Interpersonal skills are often referred to as people kills or social skills. Sometimes, they are pointed directly as communication skills. In general terms, they are also called life skills and fall under the category of “soft skills.” Unless you have developed anthropophobia or social phobia growing up, you actually possess innate interpersonal skills from the time you were born.

Yes, you had it in you all along. Interpersonal skills include verbal and non-verbal communication, listening skills, negotiation skills, problem solving and decision-making, and your level of assertiveness. What you say, how you say it, and how you interpret the message using both verbal and body language largely comprises the communication skills set of interpersonal skills. How you act upon challenges, find a win-win solution, and decide according to the opportunities presented as well as how you assert a stand also fall in the broad concept of interpersonal skills. All these, however, are crucial to your productiveness and effectiveness in the workforce.

While there are a broad range of skills set for you to be successful in your chosen field, it cannot be denied that having strong interpersonal skills will serve as a foundation for your success. Experts continually prove that without such, developing other life skills may be difficult.

Luckily, interpersonal skills can be honed to cohesively work with your hard skills. Here are some ways to develop them:

Indeed, developing strong personal skills can be a challenge. You need to recognize and accept your limitations and mistakes to fully grasp how far you can achieve. Maintain a positive attitude and, if possible, find a trusted coach who can guide you through.

Regardless of what you have in mind, it is known fact that your life’s strongest pursuit is that of the realization of your dreams. Your focus is to ensure that you land that dream job or get a promotion, or be successful with your startup business, or simply have a happy family, raise equally successful kids, or be a model citizen in the community. Each one of you is beholden to such challenges. The part when you start to work on the achievement of such goals, however, must start somewhere.

While motivation, personal goals and success are directly correlated, it is imperative to draw out your personal goals before everything. These goals will become your focus to motivate yourself to succeed. Setting personal goals is like turning on a car’s ignition. Motivation, on the other hand, is your way of driving continually and to go through every bump and puddle to ultimately arrive at success, your destination. By correlating these three aspects, you can guarantee facing life’s many challenges without flinching or backtracking.

Personal goals can come in many forms.  It could be academic, career, monetary, physical, creative, or ethical. These goals collectively point to your own domestic goals or how you wish to live life in the future. These personal goals come with two important perspectives—motivation and continuing direction.

To be useful however, experts suggested making your goal-setting SMART—specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timed. You need to know exactly what you want to be able to find ways to achieve them. To make sure that you can assess your progress, you need to set certain metrics. Of course, it must be realistic, relevant, and attainable—and to be more effective, a timeline must be set for the achievement of such goals.

But just because you create SMART goals then, that should be enough is a totally erroneous mindset. The world is also moving as you trudge in the realization of those goals. With this, you need to assess and re-assess your personal goals every step of the way. You need to check if such goals are still relevant or if you are still on the right track. In some cases, what you felt was of utmost importance before could no longer be as relevant due to sudden shifts in your life, job or business. If there is a need to rehash, improve or completely change them, then do so.

Goals must be solid enough to be able to move you, stimulate you to carry on, excite you. When these three concepts – goals, motivation and success—are properly aligned, you are definitely on the way for greatness.

In all these, it is important to note that keeping your employees well and healthy guarantees more productive results. Employees who are well-protected often deliver more benefits to the company. So whether you offer a group coverage or push for personal healthcare plans with add-on compensation, knowing that your wards are covered definitely means good business.

Customers make the world of business go round. If you are an entrepreneur, much of your focus usually points to that of keeping them happy, contented, and loyal to your products, services, or brand. If they need the moon, you will very much pick it from the sky and deliver it to their doorsteps. Truly, your customers’ happiness and satisfaction come first and foremost.

Today, however, it is wise to accept the truth that customer loyalty is a highly volatile aspect of business. Markets, with the aid of technological and Internet advancements, have become so customer-centric leading to business to be always on their toes to prevent using costly means to keep them satisfied. Be reminded that loyal customers are automatically considered brand advocates. Their “word of mouth” recommendations are often, preferred due to high trust ratings noting the fact that their feedback emanate from actual experience.

