importance of social skills essay

What Are Social Skills? (Definition, Examples & Importance)

You’ve probably read loads of articles about how important social skills are. It can be difficult to improve social skills when you don’t really understand exactly what they are and how to work on them.

Something that makes social skills difficult for people to learn is that there can be an expectation that we just “know.” Lots of our readers feel like there was a class they missed in high school where everyone else learned social skills and they were the only ones who didn’t.

Obviously, there wasn’t a class like that, and you’re not the only one who struggles with understanding social skills. In this article, we’re going to look at what social skills are, why they’re important (and difficult), and how to improve them.

What are social skills?

Why are social skills important, examples of good vs. bad social skills, how to improve your social skills, causes of low social skills, common questions.

Social skills are ways of interacting with others that make it easier to succeed socially. They allow you to communicate effectively and understand what others are trying to communicate to you, both verbally and non-verbally.

This definition is a bit vague, but that’s because social skills cover lots of different aspects. You might be surprised to realize that even psychology researchers struggle to agree on a definition of social skills. [ 1 ]

One approach breaks social skills down into 5 components; cooperation, assertion, self-control, responsibility, and empathy. [ 2 ]

• Cooperation is how well you work with other people to achieve a task, including negotiation and persuasion.
• Assertion is how well you are able to initiate social interactions, for example introducing yourself to others.
• Self-control skills allow you to deal with your emotions constructively, for example not losing your temper.
• Responsibility is about recognizing the impact of your actions on others and making prosocial decisions.
• Empathy is being able to understand what others might be feeling and being able to put yourself in their shoes. It’s a measure of social perceptiveness.

One difficulty with social skills is that there aren’t many hard-and-fast rules. Unlike in math or physics, doing the same thing repeatedly won’t give you the same result. Social skills are often based on accurately understanding what someone else is thinking and feeling.

It might be helpful to think of social skills in three basic parts; understanding feelings (including your own), understanding the social environment, and being able to carry out the right social behavior.

For example, if you see someone crying, your empathy lets you realize that they might be upset and want to be comforted. Your understanding of the social environment lets you judge how well you know them and whether they might welcome comfort from you. Being able to carry out the right social action might be offering them a hug or handing them a tissue.

Important facts about social skills

When you’re thinking about social skills, here are some important facts to bear in mind.

1. Social skills can be learned

We call them social skills because they are just like any other skill. You can learn new social skills, and you need to keep practicing them. [ 3 ]

2. Social rules are flexible

When we talk about social rules, they’re mostly guidelines. The more socially skilled you are, the more you can break the rules.

This means that you can’t always use other people’s behavior as a guide. If they’re more socially skilled than you, they might be responding to social cues that you haven’t seen.

3. You can’t opt out of social skills

There are lots of skills that you can opt-out of learning. If you’re not musical, you might decide not to learn an instrument. Interpersonal skills are different. Even sending an email at work uses social skills. We all use social skills every day.

Social skills can impact every aspect of your life; finding a romantic partner, how much money you earn, and even how healthy you are. Here are some of the most important benefits of improving your social skills.

1. More and better relationships

Social skills are key to building good relationships. Our social skills let us understand how our friends, family, and co-workers are feeling and what they are looking for from us.

Improving your social skills will help you build close, trusting relationships with others.

2. Better communication

Social skills are all about communication. Socially skilled people can read someone else’s body language and understand more of what they are communicating. They are also able to create rapport, which makes it easier for others to be honest with them. [ 4 ]

3. Advancing career prospects

People with better social skills also have better career prospects. Studies show that socially skilled people have more successful careers. [ 5 ] They feel more satisfied with their lives and their careers and find it easier to stay motivated.

Social skills are especially important for entrepreneurs. Being socially skilled lets you convince others of your trustworthiness and judge how trustworthy other people are. [ 6 ]

4. Being happier

People with good social skills are generally happier than those with poor social skills. [ 7 ] This is mostly due to the number and depth of friendships that socially skilled people are able to build. [ 8 ] These friendships help fulfill your emotional needs and can offer support when things are difficult.‌

5. Better academic performance

Children with better social skills typically get better grades in school. [ 9 ] Teachers may expect socially skilled children to do better, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. [ 10 ] Socially skilled children also often have fewer disruptive behaviors, which gives them more time and energy for learning. [ 11 ]

6. Decreased loneliness

Having better social skills helps to protect you against loneliness. Great social skills don’t just help you form closer friendships. They also give you the confidence to reach out to people around you when you feel lonely. [ 12 ]

We also have a full guide on how to feel less lonely .

