Interpersonal Skills:
The skills used by a person to properly interact with others. In the business domain, the term generally refers to an employee’s ability to get along with others while getting the job done. Interpersonal skills include everything from communication and listening skills to attitude and deportment. Good interpersonal skills are a prerequisite for many positions in an organization.
The term “interpersonal skills” is somewhat of a misnomer, because it refers to character traits possessed by an individual rather than skills that can be taught in a classroom. Within an organization, employees with good interpersonal skills are likely be more productive than those with poor interpersonal skills, because of their propensity to project a positive attitude and look for solutions to problems.
Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups. People who have worked on developing strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and personal lives. Employers often seek to hire staff with ‘strong interpersonal skills‘ – they want people who will work well in a team and are able to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers and clients.
Interpersonal Skills become so natural that we may take them for granted, never thinking about how we communicate with other people. With a little time and effort you can develop these skills. Good interpersonal skills can improve many aspects of your life – professionally and socially – they lead to better understanding and relationships.
Interpersonal skills are also sometimes referred to as: social skills, people skills, soft skills, communication skills or life skills. Although these terms can include interpersonal skills they tend to be broader and therefore may also refer other types of skills.
Intrapersonal Skills:
Though the terms intrapersonal and interpersonal are used interchangeably by people, there is a distinct difference between the two. Intrapersonal deals with the emotions, feelings, thoughts that are stirred upon within an individual which the person next to them might not even be aware of. This is quite different from interpersonal skills, which is immediately visible to an external audience. There does however, exist a very strong relationship between them; good intrapersonal skills will go a long way in producing good interpersonal relationships.
What constitutes intrapersonal relationship skills?
Intrapersonal skills as mentioned earlier are those values, personality traits that reside deep within an individual. It becomes so much a part of the individual that most of us are not even aware of their impact on our daily lives. The various intrapersonal facets that play a significant role in our personal and professional lives are such as:
- Self Esteem
- Self Confidence
- Assertiveness
- Dealing with
- Negative emotions
Interpersonal Skills:
I don’t care what your problems are, get this job done by the end of the day. ”
Wouldn’t this kind of a message make you feel that you were being treated as an object, rather than as a person with real feelings? By contrast, when you empathize with your listener, you show concern for his opinions and assure him that he is valued. Now look at the same message rephrased:
“1 hope it will not be too difficult for you to complete this job today.”
While the first message conveys indifference, the second message shows greater sensitivity to the feelings and thoughts of the listener.
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What is the difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal communication? Communication is key in our lives and business environment. It occurs in two levels such as intrapersonal and interpersonal communication. The lesson provides a detailed insight into the difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal communication levels.
Intrapersonal communication refers to a level of communication that one does with himself. Here the person himself is the sender and receiver of the information.
The level of communication consists of thinking, analyzing, interpretation, contemplating, and feeling among many other things.
Here is the main aspect of intrapersonal communication:
- Self-Concept
This refers to how an individual carries himself or herself around. It tends to comprise beliefs, values, and attitudes.
- Perceptions
It is typically what the mind receives and grasp from outside the world
- Expectation
It entails planning on the future and predicting what will happen in the future.
What Is Interpersonal Communication?
Interpersonal communication refers to the level of communication that takes place between two or more people using either verbal or non-verbal language.
The core role of interpersonal communication is the exchange of ideas and information through a certain channel such as face to face, email, telephone, and letters.
Main Features of Interpersonal Communication
- Communication is a complex process
- It is a contextual process
- It is irreversible and unrepeated
- It cannot be escaped
Comparison Chart: Intrapersonal vs Interpersonal
| Basic Terms | Intrapersonal Communication | Interpersonal Communication |
| Meaning | Type of communication that occurs in the mind | Communication between two or more people |
| Number of People | One | Two or more |
| Occurrence | Continuous due to human nature | Regular due to social needs of humans |
| Channel | Internal sense | Either verbal or non-verbal |
| Concern with | Thinking and analysis | Exchanging ideas and sharing information |
| Feedback | Individual | The parties involved |
| Main Features | They include self-concept, expectation, and perception. | They include inescapable, complex, contextual, and irreversible |
Differences between Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Communication
- Intrapersonal communication involves one person whereas interpersonal communication two or more people.
- Intrapersonal communication takes place in the form of thinking and analysis whereas interpersonal communication informs of exchanging ideas.
- Intrapersonal communication does not require a medium while interpersonal communication may or may not require a medium.
- There is a flow of information in interpersonal communication whereas intrapersonal communication the information is circuited
- Intrapersonal communication is continuous due to human nature while interpersonal communication is regular due to social needs.
- Communication process in interpersonal is visible while in intrapersonal is invisible
- Intrapersonal communication can lead to stress while interpersonal communication help to relieve stress.
Comparison Video
Summary
The core difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal communication is that intrapersonal communication involves one person while interpersonal communication involves two or more people.