This is why many companies, big or small, engage in market research. Such efforts help to point specifically where target markets thrive. Studies are also being done internally via social media interaction to put your own selves in their shoes, that is, to look at your products or services via the customers’ lens. After all, customer behavior is best understood from within.

While market research may seem the best approach, it still has holes that need to be looked at—closely. You need to be in the very position that will help convert customers to make purchase decision and be able to share such decision to others. This is why the need to understand customer behavior at a much closer vantage point helps to strengthen your clout on the future of your product, service, brand or company as a whole.

1. Observe carefully customers behavior on your own website. People rely mostly on the Internet to search for products or services and often, they leave traces behind like where they usually go, the amount of time they usually allot for such, and the keywords and phrases they often use to search for you. Some website analytics also offer insights on how well your website perform in terms of traffic and conversion, and other factors which you may deem pivotal to the purchasing power of your customers. All these will help point strengths of the business and the weaknesses for you to immediately patch up.

2. Social media is another important route to gather salient points on customer behavior. Crowdsourcing, for instance, is some form of behavioral targeting that allows businesses to take a closer glimpse to what the customer deep down wants. Some agencies and consultancy firm also make use of social media to gather behavioral data.

3. Carefully identify customer types and pursue each of them accordingly. This is going to be tedious but, when done appropriately, can mean the world to your business. Focusing your efforts on customer types that appeal more to the business will help point you to the right direction.

4. Make good use of the “mystery shopper” approach. Be a customer yourself and see for yourself how your business truly deals customers on the level. This helps to gain complete knowledge on how the purchasing and feedback process run.

5. You may also try to get into the recordings of customer care and assistance to verify if policies are followed. Sometimes, the problem is not in your product or service offerings but in your customer support.

Customer behavior is everything to a business. No matter how good a product, service or brand, if your efforts are not aligned with that of your customers, everything is for nothing. With these pointers, you can finally analyze customer behavior and craft ways to satisfy their needs.

Simply put, many businesses do not “talk” to their customers. Many failed (and are continually failing) to learn from their audience, more so listen to them at their level. There are some however, who have learned to leverage actual feedback from consumers—and these are some of the important points they shared:

1. Learn where your customers thrive. Where do they spend time online? What and who are they following on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms? What products and services appeal to them? What posts and other content pique their interest or keep them interested? Starting a conversation with your own audience and seek out these information. The more you learn about customer intricacies, the more effective engagements will be.

2. Engage in active listening. Often, the best conversations start when you engage customers to tell you their thoughts and views. Put yourself in their shoes, would you not feel important when a company asks for your inputs? Let your on-boarding initiative be customer-centric. The moment you open your ears to their concerns and views, the more you can make them work to your business’ advantage.

3. Ask customers the reason for either liking or disliking your product, service or brand. Real insights always come from real-time feedback, from real people buying your brand. Talk to them directly and infuse the reasons behind their actions. Through that, you can gain more traction on your social media growth strategy.

4. Know what your customer needs. Even with good intentions in mind, what your own perception of what the customer needs may actually be not aligned with their views. So, consider asking them what specific improvements and other quirkiness they need. When you put those commendable points, you can immediately turn customers into brand ambassadors.

5. Engage your customers. Crowd-sourcing is the trend these days. So are the use of beta testing, round-table live discussions, hashtag conversation, and hangouts. Involve them in the process. Valuing your customers’ thoughts and opinions, particularly when crafting new products or business solutions, often boomerang in a positive way.

6. Learn your audience’s lingo. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own industry’s jargon forgetting the fact that our customers may actually have their own language. Pay close attention to that. Often, miscommunication can put your brand-building efforts on digital media astray leading to its failure.

7. Don’t forget to give thanks to those who continually embrace your brand. Sincerity is a powerful thing. When they do not, it is also essential to ask the reason behind. Be open-minded and accept both positive and negative criticisms. In both instances, always show gratitude as both encourage growth to your brand.

Customers are, indeed, shaping up the minutiae of brand-building. Talk to your customers in a language they can understand. Dissect what they deep down need. Connect with them and be sincere at that. In doing so, you can finally strengthen your social brand and make big with your goals in mind.