7. Better health

Having better social skills doesn’t just improve your emotional wellbeing. It can help your mental and physical health as well.

For example, studies show that patients with bulimia have lower social skills and weaker support networks. [ 13 ] It is suggested (though not yet confirmed) that strong social skills help people to build support networks, which can protect their mental health and social health .

Having strong social skills can also help you get better treatment from doctors. [ 14 ][ 15 ] This can include getting an urgent appointment when you need it, being able to communicate your symptoms, and having doctors trust your assessment of your needs.

People with poor social skills can find themselves in social situations that they don’t fully understand and don’t feel equipped to handle. If you’re not sure how good your social skills are, here are some signs of low social skills:

When you realize how often you use social skills, it can make improving them more intimidating. Some people worry that improving their social skills means that they can’t be themselves anymore.

Building social skills is actually about making it easier to be yourself. Here are our top tips for improving your social skills

1. Get feedback

There are loads of different social skills. You might be great at some, even if you struggle with others. Your first task is to find out where you struggle.

This isn’t usually something you can work out alone. You need to be interacting with someone else to use social skills. In order to learn, you need to have a good idea of how you came across to the other person.

Try to find a friend (or several) who can help you to understand how good your different social skills are at the moment. Often, asking for feedback comes across as asking for reassurance, so explain why you’re asking for their help.

Try saying, “I’m trying to improve my social skills, but I don’t always know when I’m doing well or badly. Could you give me some honest feedback about how I come across, please?”

2. Identify areas for practice

Social skills are such a huge topic that you can’t work on all of them at the same time. Instead, try to find a couple that you want to work on first.

Where you focus your efforts will usually depend on where your weaknesses are and what will make the most impact on your life.

For example, you might find it difficult to read other people’s facial expressions. If you work in an office, that might cause problems for you, so you could prioritize improving your ability to read other people’s emotions. If you mostly work from home, however, struggling to read facial expressions might not be a problem. In that case, you might prioritize something else.

If you’re not sure where to start, consider focusing on active listening and learning to read other people’s emotions from their facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language, such as eye contact and gestures.

3. Make a plan

Improving your social skills can be difficult. Make it easier with a plan. Try setting yourself achievable goals to help you work on the priorities you’ve identified.

Your goals should be specific and focused on what you want to achieve, but here are some ideas:

• Smile at 3 new people each day
• Ask the cashier how their day is going when you shop
• Read one new article or post on social skills each week – bonus points for discussing it with a friend
• Spend at least 20 minutes at a social event you’re nervous about

Make sure to include reviewing progress and making new goals in your plan. Recognizing your progress is key to keeping you motivated, even when it feels awkward. [ 16 ]

4. Consider therapy

Lots of people struggle with social skills because of deep insecurities or having learned unhelpful coping strategies throughout their lives. Finding a great therapist can help you deal with underlying issues and practice your social skills in a safe and supportive environment.

We really like BetterHelp for a fast and affordable way to get in touch with the right therapist for you.

These are just a few of the ways that you can become more socially adept. For more ideas, check out our complete guide to improving your social skills .

Lots of people have difficulty learning social skills. Here are some factors that can lead to low social skills.

Autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders and Asperger’s can lead to the development of poor social skills. People with autism spectrum disorders communicate in a slightly different way from those without. [ 17 ] This can make it difficult for them to form connections and learn social skills.

People with autism spectrum disorders can still learn social skills successfully, but they may respond better to different teaching methods. [ 18 ]

‌Social anxiety

Most of us learn social skills by practicing. Having social anxiety can lead you to avoid groups, making it harder for you to learn. You may also find making mistakes to be traumatic, meaning that you’re too upset to learn from your errors.

ADHD and hyperkinetic disorder

People with ADHD and related disorders can suffer from “social naivety” and have social skills that are less advanced than their peers. [ 19 ] Their impulsivity, in particular, can make it difficult for them to form close bonds with others.

Just like social anxiety, depression can make you avoid social events. It can also lead you to evaluate your social skills very harshly, which makes it difficult for you to see what you have learned or accept that you do some things well. Skills such as confidence and assertiveness can be particularly difficult if you are suffering from depression.

