Interpersonal skills: Why they matter and how to develop them for career success

Even as employees spend more time talking to ChatGPT or collaborating with software, human-to-human interactions remain essential. In fact, 85% of UK and US employers say skills like communication are just as important—or even more important—than they were five years ago. Strengthening your interpersonal skills can help you advance your career, step into leadership roles, and handle greater responsibilities with confidence.

Why do interpersonal skills matter in the workplace?

Strong interpersonal skills help workers fit in with their teams and collaborate effectively. Without them, people may struggle to work together or even complete basic tasks. For example, 44% of employers report that hiring people with poor soft skills has led to communication challenges, and 41% have seen reduced team productivity.

Here are four more reasons to develop these extremely valuable skills:

• Stand out to potential employers: Over two out of three (67%) UK employers prioritise soft skills over education when hiring new employees. By mastering the top interpersonal skills, you can make a strong impression in job interviews and increase your chances of landing a role.
• Grow your career: 87% of workers believe good interpersonal skills are essential for career advancement. Upskilling in these areas can help you lead teams and take on greater responsibilities.
• Stronger relationships: Many careers involve frequent interactions with customers and colleagues. Excellent interpersonal skills make it easier to connect with others and build meaningful connections. For example, when you can truly empathise with a client’s problem, you can create better solutions.
• Future-proof your career: While technical skills are often industry-dependent, interpersonal abilities are incredibly transferable. They can help you pivot into new roles in your current sector or change fields. A Registered Nurse, for instance, could use their emotional intelligence and communication skills to transition into a project management role.

Key interpersonal skills to develop

Strengthening your people skills is an excellent way to upskill or reskill. These abilities are truly timeless and apply across many industries, which means they have a high return on investment. Get started by focusing on these important interpersonal skills.

Communication

You might assume that you’re already a solid communicator. After all, you talk to your colleagues and write emails all the time, right? But effective communication takes effort and practise.

Strong communicators excel at public speaking and writing. They can clearly explain complex concepts while keeping their audience engaged. For example, you might use storytelling techniques to walk your clients through a product’s features and demonstrate how it can solve their supply chain challenges.

Good communication is also nonverbal. Eye contact, gestures, and other cues will help you build trust and share your ideas.

Active listening

Every interaction is a two-way street, so active listening is absolutely essential. This skill involves interpreting body language and genuinely trying to understand the other person’s perspective. A client may claim they love your design, for instance, but their stiff shoulders show they’re actually annoyed. By tuning into these subtle cues, you can establish positive rapport and understand other people’s true feelings.

Teamwork and collaboration

Many careers involve working in teams with people from diverse backgrounds and fields. For example, a Data Scientist may collaborate with marketing and sales teams to analyse customer behaviour and predict the next trending product.

You can become a more effective collaborator by learning how to delegate tasks based on each team member’s strengths. You should also actively work to create an inclusive team culture where everyone feels comfortable pitching ideas and giving feedback.

Empathy and emotional intelligence

Between 2016 and 2030, the demand for emotional skills is expected to grow by 22% in Europe. These abilities allow you to understand and handle your emotions and the feelings of others. They might seem innate, but they’re just as learnable as prompt engineering or programming a mobile app. For instance, you might use breathing exercises to control your frustration or offer support to a stressed-out coworker.

Conflict resolution

Workplace conflict is incredibly common, with a quarter of UK employees experiencing it in the past year. These conflicts can involve everything from heated arguments to outright discrimination.

Mastering conflict resolution can help you to defuse these situations — ideally, before relationships sour. By actively listening to others and looking for mutually agreeable solutions, you can maintain harmony in the workplace.

Adaptability and positive attitude

Even the most experienced professionals can face unexpected challenges. Economic downturns, disrupted supply chains, PR crises — anything could derail your project. Having a flexible mindset allows you to respond to these obstacles quickly and with minimal stress.

A positive attitude matters, too. When you’re upbeat and forward-looking, it’s easier to stay focused and keep your team motivated.

Leadership and interpersonal skills

Effective leadership goes hand-in-hand with strong people skills. After all, you can’t lead a team unless you can inspire and communicate with them.

