People skills
People skills are patterns of behavior and behavioral interactions. Among people, it is an umbrella term for skills under three related set of abilities: personal effectiveness, interaction skills, and intercession skills.
Portland Business Journal describes people skills as:[6]
- Ability to effectively communicate, understand, and empathize.
- Ability to interact with others respectfully and develop productive working relationship to minimize conflict and maximize rapport.
- Ability to build trust; moderate behaviors (less impulsive) and enhance agreeableness.
History
In the 1960s, US schools introduced people-skills topics and methods—often as a way to promote better self-esteem, communication and social interaction. These encompassed psychologist Thomas Gordon's "Effectiveness Training" variations as well as many other training programs.[8] (By the 1980s, "traditional education" and a "back-to-basics" three-Rs emphasis largely pushed these programs aside,[9] with notable exceptions.[10])
The first documented use of the phrase "people skills" was around 1970.[11]
Business impact
The SCANS report states that business, labor and government authorities agree that having a wide range of people skills are necessary for 20th-century work success.[12] Skills like customer service, building effective relationships, and teamwork are among the abilities most requested by employers in job postings.[13] Lack of these skills is considered a serious psychological handicap. Constructive leadership based companies engage in helping individuals to grow, and through that growth employees take more responsibility and discharge it effectively. This in-turn will enhance the basic attitude of the individual; and that will reflect the general level of performance in workplace. Studies indicate that many people who have difficulty in obtaining or holding a job possess the needed technical competence but lack interpersonal competence.[14]
Educational importance
The Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified 22 programs in the US that are especially comprehensive in social-emotional learning coverage and effective in documented impacts.[17][18] UNESCO research found that young people who develop speaking/listening skills and who get to know others without WIIFM[19] attitude have improved self-awareness, social-emotional adjustment and classroom behavior; in addition, self-destructive and violent behavior also decreased.[20] People skills are also important for teachers in effective classroom management. Educators have found that more is needed than a degree in the field they are teaching. Knowing how to communicate and teach people instead of simply teaching their subject will help make a difference in the classroom.[21] It is identified that 50 percent of classroom success lies in effective interpersonal relationships while the other 50 percent lies within academic skills.[22] Requirement of people skills education is greatly emphasized within higher education and recruiters stress the required focus on this skills for securing entry-level jobs right off from campus placements.[23] Oral communication and teamwork were ranked number 1 and 2 respectively among 15 job skills that executives and hiring managers identified as very important for new employees in a large US 2018 survey.[24] But employers have trouble finding new employees with good oral communication because schools are not teaching the skills.[25]
See also
- Big Five personality traits
- Communication skills training
- Emotional intelligence
- Emotional literacy
- Life skills
- Social intelligence
- Social skills
References
- ISBN 0230221122
- ISBN 085292903X
- ^ People Skills, Tony Burton
- ^ "Macmillan Dictionary" Retrieved on 2009-08-18
- ^ J Smith. "The 20 People Skills You Need To Succeed At Work", Forbes, 15 November 2013. Retrieved on 17 January 2014
- ^ Rifkin, H. "Invest in people skills to boost bottom line" Retrieved on 2009-10-14
- JSTOR 255233.
- ^ Schaps, E.; Cohen, A.Y.; and Resnik, H.S.: "Balancing Head and Heart" PIRE. Retrieved on 2009-08-18 Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Doll, R.C. "Humanizing Education by Improving Communication" ERIC. Retrieved on 2009-08-19 Archived 2020-05-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Stop. Think. Act. Program" Learning Matters. Retrieved on 2009-08-18 Archived 2009-08-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ngram for people skills
- ^ "Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)" US Dept. of Labor. Retrieved on 2009-08-18
- ^ "The Human Factor: The Hard Time Employers Have Finding Soft Skills," Burning Glass Technologies, November 2015
- ^ "Human Relations facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Human Relations". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
- ^ Harwood F Merrill & Elizabeth Marting (1952). Developing Executive Skills, American Management Association, NY.
- ISBN 9781137294678.
- ^ "CASEL "Select" Programs" Retrieved on 2009-08-18 Archived 2009-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Century of research confirms impact of psychosocial factors on health" APA. Retrieved on 2015-10-18
- ^ "WIIFM".
- ^ "UNESCO Research" Archived 2007-11-04 at the Wayback Machine British Telecommunications. Retrieved on 2009-08-18
- ISBN 9781439188347.
- ISBN 1610486102
- ^ Fellers, J. W. (1996). People Skills: Using the Cooperative Learning Model to Teach Students "People Skills". Interfaces, 26(5), 42-49.
- ^ Hart Research Associates. "Key Findings From 2018 Employer Research" (PDF). AACU.org. AAC&U. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ Gewertz, Catherine (2018-09-26). "Speaking Skills Top Employer Wish Lists. But Schools Don't Teach Them". Education Week. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
Further reading
- Robert Bolton (1979). People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7318-1128-1.
- People Skills & Self-Management (free online guide), Alliances for Psychosocial Advancements in Living: Communication Connections (APAL-CC)