Interpersonal Skills Including Communication Skills

What the official syllabus says

Preliminary Examination, General Studies Paper II:

• Interpersonal skills including communication skills;

This area is about how a person deals with others: colleagues, seniors, juniors and the public. Questions on it can be set as short situations or statements in which the candidate judges the most sensible way to listen, speak, write or respond. The notice does not describe the question format further, so the list below covers the concepts the line names.

Topics in detail

Communication: the basics

• The communication process: sender, message, channel, receiver, feedback and context.
• Verbal and non-verbal communication: tone, body language, eye contact, gestures and silence.
• Written communication: clarity, brevity, correctness, a suitable tone and a clear request or decision.
• Formal and informal channels in an organisation: upward, downward, lateral and the grapevine.
• Barriers to communication: language, jargon, noise, assumptions, emotions, status and information overload.
• Overcoming barriers: simple language, checking understanding, repeating key points, choosing the right medium.

Listening and feedback

• Active listening: attention, not interrupting, paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions.
• Empathy: understanding the other person's position without necessarily agreeing with it.
• Giving feedback: specific, timely, about the work and not the person, with a way forward.
• Receiving feedback and criticism: listening without defensiveness and acting on what is valid.

Working with others

• Teamwork: shared goals, division of work, trust and accountability.
• Relationships with superiors: reporting facts honestly, disagreeing respectfully, seeking clarity on instructions.
• Relationships with subordinates: delegation, recognition, fairness, guidance and discipline.
• Assertiveness as distinct from aggression and passivity.
• Motivation and morale in a group; avoiding favouritism.
• Cross-cultural sensitivity: language, religion, region, gender and age.

Conflict and negotiation

• Sources of conflict: scarce resources, unclear roles, differing goals, personality clashes and miscommunication.
• Styles of handling conflict: avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromising and collaborating.
• Negotiation: separating people from the problem, focusing on interests, looking for options that satisfy both sides.
• De-escalation: staying calm, acknowledging feelings and moving to facts and solutions.
• Mediation between two parties and the role of a neutral third person.

Dealing with the public

• Courtesy, patience and respect for every citizen regardless of status.
• Handling complaints and grievances: listening, recording, explaining the rules and following up.
• Communicating a refusal or an unwelcome decision clearly and politely, with reasons.
• Communicating with groups: public meetings, protests and crowds; keeping messages simple and consistent.
• Communicating in emergencies: accurate, timely and calm information; countering rumours.
• Persuasion through reasons and example rather than pressure.

Judging the best response

• Responses that solve the problem and preserve the relationship, rather than only one of the two.
• Responses consistent with rules and fairness, rather than convenience.
• Avoiding responses that are evasive, rude, impulsive or that pass the problem to someone else.

Overlaps

• Decision Making and Problem Solving uses similar workplace and public-service situations.
• Emotional intelligence, empathy and attitudes are studied in depth in General Studies IV, and the qualities judged in the Personality Test include clear and logical exposition and ability for social cohesion and leadership.