The Significance of Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace - Assignment Example

An analysis of your strengths and weaknesses in relation to the skill areas covered on the module. You should also think about the things in your life/the environment which have made an impact on you and which may be helpful or a hindrance to your learning and development, (analogous to a SWOT analysis.) The analysis should be based on your assessment of your skills at the start of the module and/or at the start of each new skill area. Refer back to your induction form, to your thoughts when you started out at the beginning of the semester and to the various self-assessment forms and inventories throughout the workbook. A reflection on what you have learnt this term, both within the Interpersonal Skills module, but also in other modules, at work and at home, if it is relevant to the areas covered in Interpersonal Skills. You will need to make reference to the different exercises which you carried out in the seminars and to any reading you may have done, together with any concepts or frameworks which were covered in the lectures or seminars. These must be clearly referenced using the Harvard system. This will be the key part of your submission and should convince us that you have now at least progressed in the skill areas covered by the module, that you can appraise your level of skill and have an understanding of ‘good practice’ and effective performance in relation to the different skills. The main skills are the ability to plan and use your time effectively and to manage yourself, to contribute effectively to groups, to communicate orally in a range of situations and to give formal and persuasive presentations, and to write clearly and concisely using an appropriate structure. (Additional skills covered in the module - the ability to be self-aware and self-analytical, to record your learning and give an account of your skills, and to plan for your future development - will all be developed as a result of writing this assignment.) A plan for the future – for the period after this semester – which includes what skills you want to develop further, how you will go about doing so, how you will begin to present yourself to employers, and your initial thoughts on your future career and job roles. This should be based on a consideration of what you have and have not achieved over the semester, and should contain clear targets, and points for action. Try to include an updated CV with your action plan. REFLECTIVE PORTFOLIO: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS INTRODUCTION Background. The beginning of this session began with the aspect that we operate as a group at all times to achieve one common goal. Goal may differ as per perceptions of an individual; the common factor always remains productivity of the organisation, its effectiveness to sustain in this competitive world and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, human aspects of the organisation. And whatever position we might hold in future, we are always humans first with our own limitations, problems, attitudes, priorities and lifestyles. To get all people together with so many differences in perceptions requires one common platform, and learning interpersonal skills can provide the foundation for this platform. People change jobs not just for money in this world but also for working environment, rather mainly for the latter. Adequate knowledge and understanding of interpersonal skills would allow us to meet the often stated objectives of the module which were – the ability to work as an effective member of a group, the ability to listen actively and communicate orally and the ability to manage yourself and your time. SWOT. Knowledge and expertise in Inter-personal skills is a crucially important capability in a world where people are caught up in new technologies, suffering from information overload and lack of human warmth and emotional intelligence Honestly, I had my own views about life and work, and they were supreme. I am a free-willed person; look for trouble-free life, am adventurous, outspoken and friendly with those around me willingly. I thought that I will be a good team member. I wasn’t absolutely right about myself. Well, strengths like enthusiasm, energy, imagination, expertise in subject area, excellent track record in specialized area do matter in life for a person but do not necessarily ensure group success. Since the need of the moment is situational leader/manager, it is definitely important to be good at interpersonal skills. And I definitely lacked in some of these aspects like being reactive rather than pro-active; need to be asked frequently rather than developing unsolicited ideas, not as good as desirable at achieving results and undirected use of personal energies, trouble at expressing orally, and some such limitations(many more may yet be hidden). These when coupled with over-confidence at times led to undesirable situation from which I had to extract myself. My Underlying Goals during the module. Under stated circumstances, it was important that I learned following aspects to work in a team: Understand and help bring about a more participative culture. Employ 'active listening' skills to aid understanding of the message being conveyed . Speak more effectively. Develop the ability to have authentic relationships with people that result in win-win outcomes. Write in a concise, informative, clear and relevant manner Pay attention to body language to improve verbal and listening skills Respond to people's behaviour appropriately. While the list was endless in retrospect, these aspects of interpersonal skills would allow me to develop interpersonal effectiveness through understanding themselves in relation to others and to solve interpersonal problems at work by applying the principle of empathy and practical models of human behaviour relating to both individuals and groups. Towards this end, I am confident today that I understand myself and my limitations much better and this aspect allows me to understand others’ perceptions, limitations and needs better. THE MODULE The module, as such, focused on the following aspects: To understand the importance of interpersonal and communication skills for employability. To get to know each other. To raise awareness concerning the importance of group processes, rapport building and effective seminar discussions/group working. To explore expectations of the module/seminar leader. To reiterate on module assessment and to gain an understanding of group requirements. The ability to plan and use time effectively and to manage yourself. To contribute effectively to groups. To communicate orally in a range of situations. To give formal and persuasive presentations. To write clearly and concisely using an appropriate structure. The ability to be self-aware and self-analytical. To record your learning and give an account of your skills. To plan for your future development. Personal Skills. Despite my limitations, it was evident that the module effectively brought the objectives well within my reach and helped me understand the value of these specific