Antisocial behaviors

People, especially young people, who display antisocial behaviors typically have poor social skills, especially empathy. [ 20 ] They don’t think about the impact that their actions have on the people around them or their social network.

Social skills training can help improve social skills and decrease antisocial behavior. This helps create a virtuous cycle, where increased social skills allow for more social interaction, which further improves social skills. [ 21 ]

Alcohol misuse

People with a history of alcohol misuse or who have grown up with a parent with addiction issues often struggle to develop social skills. They may rely on drinking to reduce their anxiety around social situations, never having the opportunity to learn new, healthier coping strategies and skills. [ 22 ]

How can I tell if my child has problems with social skills?

Teachers will often alert you to problems with your child’s social skills. They’re well-placed to know whether your child is performing well for their age. If you’re unsure, consider whether your child can understand the emotions of others and communicate their own feelings appropriately.

Why are social skills important in early childhood?

Good social skills in preschoolers help children develop the self-confidence and positive experiences that they need to allow them to succeed throughout their lives. Teaching your child how to interact well with others allows them to learn, play and grow in a social world.

Are there any social skills disorders?

Many disorders have an impact on social skills, including autism spectrum disorders, depression, ADHD, anxiety, schizophrenia, social communication disorder, and more. Even when social skills aren’t part of diagnosis (for example, schizophrenia), social skills training can help alleviate symptoms. [ 23 ]

What are the most important social skills at work?

Which social skills are most important at work partly depends on the work you do. Good communication skills and the ability to cooperate well with others are helpful in most roles. Self-confidence can also be important for leaders or those who have to work independently.

This article on improving interpersonal skills at work might be helpful.

What type of therapy is recommended for social skill difficulties?

Different types of therapy can help develop your social skills. Which is right for you depends on your personality and specific challenges. Research shows that finding a therapist you trust is more important than the type of therapy they offer. [ 24 ] Social skills training can be offered with therapy.

What is social skills training?

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• Gresham, F. M., Elliott, S. N., Vance, M. J., & Cook, C. R. (2011). Comparability of the Social Skills Rating System to the Social Skills Improvement System: Content and psychometric comparisons across elementary and secondary age levels . School Psychology Quarterly, 26 (1), 27–44.
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• Argyle, M., & Lu, L. (1990). Happiness and social skills . Personality and Individual Differences, 11 (12), 1255–1261.
• Demir, M., Jaafar, J., Bilyk, N., & Mohd Ariff, M. R. (2012). Social Skills, Friendship and Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Investigation . The Journal of Social Psychology, 152 (3), 379–385.
• Malecki, C. K., & Elliot, S. N. (2002). Children’s social behaviors as predictors of academic achievement: A longitudinal analysis . School Psychology Quarterly, 17 (1), 1–23.
• Tauber, R. T. (1997). Self-fulfilling prophecy: a practical guide to its use in education . Praeger .
• Del Prette, Z. A. P., Prette, A. D., De Oliveira, L. A., Gresham, F. M., & Vance, M. J. (2012). Role of social performance in predicting learning problems: Prediction of risk using logistic regression analysis . School Psychology International, 33 (6), 615–630.
• Sakız, H., Mert, A., & Sarıçam, H. (2020). Self-esteem and perceived social competence protect adolescent students against ostracism and loneliness . Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 31 (1), 1–16.
• Grisset, N. I., & Norvell, N. K. (1992). Perceived social support, social skills, and quality of relationships in bulimic women . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60 (2), 293–299.
• Carvel, J. (2003). Rich patients get better NHS care . The Guardian.
• Willems, S., De Maesschalck, S., Deveugele, M., Derese, A., & De Maeseneer, J. (2005). Socio-economic status of the patient and doctor–patient communication: does it make a difference? Patient Education and Counseling, 56 (2), 139–146.
• Avrahami, D., Williams, K., Lee, M. L., Tokunaga, N., Tjahjadi, Y., & Marlow, J. (2020). Celebrating Everyday Success: Improving Engagement and Motivation using a System for Recording Daily Highlights . Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
• DeRosier, M. E., Swick, D. C., Davis, N. O., McMillen, J. S., & Matthews, R. (2010). The Efficacy of a Social Skills Group Intervention for Improving Social Behaviors in Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41 (8), 1033–1043.
• Parsons, S., & Mitchell, P. (2002). The potential of virtual reality in social skills training for people with autistic spectrum disorders . Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 46( 5), 430–443.
• Carpenter Rich, E., Loo, S. K., Yang, M., Dang, J., & Smalley, S. L. (2009). Social Functioning Difficulties in ADHD: Association with PDD Risk . Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 14 (3), 329–344.
• Hecht, D. (2014). Cerebral Lateralization of Pro- and Anti-Social Tendencies . Experimental Neurobiology, 23 (1), 1.
• Pilgrim, D. (2008). “Recovery” and current mental health policy . Chronic Illness, 4 (4), 295–304.
• Zeitlin, H. (1994). Children with alcohol misusing parents . British Medical Bulletin, 50 (1), 139–151.
• Kopelowicz, A. (2006). Recent Advances in Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia . Schizophrenia Bulletin, 32(Supplement 1), S12–S23.
• Paul, S., & Charura, D. (2015). An introduction to the therapeutic relationship in counselling and psychotherapy. Sage Publications Ltd .
• Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, J., & Hammond, M. (2001). Social Skills and Problem-solving Training for Children with Early-onset Conduct Problems: Who Benefits? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42 (7), 943–952.

