How to Develop Interpersonal Skills

Learn what makes up nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication includes your facial expressions, your use of touch, and your voice (not the words you speak, but how they sound)^.
  Visual cues are more important to interpret and deliver than audio cues. With visual cues, people are more likely to successfully interpret facial expressions in comparison to body language.

For example, if you want to show that you are happy, it's more effective to give expressive facial cues, like smiling, than increasing your talking speed or showing happy body language. There may be times when it is advantageous to hide emotions that you may be feeling (like when you are afraid) but don’t want to show it. 

Understand the importance of nonverbal communication. It’s estimated that non-verbal communication makes up to 60% of meaning in interpersonal communication. To be successful at communicating non verbally, you need to express emotions in ways that are received and correctly understood by others.

Start thinking about the nonverbal cues both you send when communicating. Also think about the nonverbal communications that you receive from others. 

 

Learn comfortable body language. Generally in Western culture if you want to convey a warm rapport with someone, focus on the following behavior: lean forward and direct your face and body right at the other person. Use gestures, and vary your vocal pitch, rate, and volume. Actively listen by nodding, smiling, and not interrupting. Be relaxed-but not too relaxed.

 

In other words, don’t slump your shoulders, but avoid stiffening your muscles. If you find yourself focusing too much on your body language, direct your attention instead to what the other person is saying.

Recognize cultural norms. While welcoming body language might work in some cultures, it may not work in others. Good nonverbal communication skills come from knowing cultural rules related to emotional expressions. For example, in Finnish culture, making eye contact is considered a sign of being approachable, while in Japanese culture, eye contact is a sign of anger.

 

From a global perspective, if you are native to a particular culture, many of the nonverbal norms will be instinctive. If you find yourself communicating in a culture that is not your own, keenly watch others for typical nonverbal behavior.

 

Understand how gender differences influence nonverbal communication. It is helpful to understand gender differences when sending and interpreting nonverbal messages. Men and women express themselves non-verbally in different ways. Generally, women are more likely than men to use eye contact and smile. They're also likely to receive and give more physical touch.Women also tend to interrupt less than men, listen more than men, and are better at correctly interpreting facial expressions than men.

 

 

Regulate your emotional cues. This is an important part of successful communication. When you feel overwhelmed by emotion, you may need to take a deep breath and search for a calm feeling. Be aware of any tense signals you are sending and relax those signals: unclench your fists, don’t grit your teeth, and release any other gripping in your muscles.

In a study of Fortune 500 executives, those who were able to regulate and appropriately express emotions (like resisting the impulse to cry when given criticism) were more likely to gain trust from others. 

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.wikihow.com