What is Interpersonal Communication: Definition, Types and Skills
Table of Contents
- jaro Education
- 17, February 2024
- 11:00 am
Management is more than making decisions and driving up the work — it is a process whereby you work with people, and when people are involved, communication is everything. One of the most important, yet underutilized, aspects of being a successful manager is interpersonal communication — how you engage with, listen to, respond to, and relate to others at work.
Consider it this way: teams function better when there is understanding, collaboration increases when people feel listened to and respected, and people find solutions to problems more quickly when communication is clear. So, whether you are conducting a team meeting, giving someone feedback, or dealing with some sort of conflict, your interpersonal communication skills are going to directly affect how that person or group of people responds to you.
In this blog, we will examine the importance of interpersonal communication in management, how it contributes to the development of stronger teams, better work cultures, and more effective leaders.
What Is Interpersonal Communication?
Interpersonal communication refers to the exchange of thoughts, feelings, and information between two or more people. Interpersonal communication involves both verbal and non-verbal cues, such as body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Interpersonal communication is an important part of establishing and maintaining connections between people, whether in a social context or a professional context.
Why Interpersonal Communication is Important?
Interpersonal communication is the key to any organization. It establishes how ideas are shared, feedback is transferred, and trust is developed. In a management setting, the communication style of a manager with his or her team can enhance collaboration or lead to confusion. When managers communicate, listen appropriately, and respond with sincere empathy and awareness, it allows people to feel important and understood. This recognition of their shared humanity is critical in raising morale, increasing productivity, and limiting misunderstanding. Good interpersonal communication allows for conflicts to be managed effectively, aligns everyone toward working for the same goals, and ensures that team members feel connected and motivated. Most simply, communication is not just about exchanging words and sentences—it is about establishing connections with others in a way that unleashes the best in them, and the business itself.
How to Improve Your Interpersonal Communication Skills?
Enhancing interpersonal communication is not about learning fancy vocabulary or increasing talk time; it is about creating better connections between people. It starts with paying close attention to people when they talk. When we listen to people, we can understand their point of view and respect them enough to hear them before we respond. When we talk to people, try to be clear and honest. People appreciate messages that are simple, direct, and thought out.
It is also helpful to think about your body language. A friendly smile, eye contact, and open body language can make your communication more impactful than your words. Our nonverbal presence represents a big part of our communication. Therefore, make sure your body language matches your gestures.
Another element of communication is empathy. If a participant is coming forth with a concern or feeling, validate their feelings with empathy. When we can take another person’s perspective, we create stronger and more respectful relationships. However, always keep in mind that communication is a two-way street. Make sure to be open to feedback and willing to acknowledge how you might need to change to interact with others to improve your communication.
Improving these tasks is a process, and it takes time. However, even small changes can make a big difference. As we become more aware and careful in our daily interactions, we can become more confident in communicating positively. We can expect better cooperation, cooperation, understanding, and a much more enjoyable and safe culture in the workplace.
Types of Interpersonal Communication
Many people still fail to comprehend that interpersonal communication is an integrated process that has four distinct yet essential forms of language, namely verbal, listening, written, and non-verbal communication. Mastering these forms of interaction makes it easier to connect with people for both business and personal purposes.
- Verbal Communication
In interpersonal communication, verbal communication is more than merely using words and grammatical structures. The tone of one’s voice and the choice of language are essential for conveying messages clearly and purposefully.
Consider the impact of presenting an original idea through hesitant speech compared to expressing an apology laced with sarcasm. Well-articulated ideas, when effectively integrated into spoken dialogue, build connections, encourage action, and build healthy relationships.
Even a word as simple as “wow” can be as dramatic as well-rehearsed rhetoric in an oration at its time.
- Non-verbal Communication
Words alone are never sufficient to convey a message, as actions speak louder than words. Facial features such as the mouth or the eyebrows, along with other movements such as that of the hands, standing position or even the overall gestures, all make up the body language and accompany the verbal part of the communication
The process of deciphering nonverbal cues and gestures becomes important in management practices to promote communication.
Imagine trying to compliment someone while crossing your arms or glancing around aimlessly. It’s a challenge, isn’t it? Our body language plays an important role in how our words are received. A simple smile or a raised eyebrow can significantly add a strawberry to your message. So, next time you want to connect with someone, remember: that just a few minor adjustments in your body language can make all the difference in how your message is communicated!
- Listening
Interpersonal communication is not only about the unguarded expression of your thoughts but also about actively listening to others. This means paying attention to what the other person is saying by all the senses and the mind, as well as emotional awareness.
Focused listening is also beneficial for understanding and encouraging empathy. This can only be achieved by having interpersonal skills like summarising, reflecting, or clarifying questions, making the hearer appreciate, and helping to ease the differences with the speaker.
- Written Communication
In this active and modern world, written communication is far beyond just texting or sending messages over the internet. It is a combination of various elements such as letter writing, crafting emails, creating reports, and developing presentations.
But wait, there is more to this.
Effective written communication involves more than simply joining words and sentences together; the context of the message must also be appropriate.
Consider an instance when you had to write a ‘thank you’ email only to realise that it was full of grammatical errors, or sending a condolence letter without showing any signs of compassion.
Proper written communication should take into consideration grammar, punctuation, spelling, and even the proper placement of smiling or sad faces to make the text respectful and to the point.
Interpersonal Communication Examples
Physical presence and phone conversations reflect our communication and relationships. Below are five examples of interpersonal communication.
- Meetings
A discussion is always led by verbal communication where all the members take part in contributing ideas, putting up arguments, or even finding ways of resolving a problem.
Non-verbal communication comprises facial expressions, the use of hand gestures, and body posture concerning other people. For instance, the head and feet show agreement or undecidedness respectively.
