People skills

According to the Portland Business Journal, people skills are described as:^[1]

• understanding ourselves and moderating our responses
• talking effectively and empathizing accurately
• building relationships of trust, respect and productive interactions.

A British definition is “the ability to communicate effectively with people in a friendly way, especially in business.”^[2] The term is not listed yet in major US dictionaries.^[3][4]

The term people skills is used to include both psychological skills and social skills, but is less inclusive than life skills.

History

Guidelines relating to people skills have been recorded from very early times. Two examples of early human guidelines can be found in the Old Testament. Firstly in Leviticus 19:18 it says: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against your people, but love your neighbor as yourself” and secondly from Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 15:1 it says: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”^[5] However the Bible also condemns 'flattery' (Psalms 5:9)

Human relations studies became a movement in the 1920s, as companies became more interested in the “soft skills" and interpersonal skills of employees. In organizations, improving people skills became a specialized role of the corporate trainer. By the mid-1930s, Dale Carnegie popularized people skills in How to Win Friends & Influence People and How to Stop Worrying & Start Living throughout America and later throughout the world.

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.^[6] By the 1980s, "traditional education" and a “back-to-basics” three Rs emphasis largely pushed aside these programs,^[7] with notable exceptions.^[8]

Educational importance/impact

A significant portion of the deaths in the United States can be attributed to psychosocial^[9] deficits in people skills for stress management and supportive social connection.^[10] Business, labor and government authorities agree that wide-ranging people skills are necessary for 20th-century work success in the SCANS report.^[11] At least one foundation, Alliances for Psychosocial Advancements in Learning (APAL), has made support of SCANS-related people skills a major priority.^[12]

UNESCO research found that young people who develop speaking/listening skills and getting to know other's have improved self-awareness, social-emotional adjustment and classroom behavior; self-destructive and violent behavior also were decreased.^[13] 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.^[14]

See also

• Communication skills training
• Emotional and/or behavioral disability
• Emotional intelligence
• Empathy
• Life Skills-Based Education
• Social skill
• Emotional literacy
• Social intelligence

References

Further reading

• People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts (book overview) [1] Robert Bolton, Touchstone
• People Skills & Self-Management (online guide) Ernest Llynn Lotecka, APAL
• The People Skills Revolution: A Step-by-Step Approach to Developing Sophisticated People Skills [2] Pamela Milne, Global Professional Publishing

External links

• Transferable skills