Interpersonal skills are the abilities you use to work with other people: listening, explaining, persuading, handling disagreement and building trust. Job adverts ask for them because almost every role depends on them, and they are often the difference between someone who is technically good and someone people want to work with.
This guide explains what interpersonal skills are, gives 12 examples with what each looks like at work, shows how to prove them on a CV and in interviews, and sets out a practical plan to improve them.
What are interpersonal skills?
Interpersonal skills are the behaviours that shape how you interact one to one and in groups. They sit inside the wider family of soft skills, alongside self-management skills such as time management and resilience.
A simple way to separate the terms:
| Term | What it covers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Soft skills | All non-technical skills | Time management, adaptability, teamwork |
| Interpersonal skills | Skills used with other people | Listening, empathy, handling conflict |
| Communication skills | How you send and receive messages | Writing a clear email, presenting, questioning |
Communication skills are the biggest part of interpersonal skills, but not all of it. You can write a perfect report and still struggle to resolve a disagreement or earn a colleague's trust.
12 interpersonal skills examples
1. Active listening
Giving full attention, asking follow-up questions and checking you have understood before you respond. At work it shows when you summarise a client's request back to them and catch a misunderstanding early.
2. Clear verbal communication
Saying what you mean in plain language, in a sensible order, and adapting it to the listener. A manager who explains a change in three clear points instead of ten minutes of background is using this skill.
3. Written communication
Emails, messages and documents that are easy to act on. Most interpersonal friction in hybrid teams starts in writing, so tone and clarity in text matter as much as in conversation.
4. Empathy
Understanding how a situation looks and feels from the other person's side. It does not mean agreeing; it means you can explain their position accurately before you argue against it.
5. Giving feedback
Describing specific behaviour and its impact, then agreeing what happens next. "The report was late, which delayed the client update; what would help next time?" works better than "You need to be more organised."
6. Receiving feedback
Listening without defending, asking for examples and acting on what is useful. People notice this quickly, and it makes them more willing to be honest with you.
7. Conflict resolution
Bringing disagreements into the open early, separating the issue from the person and working towards an outcome both sides can accept.
8. Teamwork and collaboration
Sharing information, keeping commitments and helping colleagues hit shared goals, even when the credit is not yours.
9. Persuasion and influence
Moving people to a decision with evidence, framing and an understanding of what matters to them, rather than with seniority.
10. Negotiation
Finding an agreement that works for both parties by understanding interests, not just positions. It applies to budgets and deadlines as much as to contracts.
11. Relationship building
Investing in people before you need something from them: following up, remembering what matters to them and being reliable.
12. Cultural awareness
Adjusting how direct, formal or fast you are for colleagues and clients from different backgrounds. In a city like London, most teams need this every day.
Why employers value interpersonal skills
Technical skills get people hired into a role; interpersonal skills largely decide how well they perform once there and whether they move into leadership. Most work now happens across teams, functions and time zones, so the cost of poor listening, unclear handovers and unresolved conflict shows up quickly in missed deadlines and lost clients.
Interpersonal skills also transfer. A project manager, a nurse and a sales lead use different technical knowledge, but the same skills to brief, persuade and resolve problems with people.
How to show interpersonal skills on a CV and in interviews
Listing "excellent interpersonal skills" proves nothing. Show the skill through a result.
On a CV, attach a skill to an outcome:
- "Ran weekly client calls for 12 accounts; resolved a recurring billing dispute and kept all 12 clients at renewal."
- "Trained four new starters and wrote the team's onboarding guide, cutting time to full productivity from eight weeks to five."
In interviews, use the STAR method: describe the Situation, your Task, the Action you took and the Result. Pick examples where your interpersonal skill changed the outcome, such as calming a frustrated customer or getting two teams to agree on a deadline.
How to improve your interpersonal skills: a four-week plan
Interpersonal skills improve with deliberate practice and feedback, the same way technical skills do. Pick one skill a week rather than trying everything at once.
| Week | Focus | Daily practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Listening | In one meeting a day, summarise what someone said before you reply |
| 2 | Clarity | Rewrite one important email so the request is in the first two lines |
| 3 | Feedback | Ask one colleague a week: "What is one thing I could do differently?" |
| 4 | Difficult conversations | Raise one small issue you have been avoiding, using facts and impact |
Three habits make the plan stick:
- Get an outside view. Ask a trusted colleague or manager which skill holds you back most. Self-assessment is notoriously unreliable here.
- Review after key interactions. Spend two minutes after an important meeting noting what worked and what you would change.
- Practise in safe settings. Role play, presentations to friendly audiences and structured training let you try new approaches without real-world stakes.
If you want structured practice with tutor feedback, our communication skills course covers listening and questioning, feedback techniques, conflict resolution, stakeholder engagement and presentation skills, live online or in London. If English is not your first language and that is the main barrier, start with our guide to business English for non-native speakers.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important interpersonal skills?
For most roles, active listening, clear communication, empathy and conflict resolution matter most, because they underpin the others. Leaders also need persuasion, feedback and relationship building.
Are interpersonal skills the same as communication skills?
No. Communication skills are a large part of interpersonal skills, but interpersonal skills also include empathy, trust, conflict handling, teamwork and reading a situation, which go beyond how you send and receive messages.
Can interpersonal skills be learned?
Yes. They are behaviours, and behaviours improve with practice, feedback and reflection. People who are naturally quiet often become excellent listeners and negotiators once they practise deliberately.
How do you describe interpersonal skills in an interview?
Use a specific example with the STAR method and focus on the result: the client you kept, the conflict you resolved or the team you got moving. Avoid general claims without evidence.
Are interpersonal skills soft skills?
Yes. Interpersonal skills are a subset of soft skills: the ones used when working with other people. Soft skills also include self-management skills such as organisation and resilience.