The Interpersonal intelligence is one of the 9 possible types of intelligence described by Howard Gardner in 1983. This ability has to do with the ability of an individual to relate correctly with other people, understand their motives, emotions and actions, and adequately communicate what they need to convey.
As with the rest of the capacities described in the theory of multiple intelligences, for Howard Gardner, individuals would be born with a certain level of interpersonal intelligence that would be different for each one. However, it would also be possible to strengthen this ability through practice, and our environment may also influence its development..
Generally, individuals with interpersonal intelligence have a great interest in the people around them. They tend to have good social skills, and can easily decipher both verbal and non-verbal messages and deliver them correctly as well. They also usually have emotional skills such as compassion and empathy.
According to some research, interpersonal intelligence tends to be more present in extroverts. Introverts often have less developed this type of intelligence, although it is possible that both occur together in all types of individuals.
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Individuals with a good level of interpersonal intelligence tend to have a number of common characteristics. Next we will see which are the most important.
One of the most important characteristics of people with good interpersonal intelligence is that they have the ability to convey messages adequately both verbally and non-verbally. At the same time, they also understand more easily what others want to say to them..
The fact of having good communication skills usually implies that the people in your environment perceive you as charismatic and sociable. In most cases, those with interpersonal intelligence are usually extroverts, although they may also enjoy the time they spend alone.
In most cases, individuals with good interpersonal intelligence are not only capable of correctly understanding the messages they receive: they also have a greater facility than normal to understand the mental and emotional states behind them..
This implies that most of these people have a great capacity for empathy; that is, the ability to put oneself in the shoes of others, understand their points of view and understand the emotions they are experiencing at all times. Again, this helps them improve their personal relationships and be able to connect with other individuals..
Generally, people with high levels of interpersonal intelligence are able to establish new relationships more easily than usual. This implies that even when they are in an unfamiliar context, they can generate connections with the people around them without causing a serious problem..
At the same time, the relationships they are able to create through their social skills tend to be deeper and more enduring than other people's. This is because they have a greater ability to understand what each interaction needs and are able to provide it to you..
Although it does not happen in all cases, on many occasions people with good social intelligence also have greater than normal leadership skills. As a consequence, they tend to end up working in positions of responsibility and to take initiative in group contexts, even when they meet other individuals whom they do not know well..
On the other hand, their social and leadership skills allow them to resolve conflicts that can appear in all kinds of group contexts. Due to this, on many occasions they also act as mediators, a role that they easily fulfill by being able to understand the points of view of all the parties involved..
Interpersonal intelligence has a large number of practical applications both in our daily lives and in different specific situations. Next we will see some examples in which it is necessary to use it to finish clarifying this concept.
One of the professions in which interpersonal intelligence is most necessary is in the field of psychological therapy. Professionals in this field have to be able to listen to their clients, extract the meaning of their messages without interfering with their own prejudices, and clearly communicate to them the steps they must take to improve their mental state.
A good teacher also has to use interpersonal intelligence to help his students achieve good results. During your classes, you need to put yourself in the shoes of each student to understand what their blocks are and develop personalized strategies for each of them, something impossible to achieve without this ability..
The sphere of the couple is undoubtedly one of those that benefits the most from a good level of interpersonal intelligence. Living with another person in a harmonious way requires large doses of communication, empathy, conflict resolution capacity and other skills that people with this ability acquire more easily.
Although it is true that each individual is born with different levels of interpersonal intelligence, the reality is that there are many ways to develop it. Next we will see several activities that can help us in this regard.
Empathy is one of the most important skills within interpersonal intelligence. If you want to improve this ability, whenever you have a conflict or hear an opinion that is very strange to you, try to try to put yourself in the place of the other person.
For this, ask yourself what can lead someone to think the way your interlocutor does. What may you be feeling right now? What thoughts go through your head to act like you do?
For many experts, active listening is one of the most basic components of interpersonal intelligence. This skill is not very common in most people, but the good news is that it is very easy to practice..
To develop this tool you will only have to change the approach you take in your conversations. Instead of thinking about what you want to say when the person is finished, try to focus entirely on what they are saying without judging them. Whenever thoughts come to you about what you are hearing, push them away and return your attention to the present..
On many occasions the busyness of our lives prevents us from connecting with others as much as we would like. Luckily, changing this is something that is in your hands. If you want to practice your interpersonal intelligence, there is nothing better than putting yourself in situations where you have to interact with other people.
Therefore, do not be afraid to sign up for group classes, to reconnect with old acquaintances you have not seen for a long time, or even to try to find people with the same interests through the Internet..
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