If You Have Researched Interpersonal Skills, You Will Know That Communication is a Key Element
We know that communication connects every part of our team and company. Therefore, if we get it wrong, we could face serious problems. None of us should ignore communication issues in our company or we may regret it later.
Here we will be looking at interpersonal communication and what it means. We will also see how we can use it properly, and why it’s so important to every company.
Meaning of Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is where 2 or more people share ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or opinions. We see 2-way communication happening as the information flows both ways. This can be both verbal and non-verbal in content.
For example, when you walk into a room and wave to a friend and they acknowledge your arrival with a smile. This is a basic example of course. We need to understand that everything we say, write, and even do can communicate something to others. Our silence can even send messages out.
In terms of interpersonal communication at work, we see this in our everyday interactions with colleagues. The emails we send, the conversations we have, the eye-rolling at the customer complaining about the delay. These are all ways interpersonal communication occurs in our workplace. They take many shapes and forms and we need to ensure we are doing everything possible to get it right.
Transactional Communication Model
There are many models out there to explain the concepts and theories behind interpersonal communication. The 3 basic models are Linear, Interactional, and Transactional. Here we will explain the main parts involved in transactional communication, rather than linear or interactional. We have chosen this particular model based on its relevance to interpersonal communication.
This model looks at communication as a continuous event. All parties are involved in both sending and receiving messages. In this model, we see them taking turns in sharing information throughout the process. We use this model every day in communication.
The transactional model for communication looks at the following components.
The Communicators
You will have 2 or more people as communicators, who will both send and receive information or messages. Obviously, the more communicators that are involved, the trickier it can be to create understanding. Just think back to a meeting where everyone was talking at once. How much did you understand? Did you leave the meeting feeling drained and confused? That’s not surprising.
Communicators on both sides need to be ready and focused. For example, Mary is busy typing on her computer while you’re trying to talk to her. How much attention is she really paying to either task? Readiness can come in the form of research or advanced preparation. It can also be in terms of active listening.
Focus can be something as simple as putting your phone on vibrate during a meeting to avoid becoming distracted. In written communication, it can be about making sure necessary files are attached to emails before pressing send. (We’ve all done that before, right?)
They also need to know their main roles. Are they there to communicate the initial message or receive it? Also, will they be expected to provide their own information? As the roles interchange, we need to be ready for both sides of the communication experience.
Too often, we get caught up in sending messages that we don’t give receiving them the proper attention. And that’s where mistakes in communication usually happen. We mishear or misread something and the meaning changes.
The Actual Message(s)
Next, we have the actual information that needs to be shared. This can be verbal or non-verbal. Think about the stream of emails you send back and forth to others to share information and create clarity. Or the agenda you have set for the team meeting. All of these messages need to have a purpose for the target audience. Otherwise, you run the risk of decreasing the effectiveness of your communication due to a lack of interest or relevance.
When we decide what our message is, we can decide how we want to communicate it. Time frames will also help us make that decision. Some of your work communication will need to be one-to-one rather than in a group due to content. For example, a performance review shouldn’t be done in a group setting. On the other hand, you should use group exchanges for sharing positive team results and celebrating success.
Deciding what your message is and how best to share it will greatly increase the success of your interpersonal communication. These seem like minor considerations but they are really important. You would be surprised how many people get these wrong.
Interference or Noise
Anything that might interrupt the flow of the messages being sent or received is considered interference or noise. It can be physical noise, drowning out the voice of someone trying to speak. Also, it can be distractions that affect focus. Another could be poor internet coverage that interferes with your ability to receive written or verbal messages.
We need to be aware of any possible interference. Then, we can reduce this as much as possible when communicating. For example, I know from personal experience the difficulty in running a training session when there’s maintenance work happening nearby. Whatever the interference might be, we need to be ready to find solutions. We should always look for preventions rather than cures whenever possible.
Other interferences that we need to be aware of our emotional and mental barriers.
Emotional noise or interference is dangerous in terms of how we share, receive, and respond to messages while we are emotional. We can do or say the wrong things based on our emotional state. We are all humans and have to deal with our emotions when interacting with others. However, we also need to be aware of the emotions of others during interpersonal communication which can be challenging.
Mental interference can lead to stress and tension in the workplace. It also impacts the way we communicate. If we are mentally exhausted, we can make bad decisions. It changes the level of positivity we are able to show. And, this can greatly, and negatively, affect our ability to communicate in the best way.
Field of Experience
You need to consider the target audience for your communication to be effective. Here we have the field of experience. As an example, when you have new hires, you break the message down to the basics to create understanding.
This can be how to complete basic tasks or explaining company guidelines. Experienced team members wouldn’t appreciate you taking the same approach with them. They have a different level of understanding so you would communicate with them differently.
Here, we would consider the level of knowledge, skillset, and even education. Also, we would have to think about language skills, culture, and our own working relationships. Would you speak to your CEO the same way you speak to your colleague? All of these aspects need to be considered for us to get our communication right.
Key Elements of Interpersonal Communication
Active Listening
One element of interpersonal communication is our ability to really listen to others. Many people claim to be good listeners but very often that’s not the case. We are all guilty of hearing what we want to. I’m sure you’ve all had the odd occasion of selective listening from time to time.
For interpersonal communication to be effective, we really need to commit to listening to others. We need to find ways to tune out any distractions and really focus on what’s being communicated.
In terms of written communication, we need to decipher the tone of the message without the person being present. This can cause its own set of problems. However, we can get the right meaning with practice and from knowing the person/people we are communicating with.
Self Confidence
Another important point for interpersonal communication is confidence. Whether we are speaking or writing, we need to have self-confidence. Very often we can achieve that when we prepare properly and have the knowledge and experience behind our message.