Viktor is a Counselor specialized in interpersonal communication and relationships. He manages SocialSelf’s scientific review board. Follow on Twitter or read more .

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An Adult’s Guide to Social Skills, for Those Who Were Never Taught

It’s a shame so few of us are taught the basics of how to interact constructively with each other. If you never were, we’re here to help.

By Eric Ravenscraft

Unlike topics like math or science, social skills are more of a “learn on the job” kind of skill. When you’re a child, you can learn how to manage conflict, make friends and navigate groups by doing it. But not everyone learns the same lessons the same way. Sometimes, they take a whole lifetime to refine, and many of us never master them.

Learning social skills can be difficult if you weren’t exposed to traditional group dynamics as a child, if you struggle with a mental illness like anxiety or depression, or even if you just didn’t have a lot of positive role models when you were growing up. Young people tend to learn how to manage their own emotions, recognize those of other people and manage them both effectively by socializing. If these weren’t skills you developed growing up, don’t worry. You’re not alone.

The social foundation: emotional intelligence

Before we get to specific social situations, we should discuss the concept of emotional intelligence (or E.I.). Put very simply, E.I. is your ability to acknowledge your own emotions, recognize emotions in others and use that information to guide your behavior. This is a relatively new area of study in the field of psychology, and developing your own E.I. can help you understand and improve your social interactions.

There are several models of emotional intelligence, but for our purposes, we’ll look at the author Daniel Goleman . He outlines five general categories of E.I. that complement and support one another.

Self-awareness : This simply means being able to identify your own emotions and how they work. Are you anxious in loud environments? Do you get angry when people talk over you? If you know these things about yourself, then you’re practicing self-awareness. This can be more difficult than it sounds, but simply being aware of yourself is all it takes for this step.

Self-regulation : Taking it a step further, self-regulation deals with your ability not just to know your emotions, but manage them. Sometimes that might mean handling them as they come up. If you get angry, knowing how to calm yourself down is important. However, it can also deal with managing the emotions you will face. If you know that stalking your ex’s Facebook is just going to make you feel bad, self-regulation would help you go do something to better your own life instead.

Motivation : External factors like money, status, or pain are powerful motivators. But in Goleman’s model, internal motivation is a key component. This means that you know how to manage your own motivation and create or continue projects because you choose to, not because something outside yourself demands it.

Empathy : It’s just as important to be aware of the emotions of others. This might mean developing the skills to recognize how people are expressing themselves — can you tell the difference between someone who’s comfortable versus someone who’s anxious? — but it also means understanding how other people may respond to the circumstances they’re in.

Socialization : This area deals with your ability to steer your relationships and navigate social situations. It doesn’t mean controlling others, but understanding how to get where you want to be with other people. That might mean conveying your ideas to co-workers, managing a team, or dealing with a conflict in a relationship.

Every social situation is different and there isn’t always a “correct” way to handle any of them. However, when viewed through the lens of these core competencies, most social situations become a lot more manageable. We’ll go over some common scenarios even adults might struggle with, but keep in mind how these principles can apply in all situations.

