Dealing with people every day can be the best part of your job – or the worst. 

(You know what I mean, don’t you fellow introverts?)

You might just think you’re not a ‘people person’, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, our people skills are exactly that – skills. All you need to do is sharpen them up a little bit, and you’ll be able to master the art of workplace communication. 

You may not turn into a social butterfly, but you’ll be able to nail that presentation, collaborate better with colleagues, and deal with customers or members of the public. And you’ll be able to thrive in your role even more than you do now!

So… how can you improve your people skills?

Here are a few helpful tips to get started. 

Leverage your listening skills

Better communication is all about listening. 

Now, you might already be a good listener. Or someone who just lets everyone else speak. 

But the mark of a GREAT listener isn’t just sitting there while the other person talks. You have to really concentrate on what they’re saying, understand it, and acknowledge it. Body language is also pretty important here, like eye contact and giving the person your full attention. 

Put yourself in the right environment

You might be one of those people who stays at their desk from open to close, keeps to themselves, or holds back in workplace meetings and chats. 

And if you’re a remote worker, it’s even easier to get away with not engaging with others. 

Regardless of when, where, and how you work, there are always opportunities for you to put yourself in social situations. Even if it’s just quick small talk, asking about a coworker’s hobbies, or speaking out a bit more in the group, take every chance you get — or if there aren’t any that are super apparent, make them!

Work on your emotional intelligence

Understanding where you and the other person are coming from is absolutely vital to better communication. Studies show that people with greater emotional intelligence are far better communicators than those with lower EQs, meaning this is definitely something you want to work on. 

There are lots of training courses and resources out there that allow you to hone the five major areas of EQ: 

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Empathy
• Internal motivation
• Social skills (super important!!)

Practice

All of this is good in theory, but you have to give it a go to actually get good. 

Don’t be discouraged if at first you don’t succeed. Like with most new skills, you may not be great at the start, but that’s no indication of your actual potential. 

As you put everything you’ve learned into practice, you’ll slowly (but surely!) find yourself able to make your point far clearer and connect with colleagues, customers, stakeholders, and everyone else in the workplace. 

Want to improve your people skills quickly? Our Communicating with EQ course is designed to teach you everything you need to know to thrive in the workplace and communicate as effectively as possible.