skills. It made me accept that people with good interpersonal skills are appropriately assertive and have the knack of being able to communicate with people on the right wavelength. When working with people, either singly or in groups and teams, they consistently secure high levels of agreement and commitment. Certain specific skills have a direct bearing on one’s overall effectiveness. Enumerated in succeeding paragraphs are the theoritical assimilations of various aspects of interpersonal skills, which I hope to emulate in near future and bring about a constructive change in my personality and management capabilities. Listening Skills. The discussions on various topics and seminars during the module allowed me in identifying personal listening liabilities and strategies for improvement thereby achieving productive and satisfying work relationships with peers, managers and others. It also helped to develop strategies for constructive performance feedback and the need of directing and motivating others to keep performing at optimum levels. It helped us to practice steps to effectively give directions while at the same time knowing what motivates others to achieve high levels of performance and effectiveness. Assertiveness. It is the extent to which you express your needs and wants in a forthright way, taking due account for other people's needs and wants. It allows us in appropriately safeguarding your rights, being forthright and also being transparent in your relationships. Communication. The extent to which one is generous in transmitting meaningful information that is understood. It allowed us to effectively encourage verbal and non-verbal communication, the aspect of listening and written communication skills. Influencing. The extent to which one succeeds in getting people to do willingly what you  want them to do. Questioning behaviour, reasoning behaviour, rerbal behaviour and body behaviour all have a direct bearing on influencing people working around us and have direct effect on the outcome of the product. Negotiating. This skill has a direct bearing on the extent to which one resolves differences and succeed in making agreements that suit both parties and makes them feel like winners. One has to develop the skill of considering the other party’s point of view, preparation for the subject and flexibility, objectivity and of course standing your ground at the same time making the other party feel victorious. Teamworking. The extent to which you add value to the various teams to which you belong. This requires commitment, enhancing team performance, participation and promoting team spirit. Understanding Non-Verbal Behaviour Non-verbal behaviour is usually a subconscious use of the body to telegraph meaning, whether the person is on the giving or receiving end of the message. Since non-verbal behaviour, or body language, is such a natural part of our communication toolkit, its interpretation offers a key to greater human understanding and relationship building. However, this art should be treated with a degree of caution. Misinterpretation, especially when dealing with an international audience, can have damaging consequences. Though non-verbal communication is not an exact science, we sometimes make judgments as if it were. It involves many different ‘channels’ that convey meaning beyond what is being said. These include gestures, body movement, facial expressions, and even vocal tone and pitch. Many believe that the greatest part of meaning is conveyed through non-verbal signals, most of which come from the eyes. This explains why it’s often hard to convey subtle meanings over the telephone or through the written word. Because the person receiving your message can’t see your body or face, your meaning may well be misinterpreted. Overall Observations/Understanding At times we find that people get the better of us at work, that we’re always the one that draws the short straw and ends up doing things that we would rather not do? Does this make one resentful or unhappy? Perhaps this is because one is not able to represent himself strongly enough in his communications? Assertiveness is a means of communication that honours your choices as well as those of the person you are communicating with. It is not about being aggressive and steamrollering your colleague into submission. Rather, it is about seeking and exchanging opinions, developing a full understanding of the situation, and negotiating a win-win situation. Influence and persuasion for me emphasises the human connection. Rather than “telling” someone what to do, I would now prefer to understand where their values, beliefs, and motivations lie so that I can influence or persuade them to meet your agenda. This is a much more sophisticated form of communication and one which you may not feel properly equipped to manage. However, most of us already do this far more than we realise, so by increasing awareness of our instinctive talents, we will be able to develop your skills and put them to more effective use. It’s not always easy for me to say “no”. As we grew up, we were generally encouraged to do what older people tell us. If we did, we were rewarded; if we didn’t, we were punished. Once we’re in the working world, we assume we’ve left these childhood maxims behind, but you’d be surprised how much they stay with us. As a result, not complying with others’ requests tends to make us feel uncomfortable and some people are prepared to use this to their advantage as they try to fob off work that they really should be doing themselves. Thus, being able to say “no” to unreasonable requests would also be part of my skills repertoire in future. It will help me to keep on top of my workload, set parameters around my available time, and avoid wasteful energy expenditure. OTHER VIRTUES OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Leadership The process of successfully influencing the activities of a group towards the achievement of a common goal is leadership. A leader has the ability to influence others through qualities such as personal charisma, expertise, command of language, and the creation of mutual respect. As well as requiring strong Communication Skills and Personal Skills, leadership uses the Background skills of mentoring, decision making, delegation and motivating others. This aspect of leadership spreads its tentacles in all ventures of life, and is mostly, the only factor deciding between success and failure. There are unlimited numbers of instances in the recorded history of mankind where a demotivated, harassed team has been turned around in most dramatical ways to change the history of the world simply by way of superb leadership. And interpersonal skills is one subject that a success leader of modern and future world cannot survive without. As for me, while leadership in certain circumstances comes naturally to me, knowledge of interpersonal skills will definitely put me in a totally different league of players in future. Teamwork Involved working with others in a group towards achieving a common goal. This requires cooperating with others, being responsive to others' ideas, taking a collaborative approach