What are these habits? What needs to be done? Here are some of the common ones you kept alive without even thinking of their negative implications.

Over-attachment to Gadgets. Oh, with such strong Wi-Fi connection or all the fun on social media, the idea of bringing laptops, smartphones or tablets on their beds or when lounging somewhere to relax is creeping into everyone’s system. But do you know that this harms both productivity and sleep? Tech gadgets emit light that imitates the sun’s rays thereby, confusing your body’s circadian rhythm or body clock. Precisely the reason why bringing your phone to bed will not make you sleepy. Be reminded that lack of sleep will easily curve your creativity level leading to disastrous effects.

Online Hostage. Majority of the nation is guilty of this. The lure of social media, streaming videos of news, movies, and television shows easily robs anyone from their focus on tasks at hand. Be reminded that focus is crucial to ensure a topnotch finish on whatever tasks you are handling. When you kept checking your Facebook private messenger or Twitter or an online news portal, such focus will be derailed leaving you unproductive.

Still on Gadgets. Checking on a phone or laptop while taking with someone is not just counterproductive, it is downright rude. The same goes to multi-tasking on meetings and talks. Imagine yourself presenting a report on company initiatives only to be disturbed by someone who’s clicking on his smartphone or typing something on her laptop. Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes, what will you feel? When you commit to a meeting, a conversation or even with small talks, put all your energy into it.

Notification Horror. Many people think that by using notifications, they can take better control of their productivity. Wrong! Do not be lured by the pings and bells. Instead, choose to create a priorities schedule to handle emails, voicemails, queries, complaints, requests, and other concerns. This will help rein in the impulses and deliver more productive results.

Saying Yes (even when the right thing is to say NO!). Affirming something even when inappropriate is one of the most stressful things to do. This will not only lead to burnout, it also erodes self-control. Emotionally intelligent people know precisely when to say Yes and when to roar “no”. Learn your limits and, in doing so, you can have better grasp of how the future unfolds.

Toxic Love. Many love to think and gossip about toxic people. Some also thrive in talking about other’s misfortunes and mistakes. Do you know that in doing so, you are also coloring your world with negativity that it warps the mind? Bring on the ray of positivity and let go of toxicity. Think of people who matters and who can mentor you to reach greater heights. The idea is to always look forward.

Procrastinating. Perfection is often, the lousiest excuse to procrastination. People tend to dilly-dally because of the thought that they’re not good enough, their ideas are not perfect, or that it is not the perfect time. For argument’s sake, timing indeed can matter to certain endeavors but when you kept waiting and waiting without doing something while doing so, such erodes self-control leading to eventual failure. So, act while you can when you can. The idea is to try and if you fail, at the very least, you learn.

Stereotyping. There is nothing good to come out when you keep comparing your own reflection to that of others or when you put so much hope and satisfaction through labels set forth by others. When something feel good or happy, don’t let anyone rub you off that sensation. Their opinion is no better than your own. Do not let them drag you into their own opinionated ground. You will ultimately lose your self-worth the moment you let them.

Stopping bad habits will not only help develop good ones but will also create a lasting impact on one’s sense of productivity and work ethics. So, flex those self-control muscles and start the ball rolling now. It will take time and painstaking efforts. But with success on the line, all these will definitely be worth the effort.

Are you preparing a corporate event? Do you have an employee retreat program lined up before the year ends? Is a banquet being prepared to celebrate a milestone or to simply motivate those who have delivered to the progress of the company? Having a keynote speaker is essential to events as they can cohesively deliver the very concept you wish to impart to an audience in an objective perspective. When chosen correctly, this speaker will even create a paradigm shift essential in driving a more enhanced view of business success.

Keynote speakers are the ones who draw a crowd to an event. They normally give attendance a boost. But beyond that, these gifted individuals can raise awareness to a higher level. Most importantly, they ensure a home run on the message’s overall point. With these in mind, how do you actually choose a speaker?

1. Identify the objective of the event. There are many types of keynote speakers out there and often, each delivers focus on certain aspects. Sales conferences, for instance, require motivational ones while tech conferences rely on expertise. The key is to define clearly the objective of the event and from there, create a shortlisted name of keynote speakers who have adhered to the said purpose.

