Application: The Principles Behind "Soft Skills"
Description: "People Physics": The Laws of Human Interaction
Author:  Dr. Deborah Fisher
August 28, 2007
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“It’s a lifestyle change” came my sister’s frustrating advice, each time I shared a goal of losing weight or lowering my blood pressure. Like most of us, I wanted a magic pill, a single class, a simple solution.

That’s why Group Harmonics is often asked for classes on better communication, conflict resolution, negotiation, effective meetings, etc. People want a quick fix to a systemic problem. The bookshelves are loaded with “quick fix” diet books, and “quick fix” books on dealing with conflict, anger, negotiation, team building, etc. But underlying each of these books are basic laws. Just as a “body lifestyle change” requires us to learn and implement the basic laws of nutrition and exercise, a “human interaction lifestyle change” is most effective if we learn what I call the basic laws of human interaction.

What are they?

Just as you learn the physics of calories and exercise (work in=work out), Group Harmonics (GHI) can teach you the four basic laws of human interaction: Behavior, Motivation, Task Balance and Emotional Intelligence. These laws teach us how to understand our own actions, how to work better with others and, most importantly, how to be more successful. When we learn and apply the laws of weight loss, the results show up on the scale or the tape measure. When we learn and apply the laws of human interaction, we see immediate results in our communication skills, negotiating skills, conflict resolution, anger management, and overall effectiveness. Let’s take a look at each of these laws.

Behavior is the most clearly visible indicator of another person’s needs, tendencies, and preferences. It yields far more information than anything else we can observe. GHI teaches clients how to develop the ability to read and respond to behavioral tendencies. This improves influencing skills, teamwork, and career direction using information right in front of our noses.

Motivation need not be the ephemeral topic of inspirational speeches; it is a quantifiable part of all of us and it can be measured and understood as the basic reason we take action. Using a validated assessment model, GHI clients quantify their own motivational factors, and then learn to influence others in a way that is individually meaningful.

Research clearly indicates that Emotional Intelligence is far more important to our career and personal success than our purely intellectual “IQ.” GHI can measure a wide spectrum of Emotional Intelligence, so that our clients discover their own strengths and development areas. By mapping an individual’s skills to the requirements of the job, departments can craft a data-based development plan to raise an individual’s performance to the next level.

Employees generally do not recognize or understand their ideal Task Balance, which can allow them to obtain and maintain optimal job satisfaction and performance. This can also reduce management time! Task balance measurement can be used as an organizational effectiveness tool at an individual or team level. It can be used for organizational optimization, team development, and to identify motivators for current employees.

There they are – the four simple laws of human interaction. And for you skeptics, they are statistically validated – some with validation samples similar in size to the SAT and GRE instruments! Our book, Four Secrets to Liking Your Work, is about learning and applying these four laws. It will be on shelves and on Amazon.com in early 2008.

Meanwhile, you can go out there and change your lifestyle! Learn and implement the laws of nutrition/exercise and lose weight and inches. Or, learn and implement the laws of human interaction and be happier and more successful. It’s that "simple"...

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