Interpersonal and communications skills are essential skills that are vitally important for achieving success in the workplace. But what are the most important interpersonal skills for the way that most of us are working now? And what are the best practices for communication, especially virtual communication? Today’s episode answers those questions.

Today, you’ll hear from Anne Converse Willkomm, Assistant Dean of the Graduate College at Drexel University, talks about interpersonal skills for today’s changing workplace. Listen in to learn about the five most important interpersonal skills, how they’re related to each other, and how you can build strong communication with colleagues and others.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• The five most essential interpersonal skills to focus on building: Adaptability, Empathy, Creativity, Collaboration, and Brainstorming
• What adaptability really means and how to be more adapatable
• How adaptability can be associated with negative changes
• What empathy is and why it’s needed in the workplace
• Using empathy to encourage others to speak
• Creativity as an offshoot of adaptability
• The relationship between collaboration and brainstorming
• Best practices for virtual brainstorming sessions
• Why you should avoid the word “no”
• Important elements of personal and professional communication
• Best practices for communicating virtually

 

Resources:

Anne Converse Willkomm

Drexel University Professional Services Blog

Working in a Changing World eBook

Rethinking Change webinar series

 

Quotes: 

“To be successful in today’s workplace, social professionals like yourselves really need to develop and enhance your interpersonal skills.”

“When we’re open-minded, we can see things more clearly from another perspective – which is really empathy – which often means we can turn something negative into an opportunity.”

“Without empathy, people’s voices are not heard. Resentment can build, dysfunction can set in, and then there’s a loss of productivity.”