[Want even more great advice? Sign up here for the Smarter Living newsletter to get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.]

Constructively confront someone

Confronting someone when you have a problem with that person can be scary. If you’re the type to avoid conflict, you might rationalize it away by saying you want to keep the peace, or you don’t want to upset anyone. However, this can be a way of avoiding your own feelings. If there wasn’t something bothering you, there would be nothing to confront anyone about.

Dr. Ryan Howes, a clinical psychologist, explained to Psychology Today that it’s our own fears that keep us from confronting others. Our fear that we’ll lose something we have, that we’ll hurt someone we care about, or that it will hurt but accomplish nothing. One of the first steps to constructively confronting someone is to recognize that fear in yourself and identify the real issues that led to the conflict in the first place. If you’re annoyed that your partner forgot your birthday, for example, ignoring how you feel about it won’t resolve the conflict.

Once you’re ready, Gregg Walker, a professor at Oregon State University , recommends having the conversation when there’s time to discuss the issue, focusing on “I” statements like “I feel hurt that we didn’t do anything for my birthday,” and describing behavior and your reaction to it, rather than hurling accusations. Healthy confrontations require a fair amount of awareness of your own emotions, so this is a good time to practice that skill.

Speak up and be heard in a group

Whether it’s a meeting or a party, any time you get more than a couple of people together in a group, it can become difficult (if not impossible) to get a word in edgewise. While most tricks on how to combat this involve managing how you talk — pausing in the middle of a sentence rather than the end, or finishing your sentence even if someone tries to interrupt — an often overlooked issue is managing how you react to being talked over.

It would be great if everyone was polite and let you finish or paused to ask what you’re thinking. This doesn’t always happen. If someone interrupts you and you become annoyed, that can kill your motivation to speak up again. Or you might become visibly agitated and demand to be heard, which can be off putting and make people less likely to want to listen to what you have to say.

Instead, Chris Macleod, counselor and author of “The Social Skills Guidebook,” suggests accepting that group conversations are a “ vortex of noise and chaos ” and going with the flow. Don’t spend all your time trying to fit in that one thing you badly wanted to say. Instead, go with the flow of the conversation and look for new opportunities to jump in. When you do, speak loudly and with confidence. More practical tricks like keeping your stories short or framing a complaint as a story can smooth over the experience, but regulating your own frustration and annoyance is the foundation these tricks build on.

Make (and keep) new friends as an adult

When you’re young, making friends can be relatively easy. School often means that there’s a group of people you’re required to hang out with who are your age. You may share some interests, and you’ll see one another almost every day. As an adult, it can be harder. Everyone’s busy, everyone’s tired, and time feels in short supply. Or so it seems. What really may be lacking is motivation.

As Vox explains , one of the most important keys to developing a new friendship is, well, showing up. You both say, “We should hang out sometime!” but for some reason you never do. Why? Sure, you have things going on, but you still managed to binge watch the latest “Stranger Things.” There’s nothing wrong with a little “me” time, but it’s also O.K. to spend some of it reaching out to someone new.

When making new friends, you have to start with some internal motivation . Decide for yourself that you’re going to make friends and then put yourself in situations where that can happen . Take a class, join a club, or just talk to people you know but aren’t friends with yet. More important, follow up. If you find someone you want to be friends with — and especially if there are indications that person wants to be friends with you, too — put it on the very top of your to-do list to follow up. You’ll be surprised how easy it is when you do it on purpose.

Strike up a conversation with someone new

Talking to a stranger for the first time — whether it’s at a party, a work event, or just on the street — can be complicated. You never know less about someone than when you first meet them. That’s also something you can use to your advantage. People like to talk about themselves. So much so that, according to research from Harvard University, people will sometimes even give up money to be able to talk about themselves .

You might feel awkward or uncomfortable when you’re out on your own, but practicing a little empathy can reveal a powerful truth: So does everyone else. Research from the University of Chicago found that less than 47 percent of its participants believed a stranger would be willing to talk with them. In reality, every attempt was successful. Most of us are willing to have a conversation, we just don’t always want to be the one to make the first move.

However, not everyone is open to a conversation with strangers all the time . An easy way to check is to pay attention to what they’re doing at the time. Are they wearing headphones? Do they seem in a hurry? Are they at their job and only making conversation as part of their duties? If so, you might try again later (or with someone else). If they’re not busy, start by saying hello or opening with a compliment. From there you can keep the conversation going with the “insight and question” method . Simply offer an observation or insight, follow it up with a question, and let the conversation flow naturally.

