Interpersonal skills (often referred to as people skills or soft skills) are the abilities required to interact effectively with others. It involves communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, teamwork and leadership.
The ability to develop relationships is a key component of interpersonal skills. Whether it’s building rapport with colleagues or being able to connect with clients on a personal level – effective relationship building translates into trust-based interactions that make work easier.
Creative Answer: "It's like being a unicorn - you have an inexplicable charm that makes everyone enjoy working with you!"
Collaboration Skills
These involve communication and the ability to share ideas in order to create something bigger than what can be achieved individually. People who possess strong collaboration skills typically earn respect for their open-mindedness and willingness to explore new perspectives and strategies.
Creative Answer: "Think of collaboration like playing music together in harmony – everyone contributes their unique parts but only when each member plays their role perfectly do we see magic happen."
Teamwork Skills
Successful teams require members who understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses so they can help fill gaps where needed. Those who excel at teamwork will have polished listening abilities while also demonstrating empathy in order understand how different team members work best.
Creative Answer: "Being a great team player is like making your own pizza – you select only toppings you know your teammates would love while ensuring every ingredient blends well together for maximum flavour."
Conflict Resolution Skills
This skill set requires patience, flexibility, clear-headedness- all vital qualities when tackling difficult conversations successfully. Conflict resolution helps take emotional biases out of otherwise challenging discussions by positively affecting mutual understanding between conflicting parties.
Creative Answer: "Resolving conflicts is almost like telling complicated stories; there may be disagreements over some elements but everyone loves happy endings.”
Leadership Skills
To lead means persuading individuals within an organization towards achieving common goals. Leaders should inspire others with their vision, communicate expectations, build trust and offer guidance to teams under them.
Creative Answer: "Leadership is like directing a play; you have your performers playing different roles but it’s up to you to make sure everyone performs at their best.”
Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People
Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
John Wooden's Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization
Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence”
Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
