Social Skills

Version 1.0 May 2012

 Objectives
By the end of this session, students should
be able to:

Discuss social skills as a component of

social competence
Explain the importance of developing
solid social skills
 Introduction
This module was designed to provide guidelines on
the development of social skills.

As the second of two modules, it qualifies the need

for holistic development and is expected to prompt
students to rethink the personal brand of
leadership they would like to develop.
 What are Soft Skills?
Soft skills are attributes that enhance how we relate with
other. We refer to them as people skills and
occasionally, even EQ.

These are skills we uselearned or intrinsically

developedin order to survive in social settings.

Soft skills are now recognized as critical competencies

that make businesses more profitable and companies,
better places to work.
 Soft Skills and Leadership
Soft skills are integral to a manager or leader role
because they interact with people and spend most of
their time managing how people work within preset
policies and procedures.

Some organizations identified the following as the most

urgent set of skills for people in positions of leadership:
Respect Teamwork skills
Ethics Integrity
 Soft and Hard Skills
Two General Classifications of Skills:

1. Soft skills People skills and in certain

quarters, EQ (emotional quotient)

2. Hard skills pertains to technical skills used

when we perform tasks
 Soft and Hard Skills
Compared to soft skills, hard skills are those
competencies we fall back on and use to accomplish
tasks and reach specific goals.

They are operational tools in a matter of speaking

and may be considered technical in their application.
 Dealing with Blind Spots
Being socially competent allows us to deal with
functional blind spots.

Blind spots are a form of vision impairment. It is

named after a functional impairment of the eyes
where nerve fibers block the passage of light from
the retina.
 Dealing with Blind Spots
In an organization, blind spots also refer to a
functional impairment where individuals are blind
when it comes to functions or processes, or even
dynamics that are essential to a healthy
organization.
Ideally, blind spots are repaired with as much
urgency as possible. They are attacked with surgical
precision, and coached to improvement.
 Influence
Being socially adept or competent involves
influence.

Although the term invites criticism because of its

association to negative behavior, influence is really
just the capacity for causing an effect in indirect or
intangible ways.
 Influence
When one holds sway over certain aspects
of operation or organizational function, it
means that a person has developed a
connection with an aspect or part of the
organization where changes occur because
of this influence.
 Influence
Empathic relationships can change how the
dynamics within an organization works.

With self-aware, self-regulated, motivated and

skilled leadership (catalysts for change), influence
can always effect more positive change.
 Conflict Management
Empathy defuses conflict.
Skills and conditions that help us develop empathy:
Trust
Attentiveness
Appropriate Responses
Shared Experiences
Respect
Support
 Conflict Management
Empathy blockers may be encountered
along the way:

Domination
Manipulation
Disempowerment
Denial
 Conflict Management
Empathy blockers result in:
Defensiveness, resistance and resentment
Blocked feelings
Lowered self-esteem
Decreased ability or confidence to solve
problems
Emotional barriers
 Collaboration
Together with the ability to defuse conflict is the
development of collaboration.

Collaboration is manifested by shared

responsibilities and resources, and in multiple
players making converged decisions to maximize
their potential as a team.
 Collaboration

T This skill is especially important in the area of

project management where resources and tasks
contribute significantly to the success (or failure)
of any project.