Communication and Interpersonal Skills - all you need to know

Being able to communicate with one another in intricate ways is one of the things that sets humans apart from other animals. It has allowed us to build civilisations, create great works of art and solve some of our greatest problems. However, miscommunication or poor communication has also contributed to some of the world’s darkest moments when conflict and war have been the result.

Are we born with an innate ability to communicate or are these skills that we can develop and improve over time? The nature/nurture debate has its own answers to this question, and as early years practitioners, everyone will have their own take on this, however, there is also no doubt that communication skills can be acquired and improved as we grow and develop as people.

In the workplace, these skills not only allow us to express our desires and goals to colleagues and parents, but used well, they allow us to get the most out of our lives and help us to educate the children in our care to do the same.

The benefits of effective workplace communication include:

• Improved trust
• Clarity and consistency
• Better relationships
• Increased morale amongst staff and stakeholders
• Stronger teamwork
• Improved productivity
• Higher employee satisfaction

Studies have shown that companies who hire good communicators, or who train people to be better communicators, are more successful so improving communication skills personally and within your setting can bring lasting benefits.

What is good communication?

Being a good communicator could be thought of as:

• Having the ability to convey messages between people without misinterpretation or misinformation
• Being able to communicate with a range of people from all walks of life
• Having the ability to adjust the style of communication to match the occasion - formal, friendly, informal etc.
• Having a good command of language which allows for clarity and ease of expression
• Improved productivity

All of us at some time, could afford to revisit how we communicate and remind ourselves of the interpersonal skills that can help us get along better with our fellow humans. So read on for some advice and top tips on how to fine tune these essential skills.

Click here to download the FULL guide to learn how to implement effective communication in your setting!