People skills refer to those skills which allow you to get along well with those around you, to communicate efficiently, and to negotiate and resolve conflicts. While they are essential to those working in sales or marketing, they come in handy regardless of what your job is.
Communication skills, negotiation skills, active listening – these are all crucial people skills, and sometimes they require a great deal of effort to improve. However, there are many other abilities which, if you pay attention to them, can certainly score you some points with your co-workers and management, such as:
Good manners
Greet everyone with a smile, always use ‘please’, and say ‘thank you’ even if someone is just doing their job assisting you. We all have our bad days however and sometimes it might be possible to have a hard time staying calm and keeping on smiling when someone at works annoys you, which is why the next ability is equally important.
Patience
Always maintain your calm. Especially in stressful situations, like when you are confronting a disgruntled customer. Maintain a level tone of voice, and try to defuse the situation by inspiring calm and by waiting for the other person to finish what he has to say. It’s times like this when this next ability proves helpful.
Empathy
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes, it will help you understand what’s making them dissatisfied and how to solve the issue in a way that he will be satisfied with. Take an interest in the people you’re working with and get to know them better – remember small things that usually matter to people, such as names and dates.
Sense of humor
A well-placed joke can make everyone’s day better, especially when you’re battling tight deadlines and stressful projects.
Adaptability
You need to adapt your communication style to the person you’re talking to. More importantly, keep an open mind and don’t judge those you come in contact with. Respect their points of view, and never act like the advice you’re getting is useless.
A ‘people person’ focuses on those around him in everything he does. He not only communicates well and follows his goals assertively; he also makes those around him feel appreciated, understood, and respected through his actions.