What is interpersonal communication?
Interpersonal communication is the sharing of information between people. Data comes in many forms.
Not only do nonverbal cues include body language but also facial emotions and vocal tones.
Interpersonal communication takes many forms in the office: team meetings, client calls, memos and emails, performance reviews, delivering feedback to employees, and even casually over lunch or during water cooler talks. Interpersonal communication takes various forms at work.
Since we were children, we’ve been developing our interpersonal communication abilities, and these skills are unique to each individual. But, as we’ll see later in the essay, there are things we can do to improve our communication abilities.
Types of interpersonal communication
The four categories of interpersonal communication—oral, verbal, nonverbal, and listening—are all critical to success in the modern workplace, and mastering each is essential.
Oral
Public speaking, phone conversations, podcasts, and speaking out in a staff meeting are all examples of oral communication.
Talking pace and the usage or lack thereof of filler words like “um,” “like,” and “uh” are all part of the process.
Finding a job is more dependent on our ability to communicate well in person than we might think.
Evaluators regarded applicants as more competent and clever when they heard them speak rather than reading their written statements, according to a study published in the Association for Psychological Science in 2015.
Verbal
There are several forms of written communication that fall under this category, including emails and reports and other documents and text messages and PowerPoint slides.
That said, it’s more than just words; it also includes the numerous means we adopt to improve verbal communication and clarify our meaning, such as GIFs and emojis.
Practical verbal communication skills are more critical than ever before when working from home.
Writing clearly can help us get a job and advance quickly. Grammarly showed that people with the fewest grammatical errors on their LinkedIn accounts were more likely to get promoted.
Nonverbal
Any form of communication that does not include words is included here. Body language, hand gestures, eye contact, and even what you’re wearing and the background of your Zoom conversation all fall under this umbrella.
How essential nonverbal communication is can be gauged by comparing the meaning of “Have a wonderful day!” to “Goodbye” in the context of air quotes or even by saying “Goodbye” to someone in an amused tone.
Nonverbal communication cues can be preserved throughout transmission using a visual component, such as a video call.
Listening
Active listening is as important as hearing what the other person has to say.
If you’ve ever heard someone claim that “active listening” or showing a speaker that you’re engaged in what they have to say is essential, you’ll know that it is.
It’s important to use techniques like “mm-hmm” to show that you comprehend what the other person is saying and make eye contact and nod your head.