to learning, and taking a responsibility for developing and achieving group goals. Teamwork uses the Background Skills of collaboration, mentoring, decision making and delegation. Background Skills Mentoring: Being a trusted advisor and helper with experience in a particular field. Actively supporting and guiding someone to develop knowledge and experience, or to achieve career or personal goals (for example, a third-year student mentoring a first year student, helping to adjust to the university experience). Finding a good mentor can make a lot of difference to an individual’s comfort level and thus improved output in new and unfamiliar situations. A mentoring relationship may be formal or informal, but must involve trust, mutual respect, and commitment as both parties work together to achieve a goal (for example, mentoring a younger member of a team to achieve better performance in the lead-up to a sporting event). Decision making: Identifying appropriate evidence and weighing up that evidence to make a choice (for example, gathering and assessing information to find the best way to perform an experiment). Taking responsibility for a decision and its outcomes (for example, choosing a topic for a group presentation from a number of suggestions). Delegation: Taking responsibility for determining when to ask someone else to make a decision or carry out a task (for example, figuring out what is a fair distribution of the workload in a group project, and sharing responsibility with others). Distributing responsibility and authority in a group by giving someone else the discretion to make decisions that you have the authority to make (for example, as the chosen leader of a lab experiment team, you could assign tasks and decisions to different group members). Collaboration: Working cooperatively and productively with other team members to contribute to the outcomes of the team's work (for example, dividing the workload and sharing the results of your own work with others in the group, or assisting members of the group who are having difficulty completing their tasks). Network building Creating contacts with other people and maintaining those contacts (for example, meeting someone at a seminar with similar interests, and swapping email addresses with them). Acquiring and maintaining information about people who might be useful contacts for specific purposes (for example, seeking out people established in an industry you hope to work with one day). Using a contact in an ethical manner to help each of you meet specific goals, (for example, collaborating on projects of importance to both of you). Motivating others: Generating enthusiasm and energy by being positive, focussing on finding solutions and maintaining a positive attitude even when things are not going well (for example, when something goes wrong, asking "What can we try now?" instead of saying, "That should have worked better."). Encouraging others to come up with solutions, listening carefully to their ideas and offering constructive feedback (for example, gathering suggestions for a group project, and giving each person's ideas fair discussion). Being prepared to support others in taking agreed, calculated risks, and not blaming others when things go wrong (for example, one group member's portion of a presentation receives a poor mark - make sure that this student isn't blamed by the group, and focus on learning from the mistakes). CONCLUSION In future, I won’t discount the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace. No matter how hard one works or how many brilliant ideas one may have, if we can’t connect with the people who work around us, our professional life will suffer. It is important now that we have formally studied the importance of interpersonal skills in our lives, we can now start working towards the more important and difficult job, to emulate them in our lives such that our life, both personal and professional, turns into a more fruitful, satisfying and beneficial experience for ourselves and also for those around us. FUTURE PDP My future plan for personal development shall be specific to improve upon my strengths and converting my weaknesses into my strengths. The basic approach towards my future personal as well as professional life shall try to implement following aspects: Always Smile. Few people want to be around someone who is always down in the dumps. Maintain a positive, cheerful attitude about work and about life. Smile often. The positive energy you radiate will draw others to you. Do Appreciate. Let’s now be generous with praise and kind words of encouragement for our peers. Make colleagues feel welcome when they call or stop by your office. If you let others know that they are appreciated, they’ll want to give you their best. Do Listen. To actively listen is to demonstrate that you intend to hear and understand another’s point of view. In this way, you know that you understood their meaning and they know that your responses are more than lip service. Do Network. Create an environment that encourages others to work together. Treat everyone equally, and don't play favorites. Avoid talking about others behind their backs. When you make a statement or announcement, check to see that you have been understood. If folks see you as someone solid and fair, they will grow to trust you. Be assertive and resolve conflicts. Take a step beyond simply bringing people together, and become someone who resolves conflicts when they arise. By taking on such a leadership role, you will garner respect and admiration from those around you. Communicate clearly. Pay close attention to both what you say and how you say it. A clear and effective communicator avoids misunderstandings with coworkers, colleagues, and associates. Verbal eloquence projects an image of intelligence and maturity, no matter what your age. If you tend to blurt out anything that comes to mind, people won’t put much weight on your words or opinions. Understand Perceptions. Empathy means being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand how they feel. Try to view situations and responses from another person’s perspective. This can be accomplished through staying in touch with your own emotions; those who are cut off from their own feelings are often unable to empathize with others. Don't complain. There is nothing worse than a chronic complainer or whiner. If you must verbalize your grievances, vent to your personal friends and family, and keep it short. Spare those around you, or else you’ll get a bad reputation. OWN SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Free-willed person Adventurous Outspoken Friendly Enthusiasm Energy Imagination Expertise Excellent track record Communication Influencing Negotiating Teamworking Leadership Mentoring Network building Listen. Network Don't complain. Listening Face-to-Face Skills Assertiveness Skills Teamwork Persuasion Collaboration Communicate clearly. Understanding Non-Verbal Behaviour Always Smile Accept Perceptions. Networking Resolve conflicts Motivating others Decision making Delegation Appreciate Unknown Threat Fear of failure despite being theoretically right Read More