Wellness Journalism: Works Well With Others

Working well with others involves more than saying "good morning" and cleaning up after yourself. It’s about effective interpersonal communication.

You may be the brightest and bushiest individual at your workplace, but unless you communicate efffectively your colleagues will never know. Because of the nuances of thought, feeling, tone, posture, and expression, much may be lost in translation—even though you’re speaking the same language. When it comes to communication, apply quality control. Ensure that what you feel, think, do and say are in alignment. Humans are such sensitive intruments; if you don’t communicate well, you’re bound to create smog in the collective atmosphere.

Keys for Keeping the Lines of Communication Clear

1. Open sesame. When you are relaxed and open (and you know it), your body and face will show it. This is the single most important tool in effective communication: solid eye contact arises naturally out of this state of being, as does clarity, and even humor. When you’re open, you are being yourself—genuine—and this creates trust. Others feel comfortable around you; they will share their feelings/ideas/concerns…and you, being open, will do the same. In this expressive environment, magic happens.

2. Listen up. Actually listening, which means that you are not running your own simultaneous internal monologue, is another critical component. Communication is a two way street, but often times we drive on both sides of the road. Stay in your lane—let the other driver have right of way.

3. Respect. In any given environment, each person has their own unique contribution to make. This means differences of opinion, style, form, and delivery. Respect the mannerisms of others and allow them to think how they think—don’t try to change what isn’t yours. When somebody’s perspective seems foreign, ask questions. The more you understand the reasons behind their mentality or behavior, the more constructively you can work together.


Every day of your life is an adventure in interpersonal relationship and communication. As such, it is a process, and a practice. Learn from your interactions. If you have a really good conversation with someone, think about why it went well and remember the key points for next time. If it was bumpy, try to learn something from it.

Good to know: The Express to Success program at UCSD offers a 9-week, non-credit interpersonal relationship seminar each quarter. It emphasizes development of social self-confidence and "people skills" through experiential learning activities that address initiating and maintaining conversations with peers and professors, assertiveness and managing conflict in relationships, skills in listening and self-disclosure, and understanding personality styles and group dynamics. It’s of tremendous value to anybody who lives and works amongst other human beings.