JSS ACADEMY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION, BANGALORE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Group activity report on Developing Interpersonal skills

Subject: Personality Development and Soft skills

Subject code: 21CV383

SL. NO. NAME USN SIGNATURE

1. DHARSHAN R 1JS21CV012
2. DHANUJ A 1JS21CV010
3. ROHAN SK 1JS21CV026

Semester: 3
Branch: Civil Engineering
Academic Year: 2022 – 2023
Report No.: 1
Under the Guidance of: ABHISHEK R
MARKS MARKS AWARDED
10

Signature of Faculty
Contents:
 Introduction
 Interpersonal Skills List and Examples
 Examples of Jobs That Require Interpersonal Skills
 How to strengthen your interpersonal skills?
 Conclusion
 References
Introduction:

What Are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills or ‘people skills’ are the qualities and abilities
that help us communicate and build relationships with others. We
demonstrate interpersonal skills while engaging in any kind of verbal
or nonverbal communication. Strong interpersonal skills are
considered an asset in a working environment, as the benefits include
the ability to work well with others and succeed in navigating
complexity, change, and everyday tasks. It is one of the most in-
demand soft skills that employers look for during job interviews –
professionals who can perform technical tasks expertly and
communicate well with colleagues.

We use Interpersonal skills when interacting and communicating

with others to help start, build, and sustain relationships. Sometimes
called people skills, these are innate and learned skills used in social
situations pertinent to your career, education, and personal life. These
skills include working creatively with others, communicating clearly,
collaborating, adapting to change, flexibility, interacting effectively
with diverse teams, guiding and leading others, and being
responsible, according to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
As an example, a marketing manager leads a brainstorming session
and intentionally solicits participation from interns and newer
members of the team so their ideas and opinions get a chance to
shine. This demonstrates a few interpersonal skills in action:
teamwork, leadership, motivation, and empathy.

This definition means that interpersonal skills therefore include:

Communication skills, which in turn covers:

 Verbal Communication – what we say and how we say it;

 Non-Verbal Communication – what we communicate without
words, for example through body language, or tone of voice;
 Listening Skills – How we interpret both the verbal and non-
verbal messages sent by others.
 Emotional intelligence – Being able to understand and manage
your own and other’s emotions.
 Team working – being able to work with others in groups and
teams, both formal and informal.
 Negotiation, persuasion and influencing skills – working with
others to find a mutually agreeable (Win/Win) outcome. This
may be considered a subset of communication, but it is often
treated separately.
 Conflict resolution and mediation – working with others to
resolve interpersonal conflict and disagreements in a positive
 way, which again may be considered a subset of
communication.
 Problem solving and decision-making – working with others to
identify, define and solve problems, which includes making
decisions about the best course of action.

Interpersonal Skills List and Examples

More companies look for interpersonal skills because they help
create a positive work environment and maintain efficient workflow.

Here’s a list of interpersonal skills you may wish to possess to bring

value to employers:

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence means keeping your emotions in control and

handling social situations with composure. This is a valuable skill in
any workplace because employers want to hire workers who can stay
calm under pressure and avoid venting their personal frustrations
onto others. Any job role that requires teamwork or communication
between co-workers essentially demands emotional intelligence as a
soft skill that applicants must possess.

Communication
The popular adage - good communication is the bridge between
confusion and clarity – holds true for all industries. Strong
communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, are quintessential
to any job that involves team-based collaboration or deals directly
with clients, customers. Effective body language and eye contact are
integral aspects of communication, equally important as words to
express your thoughts and ideas.

Reliability

Reliability involves work ethics and the integrity to hang in the right
through to the end. Being punctual to work every day and always
fulfilling promises is a sure shot way to earn reliability in any
workplace. Particularly in industries like plumbing and/or
construction, arriving on time and delivering quality work goes a
long way in earning reliability.

Leadership

A soft skill that sets professionals apart from their peers – leadership
entails not only giving orders and making plans for the organization
but also motivating others to put in their best.

Hiring managers look for capable aspirants who possess leadership

qualities, self-confidence, and vision, along with effective
communication abilities to inspire others.
Positivity

A positive attitude can make a huge difference in the workplace.

Applicants and employees who exhibit positivity are a lot likely to be
successful in their job and be well-liked within the organization. A
positive outlook is very important for administrative assistants
because a cheerful attitude can help others by keeping stress levels
down, producing a feeling of optimism, and increasing productivity.
The key is to be conscious of workplace morale and approach
stressful situations with a calm and upbeat attitude.

Negotiation

Negotiation refers to any interaction where two or more people

engage in a discussion in order to reach a shared agreement.
Interpersonal skills play a major role in the art of negotiation. Still,
you must also exercise critical thinking and problem solving to arrive
at the best solution that satisfies all parties involved.

An industry where negotiation is of utmost importance is the

recruitment consultant industry. The consultant must convince both
the employer firm and the job applicant that the other party is perfect
for them.