Emotional intelligence is one of the most critical leadership traits. Research shows that “emotionally competent leaders perform better and are more successful.” That’s because they can recognize and manage both their team’s emotions and their own, especially during stressful situations.

You can improve your leadership skills by acting with clarity and empathy. During a crisis, for instance, your team will respond faster if you provide easy-to-understand directions.

You should also try to understand your employees’ perspectives instead of making assumptions. A worker who frequently misses deadlines might need more training, while someone who’s chronically late may be going through a personal crisis. By learning how to practise active listening, you can get to the root of these issues and start working on a solution.

Developing interpersonal skills

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to gaining good interpersonal skills. It depends on your strengths, goals, and personality.

Start by reflecting on your existing abilities. You can conduct a formal skills inventory or just write in a journal about your strengths and challenges. Ask yourself these questions:

• What social skills do I use in my current role?
• How would I rate my personal and professional skills (teamwork, public speaking, etc.)?
• What types of social situations do I thrive in? And where do I struggle?
• What are some experiences where stronger interpersonal skills would have benefited me?
• Where are my biggest areas of improvement?
• If I want to transition into a new role, what interpersonal skills would I need?

Once you’ve reflected on these topics, choose two or three skills to focus on. That way, you don’t overwhelm yourself.

Role-playing activities

Role-playing exercises are an easy way to upskill. Consider asking your peers or a mentor to simulate different scenarios with you. Here are a few examples:

• Practise giving presentations and answering questions from the audience to beef up your communication skills.
• Improve your ability to resolve conflicts by pretending to mediate a tricky dispute between colleagues.
• Simulate a conversation with a frustrated customer to sharpen your active listening and negotiation skills.

These activities may seem a bit intimidating, especially if you’re an introvert or nervous about conflict. But these low-stakes exercises will help you gain confidence and get meaningful feedback from colleagues.

Training programmes

For more in-depth upskilling, consider a formal soft skills training programme. Multiverse’s apprenticeships can help you learn how to incorporate interpersonal skills in real work environments.

For example, the Transformative Leadership programme empowers professionals to lead change in their workplaces. It uses a combination of hands-on learning and structured modules to teach artificial intelligence and leadership skills. Similarly, the Project Management program can help you learn collaboration, communication, and other valuable skills.

Multiverse’s programmes are completely free for apprentices. You’ll continue working in your current role while completing real projects and receiving dedicated study time. It’s an incredibly effective way to grow your soft skills and gain new knowledge on the job.

Everyday practice

Look for opportunities in your daily routine to develop common interpersonal skills. This could be as simple as asking questions during stand-up meetings — “Can you explain why we’re using this software?” — and listening more closely to your colleagues. Over time, these actions can lead to noticeable improvements in your communication skills.

Practise managing your emotions, too. Consider writing about how you feel to increase your self-awareness. You can also use deep breathing and meditation to regulate your feelings.

Interpersonal skills and career growth

Don’t underestimate the positive impact that interpersonal skills can have on your everyday work life. When you build relationships with other professionals and clients, collaborations become rewarding and fruitful instead of a chore. And while navigating workplace dynamics may never be effortless, it’s certainly easier when you have useful skills like verbal communication. As a result, you may feel less stressed and more satisfied with your job.

These abilities can also make you a stronger job candidate. For example, strong communication abilities will help you write persuasive cover letters. Plus, it’s easier to highlight interpersonal skills during an interview when you’re a confident speaker.

Additionally, interpersonal skills can help you expand your professional network. When you can maintain good relationships and show genuine interest in others, you’ll naturally attract collaborators and mentors. Over time, these connections could lead to new career opportunities.

Add new skills to your toolkit with Multiverse

Why is learning interpersonal skills important? It’s not just about charming potential employers or getting along with your colleagues (though those are certainly perks). These abilities can help you thrive in social settings and improve your performance. Plus, they empower you to become a better leader and collaborator.

Ready to level up your skills? Explore Multiverse’s free Transformative Leadership programme. This apprenticeship will help you develop the necessary interpersonal skills to lead change in your organisation. You’ll also learn how to spearhead high-performing projects and teams.

Take the next step on your upskilling journey by filling out our quick application.