Sharpening Our People Skills

In our fast-paced, global world, we are more frequently interacting with individuals from

diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. In order to get along well with others in both our

personal and work relationships, we often need to sharpen our people skills. People

skills can be thought of as emotional intelligence, with six specific skills.

1) Enhance others' self-esteem - behaviors that contribute to this skill include:

a) make eye contact with others

b) call others by their name

c) ask others their opinion

d) compliment others' work

e) tell individuals how much you appreciate them

f) make others feel welcome when they come into your home or workplace

g) pay attention to what is going on in others' lives

h) share people's excitement when they accomplish something

i) take responsibility for the quality of your communication

2) Show empathy for others - empathy means recognizing emotions in others

and having the capacity to put yourself in another's shoes and view their

reality and how they feel about things.

3) Encourage individuals to cooperate with each other - whether you are a group

leader or a group participant, there are particular behaviors that will facilitate

individuals working well together.

a) don't play favorites- treat everyone the same, otherwise people won't trust you.

b) don't talk about people behind their back

c) ask for others' ideas and opinions. Participation increases commitment and

cooperation.

d) check for understanding when you make a statement or announcement.

4) Communicate assertively - assertive communication is a learned skill and enables

you to:

a) act in your own best interests

b) stand up for yourself without becoming anxious

c) express your honest feelings

d) assert your personal rights without denying the rights of others

5) Ask productive questions and demonstrate listening skills - listening skills

help you show that you are not only hearing but understanding another person

and are interested in what he or she has to say.

6) Respond productively to emotional statements - active listening is vital to being

able to respond to another's emotional statements. With active listening, you are

demonstrating that you understand what the other person is saying and how he or

she is feeling about the topic. Actively listening is not the same as agreement. It

is a way of demonstrating that you are willing to hear and understand another's

point of view.

The ability to get along well with others in our personal and work relationships is a set of

learned skills. However, these people skills can be sharpened with practice.

by G. Gaynor McTigue

Eliminate meaningless deadlines.

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