2. Consider brainstorming with a core team. Getting them involved will help open a lot of avenues to ideas and names in the business. This also helps to clarify the perceived results of the said event. Do a survey, if you may, when an event is centered on your workforce. This is quite important when you want to impart something of astounding relevance to your employees.

3. Invest on a multi-faceted speaking engagement rather than a single event. People easily forget those one-time events. Try crafting a series of speaking commitments. This does not only deliver consistent and lasting impact, it also allows you to slice major themes into specific subtopics for a much better understanding. Do remember to take your company’s resources and needs when choosing what will work best for your mission.

4. Scrutinize the shortlisted keynote speakers. Popularity is not always the best option. These speakers often deliver so-so speaking engagements due to their hectic schedule. Sometimes, they too do not easily conform or align to your own company’s particular needs. Go for someone versatile and with a clear grasp of your intentions. Make sure though that such speaker can communicate effectively with an audience such as yours.

5. Keynote speakers do not come cheap. Do make sure what you are getting and when you negotiate, make sure it’s worth it. Simply write down a proposal of your requirements, send it to your shortlisted speakers then, meet-up to discuss the points in detail. Feel free also to ask connections on speaker fees and rates. Bring such data with you when you negotiate.

6. Don’t just sit there and wait for a miracle to happen. Promote! Unless the event is compulsory for all employees to attend, you need to engage them to participate. Even free events require promotions. You would not want to have the best speaker to be talking to an empty auditorium. To create the impact you want, you need attendees.

7. Make good use of audience feedback. This will gauge the effect of the speaking event as well as the effectiveness of the keynote speaker. If satisfaction is high and the point of the speaking engagement had been reached then, by all means, do it again.

Choosing the right keynote speaker means a great deal to any company-sponsored event. Learn to identify your purpose and objectives as well as your budget resources to support such. Be flexible and creative. Best of all, find one who is aligned with your company’s objectives and willing to go the extra mile to deliver the message across.

So, what are the most notable innovations hailed as “game changers” in business these days? Here are some of the thriving ones:

Drones. What used to be a hobby-based industry, drones have become a must-have commodity in the agricultural and industrial market. Farmers and factories make use of drones to improve their operations as well as make better monitoring of field works. Commercial services like that of Amazon are also earning praise for their use of drone and we can expect more to come in the years to come.

Perpetual Connectivity. Wi-Fi will become a thing of the past. Telecommunication signals will become more available as tech innovations focus on nano-sensors. Wireless gadgets will repurpose radio signals to power their own selves and communicate.

Ultra Encryption. Privacy issues are continually gnawing at the root of communication channels. Today, companies are gearing for ultra-encryption allowing voice calls, SMS, files and attachments, emails, and other online communication to be protected from “eavesdroppers”. Smartphones will come equipped with such encryption software and tools to secure data and tighten privacy.

Collaborative Mobile Platform. New apps like Quip help to correct the current infrastructure in work collaboration. Now, you and your team can work together every step of the process in the same digital environment. This makes current workflows more efficient and more productive.

Virtual Reality. Facebook’s purchase of Oculus Rift has opened a whole new world in virtual reality. While immersive video games are becoming ultra-popular, virtual reality’s impact to businesses has also become more profound. Now, the same technology is extending an arm of support to emergency response training, architecture design, therapies, training, and much more.

Voice Tech. It is time to forget typing search terms when looking for something. Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Google, and a hodgepodge of voice recognition system will become a norm. Voice technology will make more effective speech interfaces leaving tech usage more interactive. This technology, though not yet perfect, will eventually deliver a more nimble future to businesses.

As technology continues to soar, more innovative processes and solutions will be available for businesses to become more productive. Be on the lookout for fresh new ideas in the market. Do not be left behind in utter obsolescence.

Many entrepreneurs, particular startups, are leaning heavily on this dictum. Far beyond feasibility studies and market data watch, entrepreneurial wannabes with no formal business education or no managerial experience whatsoever have to rely on their instinct and survival skills to keep their ideas going. The same people are also known to handle business on their own, directly learning from what is happening on the ground. Hence, the era of learn-on-the-job mentality came into fruition.

