1.5 Summary

Effective interpersonal communication is paramount to building and nurturing healthy relationships in our homes and at the office. How we do it—managing a combination of strategy, style, behavior, values, and contextual variables—is arguably the most adaptable and transferrable workplace skill. Unless you’re working in a bubble, you will, no matter your role, have to interact with other humans. And the way you do it matters. Within an organization, individual actions and behaviors affect the whole. Productivity creates positivity, and happier people tend to live longer lives, or at least stay in their jobs longer. But it’s not an easy road. Communicating empathetically with others takes energy and effort. Fortunately, an endless list of compromising communication barriers is being met with an increasing number of solutions-oriented resources and trainings. As more studies prove the importance of interpersonal communication skills, their critical value is being supported and celebrated at all costs.