Social skills Soft skills Hard skills _____________________________________________ definition and difference Presentation 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 Skills Which 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 skillsWork skills Social skills Hard skills Soft skills

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