Interpersonal skills at work Interpersonal skills are skills used in interactions andrelationships between two or more people. They include such skills as: Building rapport drawing another person into a relationship Building rapport Building trust and respect to maintain relationship and facilitate (make easy help) cooperation communication process communication methods
1 Lecture Interpersonal And Transferable Skills Interpersonal Skills At Work Interpersonal skills are skills used in interactions and relationships between two or more people They include such skills as: Building rapport drawing another person into a relationship Building trust and respect to maintain relationship and facilitate (make easy / help) cooperation Interpersonal Skills At Work – Cont’d… They include such skills as: Persuading or influencing another person to what you want them to or to share your beliefs Negotiating or bargaining to reach mutually acceptable or compromise (cooperation / give and take) solutions to problems Assertive communication upholding your rights and get your needs met, without violating the rights or ignoring the needs of others Informative communication giving and receiving relevant and time information Supportive communication encouraging the other person Why are Interpersonal Skills Important? You need interpersonal skills in order to: Understand and manage the roles, relationships, attitudes and perceptions operating in any situation Communicate clearly with other people Achieve your aims from any interpersonal encounter ideally, allowing the other parties to emerge satisfied as well Why are Interpersonal Skills Important? – Cont’d… In a business context, interpersonal skills are particularly important for processes such as Motivation Team-building Customer care Negotiation Workload Management Communication Why we communicate? To inform (tell / notify) To persuade (convince) To request (ask for) To confirm (verify / prove) To build the relationship To achieve outcome (result / conclusion) Communication Process The Communication Cycle Communication Process – Cont’d… Media Choice of medium depends on a number of factors Speed a phone call, for example is quicker than a letter Complexity a written message, for example allows the use of diagrams and figures Need for interaction face-to-face and phone discussion is often used to resolve conflicts, solve problems and close sales Confidentiality e.g a private interview or sealed letter or conversely the need of disseminate or spread information widely and quickly (e.g via a notice board, public meeting or website) Cost for the best possible result at the least possible expense Communication Process – Cont’d… Planning a Message Framework for planning any message, linked to an easy-to-remember mnemonic: PASS Purpose what you wish or need to achieve as a result of the communication task or event? Audience What factors in the intended recipient(s) of the message, or their situation, will affect whether they receive, understand and/or respond to the message in the way you intend Structure What content, emphasis, order and format will be most suitable to achieve your purpose, given the audience factors? Style What vocabulary, sentence structure, visual elements and ‘tone of voice’ will be most suitable to achieve your purpose, given the audience factors 10 Communication Methods Main communication methods (a) Written communication Letters, memos, e-mails, faxes and other documents (b) Visual communication including various charts and graphs (c) Oral communication including the telephone (d) Face to face communication Including body language 11 (a) Written Communication The Letter The letter is a very flexible and versatile (adaptable) medium It can be used for many different purposes Request, supply and confirm information and instructions Offer and accept goods and services Convey and acknowledge satisfaction and dissatisfaction 12 13 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Standard Letter Format Standard elements of a modern business letter: Greeting and complimentary closes By convention, the following greetings and complimentary closes should be used together 14 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Alternative Layouts Two main styles currently in use: Fully Blocked Style is the easiest to type and therefore increases the typist’s productivity Everything starts at the left-hand margin This style is becoming increasingly common 15 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Alternative Layouts Two main styles currently in use: Semi Fully Blocked Style is much like the fully blocked, but selected elements are moved over for balance The date is against the right hand margin: the complimentary close starts from the centre: the subject header may be centralized 16 Another Example of Semi –Blocked Style Letter S 17 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Legend: Return Address: If your stationery has a letterhead, skip this Otherwise, type your name, address and optionally, phone number, five spaces to the right of center or flush with the right margin Five spaces to the right of center is common These days, it's also common to include an email address Date: Type the date five spaces to the right of center or flush with the right margin, two to six lines below the letterhead Five spaces to the right of center and three lines below the letterhead are common If there is no letterhead, type it where shown Reference Line: If the recipient specifically requests information, such as a job reference or invoice number, type it on one or two lines, immediately below and aligned with the Date (2) If you're replying to a letter, refer to it here For example, Re: Job # 625-01 Re: Your letter dated 1/1/200x Special Mailing Notations: Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate Examples include SPECIAL DELIVERY CERTIFIED MAIL AIRMAIL 18 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… On-Arrival Notations: Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate You might want to include a notation on private correspondence, such as a resignation letter Include the same on the envelope Examples are PERSONAL CONFIDENTIAL Inside Address: Type the name and address of the person and/or company to whom you're sending the letter, three to eight lines below the last component you typed Four lines are standard If you type an Attention Line (7), skip the person's name here Do the same on the envelope Attention Line: Type the name of the person to whom you're sending the letter If you type the person's name in the Inside Address (6), skip this Do the same on the envelope Salutation: Type the recipient's name here Type Mr or Ms [Last Name] to show respect, but don't guess spelling or gender Some common salutations are Ladies: Gentlemen: Dear Sir: Dear Sir or Madam: Dear [Full Name]: To Whom it May Concern: Subject Line: Type the gist of your letter in all uppercase characters Be concise on one line If you type a Reference Line (3), consider if you really need this line While it's not really necessary for most employment-related letters, examples are below SUBJECT: RESIGNATION LETTER OF REFERENCE JOB INQUIRY 19 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Body: Indent the first sentence in paragraphs five spaces Type two spaces between sentences Keep it brief and to the point Complimentary Close: Type this aligned with the Date (2) What you type here depends on the tone and degree of formality For example, Respectfully yours (very formal) Sincerely (typical, less formal) Very truly yours (polite, neutral) Cordially yours (friendly, informal) Signature Block: Align this block with the Complimentary Close (11) Leave four blank lines to sign your name Sign it exactly the same as you typed it below your signature Title is optional depending on relevancy and degree of formality Examples are John Doe, Manager P Smith Director, Technical Support R T Jones - Sr Field Engineer 20 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Identification Initials: If someone typed the letter for you, he or she would typically include three of your initials in all uppercase characters, then two of his or hers in all lowercase characters If you typed your own letter, just skip it since your name is already in the Signature Block (12) Common styles are below JAD/cm JAD:cm clm Enclosure Notation: This line tells the reader to look in the envelope for more Type the singular for only one enclosure, plural for more If you don't enclose anything, skip it Common styles are below Enclosure Enclosures: Enclosures (3) cc: Stands for courtesy copies (formerly carbon copies) List the names of people to whom you distribute copies, in alphabetical order If addresses would be useful to the recipient of the letter, include them If you don't copy your letter to anyone, skip it 21 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Letter Content A letter should have a beginning, a middle and an end Opening paragraph - a brief explanation of why you are writing (“Thank you for your letter….) An acknowledgement - of relevant correspondence received Important background details - e.g I have been asked by my colleague, George Brown, to contact you in regard to your enquiry about auditing services 22 (a) Written Communication – Cont’d… Letter Content Development of the message - the middle paragraph (s) should contain the substance of your response to a previous message, details of the matter in hand, or the information you wish to communicate - If you are making several points, start a new paragraph with each, so the reader can digest each part of your message in turn Closing paragraph - letter must have the desired result of creating understanding or initiating action Summarize your point briefly – or make clear exactly what response is required - e.g 1: I look forward to meeting you to discuss the matter in more detail - e.g 2: If you require any further information, please call me - e.g 3: I will be contacting you in the next few days to arrange a meeting