Everyone participates by using active listening techniques promoting courtesy during the process and the interaction being more focused.
Written Communication shows up through meeting notes, agendas, and documents that organize and structure discussions.
In addition to the above, in online meetings, you can use gifs, and chat shortcuts, and may even add to various interactions owing to the upsurge in the use of these features.
- Presentations
Verbal communication appears to take precedence because the speaker has to ensure that the ideas are articulated using appropriate words, and suitable persuading strategies.
There are non-verbal signals like body language, confident posture, eye contact and gestures that may help and reinforce the message thereby increasing credibility.
Audience feedback, whether by a question verbally or non-verbally through reactions, ensures that the speaker takes their message immediately.
Visual aid such as slides, charts, handouts, and others supplements an oral presentation and precision in communication.
- Phone Calls
In the absence of visual cues, vocal aspects such as tone, pitch and inflexion become important in expressing feeling and meaning.
Listening with purpose is important because it involves the use of beat or vocal indicators like “uh-huh,” “I see” and even silence to show concern and attention toward the person.
To reduce the chances of misinterpretation, clarity and brevity are essential, especially considering that the absence of physical backup may make messages difficult to read.
- Emails
Written communication is emphasised as this includes messages to be direct and simple without grammatical errors.
The tone of the email is important as it comes through diction, syntax, and punctuation. It helps a writer to extend warmth, professionalism, or even humour.
Materials like attachments, hyperlinks or even written documents provide more context and information
- Text Messaging
Using short sentences and abbreviations makes conversations fast and straight to the point, while the use of emojis adds character and feeling to the conversation.
This raises the level of contextual understanding because brief messages may leave room for interpretation. Communication also becomes easier through the other person’s style of communication.
Informal tone refers to the minimal restrictions on conversations. It allows friendly conversations which ultimately help in building bonds through laughter and quick augments.
Difference Between Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Communication
We have heard a lot about interpersonal and intrapersonal. There are a lot of people who really get confused between these two. So, for you, here we have outlined the differences between interpersonal and intrapersonal communication, encompassing their characteristics, roles, and purposes.
| Aspect | Intrapersonal Communication | Interpersonal Communication |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | Only includes a single individual and enhances a person's thoughts and feelings. | Involves not least two people with interactions like speeches and discussions. |
| Nature of Communication | Involves self-assessment and discussions with oneself. | Asking for or giving information is done either verbally (speaking) or non-verbally (through body movement or motion). |
| Process | This is a self-reflective process in which one contemplates thoughts internally. | This is an interactive process where one communicates with another. |
| Focus | Emotion regulation, self-awareness enhancement, coping with emotions, and internal strategising are included. | Enhances bonding, promotes cooperation, increases working relations, and manages conflicts. |
| Examples | Self-talk, daydreaming, journaling, meditation, or mental rehearsals. | Conversations, meetings, negotiations, group discussions, or conflict resolution. |
What are the Interpersonal Communication Skills
Interpersonal communication skills are the abilities that allow us to communicate with others effectively both personally and professionally. These skills are useful in articulating and expressing your thoughts, ideas, building relationships, working together in teamwork situations, as well as developing an overall positive and healthy work environment. Here are some interpersonal communication skills that any professional should be developing:
- Practice Active Listening
This is one of the most important parts of building interpersonal communication skills – actively listening to others. It also speaks to the comprehension of what is being said and ‘not just hearing it’. There are ways in which a person can engage in active listening; here are a few notable:
Maintain eye contact
Nodding in agreement or understanding at appropriate times
Asking questions to check understanding or confirm what has been said
- Use Clear and Concise Language
Good communication is straightforward. Do not confuse the audience by beating around the bush with needless jargon or terminology. Clear and precise vocabulary is very helpful as there is less chance of miscommunication.
- Be Mindful of Non-Verbal Communication
Your body language, facial expressions, and gestures say more than words do. Be conscious of your body language to convey it properly with the intended message, and learn to read the body language of other people to know how they feel and what they mean without having to ask.
- Show Empathy
You are able to know how and what the other person feels. In communication, try to put yourself in the position of the other person. Display empathy by validating their feelings and sympathising with their situation.
- Build Connections
Developing connections builds confidence and reinforces bonds. Connections can be made, for example, by looking for things they may have in common, that may hobbies or life events. Be able to use humour or praise to enhance the interaction and build a bond in the process.
- Be Open to Feedback
Feedback is important for personal development. Be ready to accept advice and critique from others to learn more. Accepting the feedback shows that you are willing to do something about it, and it ensures qualitative growth.
How Does Jaro Education Help
Jaro Education is one of the renowned online higher education and upskilling companies that assist students in terms of counselling and career support. For some programmes with IIM Kozhikode and other leading IITs and IIMs, we go beyond simply facilitating enrollment; we proudly serve as the exclusive marketing and technology partner for these exceptional programs. Our Jaro Expedite service offers a comprehensive career boost, beginning with precise resume building that aligns with corporate standards and enhances your professional goals.
Additionally, our Jaro Education connect platform features boot camps and masterclasses led by esteemed experts, keeping participants informed about the latest industry trends. This also ensures that individuals are well-equipped with the right information related to the job market and achieve success in today’s highly competitive business environment.
Final Thoughts
All functions of management and individual success are highly dependent on communication with others. It does not matter whether it is a business meeting, a presentation, a written email, or a simple text message. The importance of communicating through speaking, listening, understanding, and even body language is crucial for creating and developing relationships, cooperation, and comprehension.
In the modern age, where managing people has become a core function of management, mastering new practices in interpersonal communication is essential. This mastery motivates both the individual and the organisation as a whole.
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