The Importance of Interpersonal Communcation Skills

Interpersonal Communications is the transmission of information from one person to another and their understanding of it through the use of common language or symbols. It is a way of interacting and happens always at all times whether you want it to happen or not.

However, just because you transmit a message, it does not presuppose that communication happens. Without both information and understanding on the part of the other person, communication (understanding of your message) does not occur. The efficiency at which you communicate will determine the level of happiness and success in your life.

Most people do not think about or realize how they are communicating to others. It is affected by how you look, body language, attitude, perceptions, understanding the process and understanding the needs of ourselves and others.

It has been stated that the average manager spends 80% of their time communicating in different ways.

These are:

30% speaking
25% listening
15% reading
10% writing

Yet in the average school, reading and writing are considered the most important to teach.

Your client's opinion and relationship with your organization is dependent on your image, which stems from your interaction. Their perception of the quality you give will effect their decision to deal with you. How you interact with others will create an image in their minds, whether you are someone to be trusted and credible or someone not worthy of their time.

A CEO who is seen as aloof and distance can do more harm to a company in time, image and production, than many other aspects. This includes employees. Most employees will treat your customers and clients like you treat them. Is this good news or bad news?

Interpersonal communications happens every where from personal contact, to marketing, advertising, sales, employee interaction, stockholders, employee to supervisors and management, and public relations.

As technology advances, it is imperative to learn, embrace and use effective communication. You need to provide leadership in its growth, for the sake of time, production, growth and credibility. It is also important to realize that communicating through different devices and mediums contains different challenges and considerations.

I was watching the election debates unfold and I noticed that some people were commenting on the fact, that one of the leaders wasn't very good at relating interpersonal messages to the camera. They said in person he has a great personality, yet he was not able to deliver that message to the audience. This in turn had an affect on his campaign and the results at the polling stations.

More and more I am having people tell me how there is an increasing amount of misunderstandings from email sent by co-workers and other staff members. It has created hard feelings and turmoil where none was meant to happen. By learning the process of communication, these types of challenges can be greatly reduced or possibly eliminated.

Communicating with each other at all levels is core to having a competitive advantage in business.

"The English empiricist philosopher John Locke, in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690), famously articulated this view. According to Locke, words have no natural meanings. The association of words with ideas in the mind is a voluntary act of the individual person"

Why this is important, is because we often relate different words to different meanings, and therefore, decipher the message other than it is intending. This is another reason why clarity and understanding is essential for todays business production and growth.

All the Best!
Maria Boomhower
The Master Communicator

For a free report on "The 7 Secrets to Communication Mastery"
go to: http://www.falconfreedom.com. To read past ezine articles go to: http://www.mariaboomhower.blogspot.com

P.S. If you like what you're reading in this ezine, you'll love the book, "Overcoming Barriers to Communication." It's a manual that helps you overcome the challengers that start with Intrapersonal to Interpersonal and on to Mass Communication. http://www.falconfreedom.com/OB.html

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