maximum information to define the actual problem, and provide the best possible solution by generating and evaluating all possible solutions.
The last but most significant part of this ability is to follow up on one’s action and check whether or not the problem is actually solved.
Why are troubleshooting skills Important?
It is a common belief that if there are no challenges or problems found in your efforts towards the smooth operation of your business, something is definitely wrong. That is how inevitable problems are in daily work routine.
Better troubleshooting skills mean greater opportunity for improvement. Probably that is the reason why true success is not believed to be in preventing problems from occurring at all but in troubleshooting when they do occur. This explains why problem seekers are usually more creative than problem avoiders.
Troubleshooting skills are a necessity for any organization because whenever a difference between the actual and desired state is seen and problem is identified, these skills will help you bridge the gap and make better future a possibility.
References:
