Social skills Soft skills Hard skills_____________________________________________

definition and differencePresentation by:Anna Iordanskaya

November 06, 2015

Outline

1. What are skills and which types of skills exist?

2. Social skills - meaning and examples

3. Soft skills - definition, examples and how they refer to social skills

4. Hard skills - meaning and examples

5. Which is more important for career - Hard skills vs. Soft skills?

Definition and types of Skills

Skills:

Something that you have since birth (natural ability)

Things that a person can do well from training, education, personal activities

Four basic types of skills:

Personal Skills

Motor skills

Life skills

Work Skills

Four basic types of Skills

Personal skills - personality traits since birth Punctual, honest, calm, optimistic Organized, patient, reliable, realistic

Motor skills - movements with body + small actions with fingers Gross motor skills - running, jumping, swimming Fine motor skills - take things with hands/fingers, writing

Life skills - set of human skills through learning or personal experience Self-service skills – skills for serving themselves Thinking skills (mental processes) - make decisions, think critical, ask questions Emotional skills – emotional self-regulation (express + control emotions) Social skills

Work skills - job-specific skills also called - job skills or hard skills

Social skills: meaning and examples

Social skills – an important component of life:

Set of skills for communication and interaction:

verbally and non-verbally

through gestures and body language

our personal appearance

Learning the skills - since birth and improving during whole life

Poor social skills - people less satisfied, less popular, less successful

Lack of the skills can lead to some clinical problems:

depression /social anxiety

loneliness /alcoholism

Learning social skills - improve relationships and self-esteem

- provide well-balanced life

- increase satisfaction in your job

Social skills: meaning and examples

Social skills are complex and multicomponent:

• Communication skills

eye contact /listening with understanding and empathy

thinking before you speak /speaking clearly /humour

• Respecting yourself and others

good manners /being patient /accepting differences

no gossip /no bullying /treating people equally

• Friendship skills

keep regular contact /greet on special days /treat with respect

never ignore friend /not exploit friendship

• Participation

being active /concentrating on what you need to do

working together /doing your part as well as you can

• Soft skills - used in business context

Soft skills: meaning and examples

Soft skills – people skills /interpersonal skills /transferable skills

In social psychology - belong to the category of social skills

Used in business context - job interview or about work environment

Broad set of skills - allow people work well with others/achieve their goals The term is associated with EQ - Emotional intelligence skills

Difficult to measure with testing (only through work process) Difficult to teach to someone (e.g. Bill Clinton – a brilliant orator)

Soft skills: meaning and examples

Examples of soft skills:

Enthusiasm /Self-motivation /Creativity

Communication skills – specific types: speaking effectively in public

writing clearly

expressing ideas and persuading

group discussion Negotiation skills: the ability to persuade without manipulation

making positive atmosphere (difficult negotiation)

Accepting criticism and learning from it

Soft skills: meaning and examples

Examples of soft skills:

Time management /Teamwork

Analytical skills: the use logic + critical thinking = analyze a situation/make a decision

Flexibility: to be dynamic and adaptable to every situation

Leadership: providing direction, coordinating tasks

organisation and managing groups

Resolving conflict: collaboration + compromise = productive forms of resolving conflict

involving a mediator (manager, HR professional)

making sure that conflict is resolved

Hard skills: meaning and examples

Hard skills:

Professional skills - can be learned in school/university/from books Required skills needed to perform a job: - school and university degree /additional education - training and certificates

Each industry – has own required set of the skills Can be tested (e.g. English language)

Examples of hard skills: Technical skills and Mechanical skills Driving skills Administrative skills and Management skills Language skills Medical skills and Accounting skills Computer literacy, typing speed

Hard Skills vs. Soft SkillsWhich is more important for career?

Hard skills vs. Soft skills

Evidences confirm – it depends on the career you choose

Types of career:

1. Career that need mostly hard skills and little soft skills:

physicist, accountant who works with computer more than with people

2. Career that need both hard and soft skills:

social worker, psychologists doctors, lawyers (have to know law well + depend on clients)

3. Career that need mostly soft skills and little hard skills:

a car salesman (the ability to read customers + convince to buy a car)

Summarizing

Main points:

All skills - four groups: Personal skills, Motor skills, Life skills, Work skills

Social skills: part of Life skills, play important roles during whole life

help us become confident and happy people

deficit of social skills - may lead to anxiety /frustration /isolation

Soft skills: more specialized part of Social skills related to Emotional Intelligence skills (E.Q)

difficult to measure with testing /difficult to teach

Hard skills: work skills, professional skills describe job-specific skills can be tested

Hard skills vs Soft skills – importance depends on the career you choose

Personal skills Motor skills Life skills Work skills

Social skills Hard skills

Soft skills

Thank you for your attention!