Interpersonal Communication Skills Basics

Improve employee morale and boost your bottom line by fostering strong interpersonal communication skills

The strength of your employees' interpersonal communication skills can determine how well they work as a team, how many sales they make and how your company is viewed by potential customers and by the rest of the public. Interpersonal communication skills in the workplace include everything from effective listening to negotiation skills, and are no longer seen as just "soft skills."

Today, many companies acknowledge that improving interpersonal communication skills among employees is key to promoting the growth of the entire company. Interpersonal communication skills basics include:

1. The kinds of interpersonal communication skills necessary for specific job roles
2. How behavioral and interpersonal skills affect sales and your bottom line
3. How communication skills can improve customer relationships
4. The effect of technology on interpersonal communication skills
   

 

Encourage employees at all levels to develop better interpersonal communication skills

Everyone from administrative assistants to upper management can benefit from employee interpersonal skills training, because it teaches them how to cooperate across all levels of the organization. Spend some time outlining which interpersonal communication skills are essential to specific job roles. For example, a manager may need instruction in how to provide constructive criticism, while staff members may need guidance in respectful communication.
Try: Speak for Success offers communication training specifically for managers. The program covers both written and spoken communication, and focuses on how managers can use even tough conversations to build morale and strengthen the team. Employee University offers communication training videos for employees at every level of the organization.

Examine how behavioral and interpersonal skills affect sales

Often, making the sale depends not only on the product, but also on a sales rep's ability to connect with a potential customer. Interpersonal communications in business can directly impact a company's bottom line, because if employees can't effectively communicate the advantages of a product or service, or if they alienate or offend prospective customers, it can be difficult to undo the damage.
Try: PeopleSavvy offers interpersonal communication classes specifically for sales professionals, and The Learning Key offers its "Consultative Selling" class, which focuses on enhancing interpersonal skills and building a relationship with the prospective customer.

Learn how technology affects interpersonal communication skills

Thanks to email, it's easier to communicate, but more difficult to communicate effectively. You don't have the advantage of body language or the tone of someone's voice to help you decipher what they mean. People are also more casual about email, spending less time on composition than they would with a written memo or even in conversation.
Try: Work911 includes a section on the differences between the various mediums used for communication, including telephone and email, and addresses how you should alter your communication style for these mediums. CareerTrak offers a one-hour webinar covering proper email communication and etiquette.

 

• Interpersonal skills training is an important part of improving customer relations. Winning a customer is just the beginning; it takes just as much effort to keep them. Effective communication skills can help build positive--and profitable--longterm customer relationships.
• Interpersonal communication skills include both verbal and nonverbal language. Make sure your employees know how to send out the proper physical signals, and that they're adept on picking up on the body language of others.

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