Definition: Personal Skills

nnHow to develop personal skillsnnOne way to develop your personal skills is through Interpersonal communication. This is defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, though most definitions involve participants who are interdependent on one another, have a shared history. Communication channels are the medium chosen to convey the message from sender to receiver. Communication channels can be categorized into two main categories: Direct and Indirect channels of communication.nnDirect channels are those that are obvious and can be easily recognized by the receiver. They are also under direct control of the sender. In this category are the verbal and non-verbal channels of communication. Verbal communication channels are those that use words in some manner, such as written communication or spoken communication. Non-verbal communication channels are those that do not require words, such as certain overt facial expressions, controllable body movements (such as that made by a traffic police to control traffic at an intersection), color (red for danger, green means go etc), sound (sirens, alarms etc.).nnIndirect channels are those channels that are usually recognized subliminally or subconsciously by the receiver, and not under direct control of the sender. This includes kinesics or body language, that reflects the inner emotions and motivations rather than the actual delivered message. It also includes such vague terms as "gut feeling", "hunches" or "premonitions".nnBalance of interpersonal communicationnnThe Johari window model focuses on the balance of interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication encompasses:nn * Speech communicationn * Nonverbal communicationn * Unconscious communicationn * summarizingn * paraphrasingn * listeningn * questioningn * Initiating: Declaring one's conversational intent and inviting consent from one's prospective conversation partnern * Turn-taking: Managing the flow of information back and forth between partners in a conversation by alternating roles of speaker and listenernnHaving good interpersonal communication skills support such processes as:nn * parentingn * intimate relationshipn * managementn * sellingn * counselingn * coachingn * mentoring and co-mentoring, which is mentoring in groupsn * conflict managementnnInterpersonal communication is the subject of a number of disciplines in the field of psychology, notably Transactional analysis.nnIt can be affected by a communication disorder or by arrogance, shyness, etc.n

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