The difference between good employees and great employees is not always something you can put a finger on. If they’re a pleasure to work with, why? If they exceed every expectation, what are their secrets? The answer is as common as ever: interpersonal skills. But because these are technically “soft skills,” which means the best way to attain them is to be born with them, they are extremely valuable and require unique methods to learn. Following is a list of the most important interpersonal skills an employee can possess. Start developing yours today with these 7 tools to immediately improve your ability to communicate tactfully. 1. Verbal Communication Yes, as opposed to non-verbal communication, which we’ll address next. Within verbal communication there are a number of other skills that we’ll talk about later, too, such as listening and questioning, but for now we are primarily concerned with effective speaking. Effective verbal communication begins with clarity. This often requires nothing more than slowing down and speaking more thoughtfully. Many people feel rushed to respond to questions and conversations immediately, but it is better to pause for a moment in consideration, especially if the question merits it. No one expects, or wants, a gun-slinging attitude in important conversations. A thoughtful person is generally taken more seriously. Rounding off this skill is the ability to stay calm, focused, polite, interested and to match the mood or emotion of the situation. If this sounds like an overwhelming task, check out this communication course that teaches you to speak smoothly, clearly and confidently. 2. Non-Verbal Communication Non-verbal communication is largely underrated and underestimated. Those who can communicate non-verbally can almost subliminally reinforce what they are saying verbally. They can also exude confidence, or any other emotion they feel, not to mention respond tactfully to a conversation without saying a single word. Non-verbal communication is something that other people notice whether you are aware of your actions or not. Your body language is constantly speaking. Everything you do or don’t do says something about you and how you are feeling. Your facial expressions (especially eye contact), your posture, your voice, your gestures with your extremities and even the way you position yourself physically in a room or amongst colleagues is constantly revealing your true attitude, for better or for worse. While controlling body language is no easy task, with this five-star course you can learn how to interpret the body language of others while learning how to perfect your own non-verbal communication skills. 3. Listening This is the only appropriate way to follow two topics on communication. If non-verbal communication is underrated, then listening isn’t even on the charts. And yet without listening effectively, how can we interpret and respond appropriately? Even the best communicators can talk their way into a sticky situation. Read this Forbes article on why most leaders need to shut up and listen. It provides explanations on why listening is crucial to success and for tips on becoming a better listener. Listening is so important that it is a bona fide field of theoretical study (a contradiction of terms, but still). Communication can not be realized unless a listener completes the “loop.” Take a look at this blog post on the elements of communication to learn more about how this works. 4. Questioning Questioning is a lost art that can serve many purposes. Questioning is something that often builds upon listening, but it is not merely a device for obtaining information. Questioning is a great way to initiate a conversation. It demonstrates interest and can instantaneously draw someone into your desire to listen. Smart questions show that you know how to approach problems and how to get the answers you need. Fortunately, questioning can be learned more easily than other skills