Introduction The purpose of this report is to define seven interpersonal skills that are useful in the business world, namely, listening, assertiveness, negotiation, feedback, persuasion, interviewing, and coaching. In addition to this, examples of situations where these skills can be put into practice will be provided along with a source of information that can be used to improve upon each of these essential interpersonal skills. Listening In Communication in Organization (n. d. ), active listening refers to the full attention given to what other people say.
This skill can aid in situations such as an interview, where the interviewer is required to listen carefully to what the person being interviewed has to say in order to make a more informed decision on whether the person being interviewed is a suitable candidate for the job or not. Similarly, this interpersonal skill is helpful when it comes to customer complaints as well. Listening to the concerns of customers allows for the identification of problems that may be hindering the quality of service being rendered, for instance.
There is a website that offers 10 quick tips on how to improve this particular skill, and can be found at www. killsyouneed. com. Assertiveness The dictionary of Merriam-Webster (2015) defines assertive as “characterized by bold or confident statements and behavior”, or in other words having confidence in yourself, and what you say, but it’s not to be confused with aggression. Assertiveness can be quite helpful if you find yourself in business meetings, where ideas can be shared and challenged. It is important, though, to be well informed about the points being discussed as this can elevate the confidence level when addressing others.
One website that yields helpful information on improving this skill is creativeboom. co. k, which touches on certain aspects such as being positive, shyness, and self-belief. Negotiation Negotiation occurs when two or more parties engage in a discussion to reach an agreement on a solution that will satisfy the needs and goals of each party, in other words the aim is to create a win-win situation for everyone involved (Queensland Government, 2014). It is a skill that is used for business and personal life events, such as buying a home, or a personal vehicle from a dealership. In such instances things like the pric ng and closing costs can be negotiated to where it benefits both the buyer and the seller.
To learn more about how to become a better negotiator the Queensland Government website at www. business. qld. gov. au provides helpful tips and information under their “Managing Business Relationships” section. Feedback Basically, feedback is a person’s response to a message or information received, which enables the person giving the message to determine whether it is being received favorably or not. For example, in a public speech, the audience may respond favorably to what is being said by the speaker, through body movements, laughter, or facial expressions.
It does not have to be strictly verbal. This response in turn can help the speaker decide if changes need to be made to the message. (Nordquist, n. d. ). To improve on this skill, Mindtools. com provides great tips on how to convey feedback effectively. Persuasion Many times persuasion is confused with manipulation. Manipulation is about coercing and forcing people to do something, while persuasion is the art convincing and individual to do something that is “in their own best interest and that also benefit you” (Nazar, 2013).
This skill can be very useful in the sales and marketing departments, where convincing people that they need or may benefit from the product or service being offered can be quite challenging at times. Jason Nazar, a contributor at Forbes. com, touches on 21 principles of persuasion that can give the novice a better grasp of what it takes to improve this skill. Interviewing Interviewing refers to the personal interactions that occur between the interviewer, or the person asking the questions, and the candidate, or the person answering the questions in order to obtain information regarding the candidate (Management Study Guide, n. . ).
This skill can be very beneficial for managers looking to hire a well qualified person for a certain job, or on the opposite end, it can be very beneficial for the person looking to gain a type of job desired. In any case, this requires that both the interviewer and the candidate be well prepared. At managementstudyguide. com, there are great tips that can help in the preparation for such an occasion. Coaching Mark McGuinness, who does coaching and training for different organizations, defines coaching as “a focused conversation that facilitates learning and raises performance at work” (2007).
He proceeds to point out that coaching can happen in a formal setting such as designated ‘coaching sessions’ or as informal as a manager having a discussion with employee as they go about their routine during the day. In his blog, which can be reached at www. wishfulthinking. co. uk, he provides ample information that aids in the improvement of this essential interpersonal skill, pointing out certain characteristics of coaching such as collaboration, listening, and non-judgmental feedback.
Conclusion This report has identified and defined seven interpersonal skills that can be utilized in the business world. Practical examples and a source of information for improvement were also provided for each of these skills. In addition to this, something noteworthy that can be gleaned from this report is that a lot of these skills are interrelated. For instance, assertiveness is a skill that can be useful during an interview or the coaching of an employee.