Let’s compare an experienced teacher with a new one. One main difference between them is their level of experience. Therefore, their level of self-confidence will be different in front of a class. The same applies to us in the workplace.
Very often, we are nervous and reluctant to share when we are new to a role. However, we grow in confidence as we learn more about the job and gain the necessary skills and experience. This is turn can directly impact our communication skills and style.
Open-mindedness
As this way of communicating involves multiple people, we need to be ready to listen to other points of view that may differ from our own. Interpersonal communication is about everyone involved sharing their message. We need to be ready to take those messages on board for this to work.
That doesn’t mean that we need to agree with everything that everyone else shares. In fact, this approach allows for debate and discussion, unlike other styles of communication.
Building Rapport
We need to be able to build rapport with those we communicate with. Regardless of the message, we are more likely to get better results when we engage with others. This can be something as simple as making small talk at the start of a meeting or interview to set the tone. You can use empathy here to show your team that you care about a sensitive topic. Or, you can use humour to break the ice and create a lighter atmosphere. You will need to decide what will work best based on your message and audience.
Shared Experience
We can communicate better with people we have shared experiences with. For example, people in the same line of business can communicate easily with one another based on their knowledge of the business. We might face this as a potential barrier when we come out of our comfort zone. That doesn’t mean your communication attempt will fail. It just means that you have to be mindful of what you communicate and how.
Take a company meeting for example. You will need to consider what people will relate to in terms of your content. Also, you will need to think of your delivery. From experience, we should look at ways of adding visuals to complement our verbal message.
That way, you will have double the chance of creating understanding. Some people in your company, depending on which department they are in, will not relate to technical jargon and terminology. We should always keep our audience in mind when preparing any messages we want to share.
Clear and Relevant Ideas
The ideas we want to share should be clear. We need to make sure that we have prepared our communication in such a way that our ideas are easy to follow. The last we want to do is create confusion or frustration through mixed messages.
The ideas should also have relevance. It’s great to share our ideas and suggestions with others but they need to link to the topic at hand. I remember once I was conducting training on Quality Standards. When I asked if anyone had any questions, the first person completely changed the topic to salary and benefits. I understood that it was a topic they really wanted to speak about. However, they chose the wrong time and place to bring that up for discussion.
We need to be sure that our message makes a positive impact in terms of clarity and relevance. We become known for adding value to team meetings, projects, and tasks when that happens.
Importance of Interpersonal Communication
There are many reasons why interpersonal communication is key in any business. Here are some of the main reasons.
Effective Leadership
For us to lead effectively, we need to have efficient communication skills. No famous leader in history has made a name for themselves without this skill. They may still be known, but for the wrong reasons in terms of their communication capabilities! Misinformation from leaders is dangerous in terms of reliability and clarity.
As leaders, we need to be able to create a clear picture of the vision and mission of the company. We also need to be able to communicate in a way that creates buy-in for our team. Leaders need to be able to share information about goals and targets. Also, we need to be able to direct our team to achieve these goals. All of these come through effective communication.
Greater Team Harmony
Teams often fail due to a breakdown in communication. Perhaps some in the team aren’t sure of what their role is because it hasn’t been explained properly. Or maybe, the same task is being done by multiple people because of miscommunication. The last thing we need is for the team dynamic to fall apart because something was misunderstood. These, and other problems, can be avoided when we communicate better as a team.
This means that the team has a platform to have a voice. They feel they can both listen and be listened to with proper interpersonal communication. It creates a better workplace atmosphere. We can use this skill to handle conflict and problem-solve better. Also, we can ensure everyone feels included when they have a chance to share.
Achieve Results
Every company is out to achieve something. That is the reason they exist. Whether it’s production or service orientated, you want your company to succeed. With that said, we will never achieve great results without strong interpersonal communication.
Goals and targets will not be properly understood. When that happens, how can anything be achieved? It is the responsibility of those in charge to set clear targets. It’s also the responsibility of those working towards the goals to ask questions if there is confusion.
A great example here is when we use both verbal and written communication for our team goals. We can have an initial meeting to lay out the targets that have been set. Then, we can have follow-up meetings to discuss progress at regular intervals. Additionally, we can communicate these goals and targets in written form, perhaps using graphs or visuals, to reinforce the expected outcome.
Handle Conflict
Conflict can be a difficult task to deal with. You will be fighting an uphill battle if you throw poor communication skills into the equation. Conflict happens, how we deal with it will be a testament to our leadership capabilities.
The only real way to deal with conflict is to have effective interpersonal communication in place. This way, they all have their chance to speak. That’s because of the expectation that everyone is actively involved in the exchange. That way, nobody will feel that their point of view hasn’t been heard. Also, by talking through things together, we can achieve better conflict resolution. This will go back to what we said earlier about keeping an open mind and being ready to really listen to others. These elements will play a big part in conflict resolution.
In Closing…
We cannot mention enough the importance of having interpersonal communication as your go-to approach for communicating in your team. Now it’s about getting the approach to work. We can use the elements mentioned above as focus areas of development in our team. We can also get feedback from the team on what feel are the strengths and areas of improvement.
Effective communication does not happen on its own. It needs work. Be ready to commit to training for your team when needed. Also, we need to create an atmosphere where our team feels comfortable communicating openly and honestly.
So, why not SHARE to get great results.
Solve problems and conflicts together by involving all necessary parties.
Have an environment where people feel open to share as well as listen.
Active listening is a key skill to have for this to work.
Results can be achieved by your team using interpersonal communication.
Ensure your communication adds value by being clear and relevant.
