Interpersonal Intelligence

Interpersonal intelligence involves the ability to work cooperatively in a group as well as the ability to communicate, verbally and non-verbally, with other people. It builds on the capacity to notice distinctions among others, for example, contrasts in moods, temperament, motivations, and intentions. In the more advanced forms of this intelligence, one can literally pass over into another person’s life context (that is, stand in their shoes) and read their intentions and desires. One can have genuine empathy for another’s feelings, fears, anticipations, and beliefs. This form of intelligence is usually highly developed in such people as counselors, teachers, therapists, politicians, and religious leaders.

Capacities involved:

• Effective verbal/non-verbal communication
• Sensitivity to other’s moods, temperaments, motivations and feelings
• Working cooperatively in a group
• Ability to discern other’s underlying intentions and behavior
• Passing over” into the perspective of another
• Creating and maintaining synergy

To activate this intelligence:

• Get into different structured situations in which reliance on other people is required for successful completion of a project (such as any kind of team activity or committee work).
• Practice listening deeply and fully to another person. Cut off the “mind chatter” that usually occurs when you are listening to someone else talk and stay focused only on what they are saying.
• Try to guess what someone else is thinking or feeling based on various non-verbal clues, then check your accuracy with that person.
• Explore different ways to communicate with someone else, for example, facial expressions, body posture, gestures, sounds (including but not limited to spoken words).

To strengthen this intelligence:

Practice reflective listening, working as a member of a team, giving and receiving empathetic feedback, being aware of others’ feelings, motives, and opinions, and effective person-to-person communication.

Vocational pursuits:

Counseling, therapist, professional teaching, politics, sociology, anthropology, religious leader

Sources: Lazar (1991), Walters (2003)

(Original page by Mary Frangie)