Interpersonal Skills For Business in Ukraine

Exclusive

Jenny Holt

There’s good news in Ukraine as a July 2017 report predicted 3% GDP growth in Ukraine for 2018. Reform is helping businesses to flourish and both consumers and business owners are engaging to help bring an upturn to the economy which last saw growth in 2012.

For business people, it’s long been shown by the big free market economies that interpersonal skills are king. To get sales and grow a business, it’s almost on par with exercising business due diligence. However, the political situation and world events have created tension is everyday life. How can you develop your skills and become a world-class communicator, to the benefit of your business?

Definition

Interpersonal skills are one of those soft terms that can mean very little to the average person. It does have a solid definition however - it’s how you interact with people. Interpersonal skills are important for all stages and interactions in life as it concerns people, and you interact with people for most of the day.

The effect of interpersonal skills are profound. Other businesses can be swayed by someone with excellent interpersonal skills, and employers will often only hire people with abilities beyond their qualifications.

What Are The Interpersonal Skills?

The main types of interpersonal skills are verbal and nonverbal communication. Essentially, your words and your body language, both of which are essential for getting your message across. It’s important to be relaxed and open when speaking to competitors or business partners, for instance, or to use assertive behavior when in need without being aggressive.

Communication is especially important, as is presentation. This is especially important for Ukrainian businesses, which have found that foreign countries won’t import Ukrainian brands. This focus on communication can’t be understated, and brand is a big part of that.

How Should I Behave?

We’ve touched on ideal behaviors above, but we’ll get a bit more into it here. You want to use open body language, like open stances over folded arms. A softer tone of voice, whilst still enunciating properly, will make sure people are able to discern your message. When needing to assert yourself, speak clearly and slowly, but don’t raise your voice too much or adopt aggressive stances. Always be clear, and don’t allow local dialects or terminology to sneak into your speech and potentially muddy the water.

Companies have been offering cultural awareness and communication skills even on a country-level basis, allowing business people from different corners of the country to understand and adapt to one another for their mutual benefit.

Communication and other interpersonal skills can seem hard and secondary in the tumultuous political climates. However, there’s serious evidence to suggest that businesses in Ukraine are settling down and becoming a solid base again. You can reassess your own skills for your own gain.