Humans, as social beings, actively engage in various spheres of life like work, education, and recreation within communities. Isolation isn’t our way of life, making interpersonal skills pivotal for success both personally and professionally. The significance of these abilities is escalating in work environments. McKinsey projects a 24 percent increase in the time allocated to social and emotional competencies, such as leadership and team management, accounting for 22 percent of work hours by 2030.
Interpersonal skills, categorized under the umbrella of soft skills, come into play during interactions, fostering and sustaining relationships. Essentially, they denote our capacity to establish effective, meaningful, and productive connections with others. Also known as people skills, they encompass both inherent and learned abilities crucial in diverse social scenarios spanning career, education, and personal life. These skills encompass creative collaboration, clear communication, adaptability, teamwork, diverse team interaction, leadership, and responsibility, among others, according to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. They empower us to navigate various social environments adeptly, whether in professional settings, educational institutions, or daily interactions. Key examples of interpersonal skills encompass communication, empathy, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, negotiation, active listening, positive attitude, teamwork, collaboration, leadership, networking, mediation, persuasion, and motivation.