What's the best way to choose an interpersonal skills framework for your team?

1 What is an interpersonal skills framework?

An interpersonal skills framework is a set of categories or dimensions that describe the different aspects of interpersonal skills. For example, a framework might include skills such as communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, empathy, leadership, and feedback. Each skill can be further broken down into subskills, behaviors, or indicators that show how the skill is applied in practice. A framework can also provide a way to measure or evaluate the level of proficiency or competence in each skill.

2 Why use an interpersonal skills framework?

Using an interpersonal skills framework can help you and your team in several ways. First, it can help you clarify the expectations and standards for interpersonal skills in your team. This can reduce ambiguity, confusion, and misunderstandings among team members and managers. Second, it can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your team's interpersonal skills. This can help you prioritize the areas that need improvement, recognize the areas that are working well, and align your team's skills with your objectives and challenges. Third, it can help you design and implement effective training and development programs for your team. This can help you enhance your team's performance, motivation, and satisfaction.

3 How to choose an interpersonal skills framework?

Choosing an interpersonal skills framework for your team is no easy feat. Different frameworks emphasize different skills, use different terminology, or have different levels of complexity and detail. To choose the right one for your team, you need to define your purpose and review existing frameworks. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of each framework and how it aligns with your goals. If you find one that fits, customize or modify it to fit your team's context and challenges. Otherwise, create your own based on best practices and evidence from your field, industry, or organization. Once you have chosen a framework, validate and test it with your team members and stakeholders to ensure its validity, reliability, and relevance. Collect feedback and make adjustments as needed.

4 How to implement an interpersonal skills framework?

Once you have chosen or created an interpersonal skills framework for your team, you need to implement it effectively. To do this, you should communicate and explain the framework to your team members and stakeholders, so that they understand the purpose, benefits, and expectations of using the framework. You should also use the framework to assess and develop your team's interpersonal skills by measuring their current level of proficiency or competence in each skill. Additionally, you should monitor and review your framework by tracking your team's progress and performance with indicators or metrics. Collecting and analyzing data or feedback from your team members and stakeholders can help you refine or revise your framework as needed. Interpersonal skills are essential for any team to succeed in today's complex work environment, so choosing and implementing an interpersonal skills framework is a great way to ensure that your team has the necessary skills to meet their goals.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?