What are the skills I should develop to help make better connections at work?:
Communication
Communication is the single most important aspect of building better connections with your coworkers. It involves your ability to not only express your own ideas clearly and concisely, but also active listening to ensure you understand the thoughts being shared with you. No workplace can expect to be productive, let alone happy, without having employees that are comfortable and capable of expressing their thoughts and opinions.
Empathy
A critical life-skill as well as an effective one to use in the workplace, empathy is your ability to view a situation from another’s point of view. It puts everyday situations and conflicts into perspective and can provide info as to why someone may be struggling in the workplace. Say for example your coworker is responsible for turning in reports to you to be filed, but they have been turning them in late recently. Come to find out, they recently have had a child that has been up through the nights causing your coworker to lose sleep. Using empathy, you would be able to recognize and understand how the situation your coworker is in is effecting their performance and the two of you can move forward with a solution rather than arguing why the reports are being turned in late.
Negotiation
Along the lines of communication, negotiation involves two or more employees exchanging thoughts, though in this instance they differ in how they believe something should be done. This skill is critical for peacefully resolving conflict in the workplace and it requires humility, responsibility, and compromise from everyone involved. By using negotiation skills, you will be able to connect with your coworkers even in moments of conflict by recognizing their stance on an issue and working together to find a solution that works best for both of you.
How can I improve?:
Practice Active Listening
One of the best ways to improve your communication skills is to work on your active listening. Make no mistake, there is a big difference between hearing someone and listening to them. If you’re listening, you are receiving and understanding exactly what the speaker is trying to get across. The best part: you can work on this skill almost anywhere. The next time you’re in a meeting, talking with coworkers, or speaking on the phone with someone, do your best to focus on the core message of what the speaker is saying and offering up thought out and relevant responses. This goes a long way to building connections at work. People typically like to talk to others who they know are good listeners.
Put Yourself in Others’ Shoes
The next time you have a disagreement in the workplace, do your best to view the situation from the other person’s point of view. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand why they may be feeling the way they’re feeling. This helps to keep you from taking the conflict personally and will help you find solutions to problem.
Put Yourself in Situations Where You’ll be Challenged
No one likes to disagree, but the only way to improve your negotiation skills is to be put them into practice. There are countless books and classes you can take in order to get the basics down, but the only way to really flex those muscles is to be engaged in an argument. Now, just because you are disagreeing with someone doesn’t mean you should be disrespectful or angry, in fact, it means quite the opposite. People with good negotiation skills always keep their emotions in check and approach conflict with a neutral demeanor. Once you have enough experience with workplace disagreements, you will learn which techniques work best in negotiating with the people around you.