Interpersonal communication happens every day. From talking to your spouse or housemates to interacting with your colleagues, we often do it without thinking about it. In the world we live in today, we often primarily exchange information online, for example, via texting, emails or social media.
Interpersonal communication is so much a part of our lives that we might only consider it when something goes wrong, and the message we send is misunderstood or poorly received. However, learning more about interpersonal communication and how to do it better can be beneficial in avoiding unnecessary conflict and misunderstandings.
In this post, we’ll discuss interpersonal communication and why it’s essential, share some examples, and give tips on improving your skills.
What is interpersonal communication?
This type of communication is any interaction between yourself and others. It can be one-on-one, within a group, or when presenting an idea. To take it a step further, we can discuss intrapersonal communication, which takes place within an enclosed sphere. For example, how you communicate with yourself or within a tight-knit group.
As many of the same principles can apply to both, we’ll focus on interpersonal communication within this article.
To give a breakdown, this can involve any of the following:
- Verbal: This includes talking on the phone, chatting with colleagues at work, or speaking with people around you when going about your day.
- Nonverbal: While we focus on the words we use, our body language can also be an essential part of the messages we send to others when we engage with them.
- Written: How we express ourselves in writing can be critical to effective interactions with others, especially in a business environment and when building relationships via text and email.
- Listening: We often overlook this element of effective interaction, but it’s essential. For communication to occur, messages must be received and interpreted. To do this, we need to develop our active listening skills, which involves not only hearing words but also tuning into another’s thoughts and feelings.
Why is it important?
Now that we have defined what it is, we can start to think about why studying how we interact with each other is so important.
Building and maintaining harmonious and mutually beneficial relationships is critical in our personal and professional lives—not only for our own well-being but also for the proper functioning of society. A better understanding of communication is essential, given the challenge of engaging sensitively with different languages and cultures.
Whether giving a formal presentation, having a difficult conversation with a friend, or even developing a marketing strategy, we need to know what message we want to share. With the ability to share information at the click of a button, creating this awareness is even more critical to prevent miscommunications or faux pas.
Depending on your industry or role, you might engage in verbal, nonverbal, and written communication, including listening. Regardless of how you categorise each type of interaction, it’s essential to know what goes into each one, no matter how many people you are talking to.
Examples of interpersonal communication
In a classroom setting, for example, it’s critical that the teacher effectively presents the information to students. Whether this occurs in a formal classroom setting or online, there needs to be an awareness of how to impart this knowledge through the spoken word.
Nonverbal cues also need to be considered. For example, gestures and body language must convey the message and invite students to partake in the conversation. Lack of eye contact, for example, can cause students to lose interest, which can, in the long term, affect their relationship with the facilitator.
To engage with students outside the classroom, a teacher or facilitator must also have the written skills to share course information. For example, details such as assignment deadlines must be clear and concise. All these interactions can be shared on a virtual interface or online learning platform or via email or text message.
As mentioned above, listening is also a critical element of a student-teacher relationship. Both parties must hear and take in the information shared for the course to succeed. Responding to feedback and genuinely hearing what students say is also vital in helping them meet the course requirements.
The example above represents a traditional exchange of information within a classroom or online learning session. It doesn’t cover the plethora of potential exchanges between students and teachers or among the students themselves. Think of the potential for miscommunication or conflict, both unfortunate realities of people being unable to read each other’s minds!
Social media and various other platforms offer vast and overwhelming potential for interaction. In other words, honing our interpersonal skills is more crucial than ever in a diverse and complex digital world.
How to improve your soft skills
You can read books or take courses online to develop soft skills. However, the most crucial part of developing interpersonal skills is practice. Putting yourself out there can be overwhelming and scary, though, especially if you’re shy, sensitive, or suffer from social anxiety.
Thankfully, there are many manageable ways to improve your skills. One is to study various theoretical approaches, which people have been developing for hundreds of years! From the greatest philosophers and academics to famous marketing experts online, more information is available on how to communicate than ever before.
Specialised short courses will not only introduce you to the theory of interpersonal communication, but they will help you apply it in the real world.
Improve your interpersonal communication skills with SACAP Global
At SACAP Global, we offer a variety of online short courses that focus on interpersonal communication and human behaviour. These courses can help you develop valuable soft skills and empower you with practical tools to improve the quality of your interactions with others.
Whether you’re looking to build better relationships in the workplace or in your personal life, this understanding can profoundly impact your life and how you engage. All our courses allow you to put your newfound skills into practice immediately through practical exercises and regular interactions with your course facilitator and other participants.
Our most focused short online courses on this topic include the following:
Both of these courses will equip you with valuable knowledge and practical tools for navigating all kinds of interactions, including those with people at work, people from different backgrounds, and people with differing abilities.
To get a broader understanding of how people think and behave, you can learn more about what drives human behaviour, which can help you to better manage difficult conversations and interactions with the following:
- Intro to Human Behaviour
- Factors Influencing Human Behaviour
- Domains of Psychology
- How to Have Critical Conversations
The content of these short courses will ensure you have the right opportunities to expand your knowledge. If you’re interested in learning more, browse our courses to see our complete list of related short courses, micro-credentials and workshops.