Openness to Feedback
Professionals who accept constructive criticism and are receptive to
feedback have a better chance of being successful in the long run.
Having a professional mindset pays because if you can satisfy the
higher management, you earn a much better reputation than peers
who cannot suppress their ego and make desired changes. Openness
to feedback is particularly important for entry-level, report-driven job
roles like an analyst role in a financial investment firm. You should
be able to apply the feedback to yield desired outcomes.

Empathy

Empathy, or the ability to show respect for co-workers and relate to

their thoughts, emotions, and experiences, is one of the most valuable
interpersonal skills to have in the workplace. Others tend to gravitate
towards people who show empathy and take actions considering how
others feel. For instance, you could lend an ear to a co-worker who’s
facing problems in the company or support a project that is faced
with an unforeseen difficulty. Improving your emotional intelligence
therefore improves your understanding that other people have
different points of view.

It helps you to try to see things from their perspective. In doing so,
you may learn something whilst gaining the respect and trust of
others
Teamwork

Nothing beats the importance of teamwork and team building in the

office. Teamwork not only benefits the organization but also boosts
morale and camaraderie, increases job satisfaction among the
workforce, and helps them stretch their abilities to the farthest. A
good team player will possess not only teamwork skills but also other
interpersonal skills like emotional intelligence, communication, and
negotiation. Industries like software development, where a large
number of employees work together to complete a single project,
require extensive teamwork to deliver finished products. Hence, they
put particular emphasis on teamwork abilities while choosing
applicants for job roles.

Active Listening

Your willingness to listen and be open to ideas can be an excellent

interpersonal skill in your repertoire. Strong listening ability leads to
an environment where all employees can freely share their thoughts.
Besides, being a good listener means you can clearly understand all
instructions and deliver work that meets all required criteria.

Examples of Jobs That Require Interpersonal Skills

Every job in today’s market requires some kind of interpersonal

skills.
A few jobs that rely heavily on strong interpersonal skills include:

 Teachers
Teachers are required to collaborate with fellow teachers,
administrators, students, and parents. Hence, they need strong
interpersonal skills like empathy, communication, patience to
help students learn and grow effectively.
 Nurses
The prime duty of a nurse is to ensure comfort and care for
patients. Interpersonal skills of all kinds, especially empathy and
patience, are integral in a nurse’s role.
 Administrative Assistants
Administrative assistants need to be extremely dependable and
must possess interpersonal skills like positivity as part of their
skill set.
 Marketing Managers
Marketing personnel requires several interpersonal skills like
communication skills and teamwork abilities to work
collaboratively with clients and sales teams.
 Customer Service Agents
Customer service is mostly about people skills or interpersonal
skills. These personnel must interact for hours with customers;
 hence communication is a key skill besides patience, empathy,
and active listening.

How to strengthen your interpersonal skills?

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses regarding social interactions

can help you determine which skills you want to hone. The desire to
strengthen your people skills does not mean you are lacking in any
way.

Continuous pursuit of self-improvement and confidence can benefit

your personal and professional relationships.

Here’s how you can build on your interpersonal skills:

1. Assess your current skill set:

The first step is to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Based on
the list mentioned above of interpersonal skills, think about your past
interactions with colleagues, bosses, friends, family, partners, and
even strangers. Go through each skill and reflect on your past
experiences for positive and negative examples. Write down the
skills you feel you have mastered and those that present an
opportunity to improve.

2. Create an action plan:

Choose one or two skills you would like to strengthen. Apply an

actionable plan using one of the solutions below.

 Self-reflection
 Build relationships
 Take an online class
 Monitor your body language and ensure you’re not doing things
that make people think you’re disengaged or aggressive
 Ask for feedback or constructive criticism
 Practice active listening with family, friends, and coworkers –
repeat what they’ve said back to them to ensure you’re
accurately listening

3. Apply your interpersonal skills for career success:

Wherever you go, whatever you choose to do with your career, you
will interact with other people. Building solid relationships is the key
to getting that promotion, fostering team harmony, and dealing with
conflict. The process of strengthening these skills can sometimes be
tough and force you outside of your comfort zone, but the reward is
well worth it.

Conclusion
The importance of interpersonal skills at work can't be overstated. An
absence of these skills can lead to miscommunication, discontent,
and inefficiency, while strong interpersonal skills can contribute to
the success of your company and that of your own career.

Interpersonal communication is the core requirement for the humans

to get in touch with the other individuals and to know them better. It
depends on the culture, family and the present environment around
the person. The final conclusion is that interpersonal skills are always
important in the majority of Human endeavors and Human beings are
dependent on this skills because no can live his/her life alone.

It is no exaggeration to say that interpersonal skills are the

foundation for success in life. People with strong interpersonal skills
tend to be able to work well with other people, including in teams or
groups, formally and informally. They communicate effectively with
others, whether family, friends, colleagues, customers or clients.
They also have better relationships at home and at work. You can
improve your interpersonal skills by developing your awareness of
how you interact with others and practicing your skills.

References:
 www.coursera.org
 www.simplilearn.com
 www.skillsyouneed.com