Others, however, debate about the effect of the trial-and-error approach to business. These old-school entrepreneurs believe in systemizing and controlling everything. While the concept of systematic entrepreneurship is known to have produced successful ventures, it cannot be denied that some have also veered into the rollercoaster ride of the trial-and-error approach. This is even amid the upsurge of smart data as well as analytics opportunities available for businesses nowadays.

But the trial-and-error learning is a long-time approach used in businesses. While other entrepreneurs may very well deny leaning on this approach, it cannot be refuted that there are just certain matters about running a venture that will push one to try without the aid of data or analytics, or for the sake of knowing if it will work or not. This is precisely the reason why some products and services in the market have to be updated every now and then.

Millennial business startups are also more engaged with the trial-and-error learning approach as they continue to drive for changes in the business arena. Amid their MBAs, extensive market research capabilities, and circle of experienced mentors, these go-getters rely on their gut feeling on various entrepreneurial pursuits. They love to innovate and one way of testing such fresh ideas is to try.

Yes, it is risky. It is not fun noting the fact that one’s whole life savings or credibility is on the line. But like other entrepreneurial geniuses who have tried and failed 99 times and only to hit it big on the 100th time, the concept of trial-and-error is one that can make or break one’s business pursuits. Persistence, it seems, is the very key that can unravel the meat of the matter. Like growing tulips, businesses that engage in trial-and-error plant their ideas on the ground hoping against hope that the chill of winter will not prevent the colorful bulbs from blooming when spring comes.

Indeed, the trial-and-error approach is far from becoming obsolete. Many successful entrepreneurs still live by the tale of trying and learning along the way. The only challenge for many robust businesses is this—how to keep up. It must be noted that the rules kept on changing. By the time an entrepreneur already managed to learn how to run a business, another challenge crops up.  So, it is essential to never stop trying and learning—a never-ending cycle that makes the business arena truly meaningful and exhilarating.

Style Maven. Think Rachel Johnson with all that oomph and charm. Becoming a fashion consultant is one of the most thriving industries today. You can start out by linking your fashion consultancy firm to an established retail business. Widening your network among friends and work colleagues will also be of great help. Build your brand and reputation in the market to open a huge following from celebrities and big-wig names in the industry where being not in fashion is a crime.

Designer Shop. With all the tools online nowadays, enhancing your penchant for style and inventiveness can be done in more ways than one. Let your creative prowess take center-stage by setting up a designer shop. You can have a brick and mortar shop catering to local fashion enthusiasts yearning for a new taste of glam and charm. Extend it with an online shop that caters to those off your grid.

Fashion Blogging. For those who have just “retired” from mainstream fashion industry but still want to be active in the field, this thriving business is the one for you. Set up a fashion blogging platform then, connect with active friends in fashion and clothing. Be their mouthpiece in the online arena and simply charge for your services.

Fashion School. You may also go the extra mile and open your very own fashion school, virtual or otherwise. Facilitate training on costume and fashion designing, makeup techniques, Cosplay designs, seasonal fashion, and so on. Be reminded though that this is a highly competitive business and will require astounding brand management to build-up your reputation.

Costume Rental Center. Do you have a collection of glamorous outfits, special occasion dresses, accessories, and other fashion items? Make good use of these design pieces by renting them out. This business allows you the opportunity to earn money from things that you no longer use but offers great aesthetic help to others.

Fashion Accessories Shop. Starting a fashion accessories shop is another rewarding opportunity this 2017 for womenpreneurs. You can have both brick-and-mortar store and online shop to cater to varied clienteles.

Beauty Salons. Train in some of the country’s top beauty schools. Learn the magic in creating your own mark in the business of hairstyling, makeup, nail art, and if you may, tattoo art. This has always been a thriving business, one that has no reason or season for abating. Hire certified personnel in the area and market your brand online.

These womenpreneur-focused business ventures will be rocking the New Year. Welcome 2017 with a bang by planning out the details as early as now! Do take note that a business coach can come handy at this time when you want to do it right.