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According to the Great Eight Competencies, interacting and presenting encompasses traits that allow people to relate to others on an interpersonal level and communicate by presenting information effectively.
People with this trait leverage those skills to gain common ground, support, and engagement with their ideas. Psychologist David Bartram states that this competency corresponds most closely to extroversion in the Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN) model and is tied to generalized mental ability.
Interacting and Presenting in the Workplace
Interacting and presenting in the workplace helps to build strong and productive teams, improve communication and collaboration, and foster a sense of community within an organization. People who are happy at work tend to do a better job. Errors are reduced, productivity increases and customer service improves.
In the workplace, a person who interacts is generally extroverted and focuses on relationship-building. They often use those relationships to further career development by networking, socializing, and diffusing conflict.
People with this competency are charismatic and capitalize on their ability to charm others, building and expanding their professional networks by appealing to others personally.
Interacting and presenting individuals often use humor to build rapport and mitigate conflict productively. Their interpersonal skills are vital, neutralizing political disagreement and encouraging a harmonious work environment unburdened by petty strife.
Their comfort around others, general mental ability, and speaking skills allow them to perform well during presentations and public speaking engagements.
Is Interacting and Presenting a Learnable Trait?
Though extraversion is not widely acknowledged as a learnable trait, there are ways to simulate the confidence and characteristics of an extravert within a professional environment.
Engaging with coworkers during optional, work-related activities encourages familiarity by visibility first and foremost. Not only do more introverted professionals have more exposure to their peers — through proximity, their peers become more comfortable with them as well.
Viewing their peers in a social context allows introverted professionals to observe and learn how to work well with them, which they can leverage in a professional environment. Workers with a severe aversion to public speaking or who feel uncomfortable speaking in front of their peers may want to seek general speaking specialists or practice debate.
“It’s vital that organizations find ways to foster social interaction and connection among their employees, even when they’re not physically together. One approach is encouraging social events and activities, such as virtual – or in-person – coffee breaks, happy hours, or team-building exercises,” Naomi Humber, clinical psychologist and head of mental wellbeing, Bupa UK, said in a press release.
“Another option is to provide opportunities for employees to connect in more structured ways, such as through mentorship programs or cross-functional project teams,” Humber continued.
Talent Select AI uses natural language processing (NLP) to quickly and accurately measure candidates’ personality traits and core skills, including the Great Eight Competencies, the Big Five (OCEAN) Personality Traits, and our own proprietary measures, such as Grit, Empathy, and Proactiveness.
