A skill is the learned ability to carry
out a task with pre-determined results often within a given amount of time, energy,
or both. In other words, the abilities that one possesses. Skills can
often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For
example, in the domain of work, some general skills would include time
management, teamwork and leadership, self motivation and
others, whereas domain-specific skills would be useful only for a certain job.
Skill usually requires certain environmental stimuli and situations to assess
the level of skill being shown and used.
People need a broad range of skills in order to contribute
to a modern economy. A joint ASTD and U.S. Department of
Labor study showed that through technology, the workplace is
changing, and identified 16 basic skills that employees must have to
be able to change with it.
Labour skills
Skilled workers have long had historical import as electricians, masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, bakers, brewers, coopers, printers and
other occupations that are economically productive. Skilled workers were often
politically active through their craft guilds.
Life skills
Life skills are problem-solving behaviors that are used
appropriately and responsibly in the management of personal affairs. They are a
set of human skills, acquired via learning (teaching) or direct
experience, that are used to handle problems and questions commonly encountered
in daily human life. The subject varies greatly depending on societal norms and
community expectations.
People skills
According to the Portland Business Journal, people
skills are described as:
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.”The term is
not listed yet in major US dictionaries.
The term people skills is used to include both psychological
skills and social skills, but is less inclusive than life skills.
Social skills
Social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with
others. Social rules and relations are created,
communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process
of learning such skills is called socialization.
Soft skills
Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's "EQ"
(Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social
graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and
optimism that characterize relationships with other people. Soft skills
complement hard skills (part of a person's IQ), which are the occupational
requirements of a job and many other activities.
Hard skills
Hard skills are any skills relating to a specific task or
situation. These skills are easily quantifiable unlike soft skills which are
related to one's personality.
Mastering skills
Mastery pertains to perfecting a particular skill set. To
reach mastery, authors Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene claim that 10,000
hours of work will have to be put into training.