These are far from the only social situations you might find yourself struggling with, but the principles that can be applied are nearly universal. Acknowledge your own emotional state and manage your needs and feelings in a constructive way. Take the initiative to pursue the social outcomes you want, and empathize with others who are dealing with the same struggles you are. With practice, the rest of the complex nuances of social interaction will flow a lot more naturally.

Towards a Strong Foundation: Social and Emotional Development in Young Children

Nurturing relationships provide the context for human development and are an essential source of resilience for children and adults (e.g., Luthar, 2006; Rutter, 1987). Resilience refers to the capacity to weather and bounce back from both everyday challenges and significant adversity and trauma -- like that we’ve all experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is influenced by foundational social and emotional skills and competencies (e.g., Masten, 2009).

In this short essay we describe children’s early social and emotional skills, show how they are linked to early caregiving and are influenced by stress and vulnerability, and highlight some programs, practices, and strategies that foster them. 

Social and Emotional Development and Foundational Relationships

Social and emotional development refers to the processes whereby children learn to identify and express emotions, focus attention and manage impulses, successfully navigate relationships with peers and adults, develop a positive self-concept, make responsible decisions, and solve problems (e.g., Jones, McGarrah, & Kahn, 2019). 

Over many decades researchers from an array of disciplines, e.g. human development and psychology, neuroscience, education and economics, have described how these essential skills are deeply intertwined with other areas of development, such as cognitive and physical. These developments in the brain and in behavior all work together to influence school and life outcomes, including higher education, physical and mental health, economic well-being, and civic engagement (Jones & Kahn, 2018). 

During development, social and emotional skills grow and change like building blocks. Early skills lay the foundation for more complex skills that emerge later in life. For example, during early childhood, children learn and grow in the context of relationships with parents and other caregivers at home and in childcare and preschool settings. Through responsive, nurturing interactions these relationships shape the growth of basic executive functions, self-regulation and emotional competencies, which are the salient social and emotional skills of early childhood. 

These skills encompass young children’s emerging capacity to:

Understand their emotions, communicate about them, and read those of others around them. For example, use feeling words when frustrated, angry, or excited. 

Be aware of and begin to manage impulses and behavior. For example, wait for a snack or dinner when hungry or for the chance to share news in the classroom, or remember and follow the routines of bedtime. 

Focus and shift attention in explicit ways and imagine the perspectives of another person. For example, move from one activity to another in the classroom, or engage in basic social back and forth and play. 

Basic skills like these set the stage for more complex skills later in life such as planning and problem solving, critical thinking and decision making, forming and maintaining sophisticated friendships, and coping skills, among others (Bailey & Jones, 2019). 

The Role of Experience and Context Including Stress and Vulnerability

Importantly, these early skills are highly susceptible to stress and vulnerability. Research shows that the prefrontal cortex – which is responsible for executive function and self-regulation -- is closely linked to other brain regions that signal emotions like fear, anger, and anxiety. 

These brain regions are connected through the stress response system, which alerts the body to react in times of danger (e.g., Arnsten, 1998). But responding and adapting to stress can come at a cost. When stress is chronic or takes over, it can inhibit children’s early social and emotional skills, resulting in dysregulated, reactive, and sometimes withdrawn behavior, and this is true for young children and adults (e.g., Arnsten, Mazure & Sinha, 2012). 

Critical to this dynamic is that predictable, nurturing relationships are protective. They operate as a buffer between stress and strain on the one hand, and children’s healthy development on the other (Center on the Developing Child, 2014). 

Research on children’s wellbeing during the pandemic illustrates how these processes can play out. For example, Harvard education researcher Emily Hanno (2021) examined data about a sample of young children and families before and after COVID-19 shut down U.S. childcare centers and preschools in 2020. They found that as parents experienced more stress, households grew more chaotic, and parent-child conflict increased, children displayed more challenging behaviors and fewer adaptive ones. 

Another large-scale study, the Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development–Early Childhood (RAPID)https://rapidsurveyproject.com/), documented that high levels of material hardship that families experienced in the first year of the pandemic, coupled with ongoing week-to-week unpredictability, had detrimental effects on both caregivers’ and children’s well-being (Liu, et al 2022). Studies on how poverty, disasters, bereavement, armed conflict, and displacement affect children and adults have produced similar findings.

Supporting Family Well-Being and Social and Emotional Development

Supporting children’s social and emotional development demands coordinated child, family, and education-based efforts. Some examples of these are described here.

As noted above, social and emotional development, indeed successful early childhood development more generally, requires nurturing care. This has been defined as health, nutrition, security and safety, responsive caregiving, and opportunities for early learning (Black, et al, 2016). 

Globally, this concept has been advanced through The Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development ( https://nurturing-care.org/ ) .

The Nurturing Care Framework was developed by WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank Group, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, the Early Childhood Development Action Network and many other partners, and launched alongside the 71st World Health Assembly in May, 2018. It takes a comprehensive approach by outlining important strategies to address the integrated needs of the developing child.

The wellbeing of caregivers is the enabling environment for responsive care. The promotion of social emotional development depends on policies and practices that take a whole family approach, assuring that those who care for young children have the support they need to be successful as caregivers, including adequate housing, income, childcare, education, health, and mental health supports.

A relevant and recently launched innovation focused on parents is the Global Initiative to Support Parents ( https://ecdan.org/global-initiative-to-support-parents/ ) . This unique partnership launched by the Early Childhood Development Action Network, WHO, UNICEF, End Violence Against Children, and Parenting for Lifelong Health includes the ultimate vision that all families worldwide have universal access to evidence-based parenting support.

Early childhood services designed for parents and children have for decades been understood to play an important role in offsetting the impact of vulnerability and adversity on healthy growth and development and to be an important setting for cultivating emerging social and emotional skills. A hallmark of these efforts is that they provide families with information, resources, and support that enables those nurturing, connected interactions, and helps all parents navigate the stress that inevitably comes with raising young children (Jones, Bailey & Partee, 2017). 

In the early classroom context, there are a large number of curricular and strategy-based approaches that educators can embed in their instructional and caregiving routines. The most effective of these programs typically combine direct teaching of social and emotional skills with structures and routines that provide young children with lots of opportunities to practice emerging skills, as well as support for adult caregivers to proactively manage young children’s behavior (e.g., Jones, Bailey & Jacob, 2014).

As noted above, children across the world have been impacted by the uncertainty, isolation and stress caused by the pandemic. In response, The LEGO Foundation teamed up with HundredED, to identify education innovations from across the world focused on improving social and emotional learning. In 2021, they published Spotlight Social and Emotional Learning which presented 13 innovations from 10 countries. These inspiring examples provide promising solutions that can help respond to the needs of children and offer ideas about how to foster caring and nurturing relationships. Some of these innovations can be found here: https://hundred.org/en/collections/social-emotional-learning-sel .

In summary, research and practice focused on children’s early social and emotional development tells us that these skills: 

Develop in the context of primary relationships and interactions. 

Are foundational to early learning, as well as important developmental milestones throughout life. 

Are optimized when children feel safe, secure, and supported.

Are influenced and shaped by experience, culture, and beliefs. 

Effective approaches to fostering and supporting these important skills are situated in families, leverage nurturing relationships and interactions at home and in early learning settings, and are rooted in community and family support.

Stephanie Jones

Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Child Development and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Co-Director, Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative

Joan Lombardi

Senior Fellow, Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, Georgetown University

Senior Advisor, Graduate School of Education, Stanford Center on Early Childhood

Arnsten, A. (1998). The biology of being frazzled. Science , 280 (5370), 1711-1712, DOI: 10.1126/science.280.5370.1711

Arnsten, A. Mazure. C.M. & Sinha, R. (2012). This Is Your Brain in Meltdown. Scientific American 306, 4, 48-53. DOI: 10.1038/scientificamerican0412-48

Bailey, R., & Jones, S. M. (2019). An Integrated Model of Regulation for Applied Settings. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review , 22 (1), 2–23. DOI: 10.1007/s10567-019-00288-y

Black, M. M. et al. (2016). for the Lancet Early Childhood Development Series Steering Committee. Advancing Early Childhood Development: from science to scale 1 , Early Childhood development coming of age: Science through the life course . www.thelancet.com , published online October 4, 2016

Center on the Developing Child (2014). Building adult capacities to improve child outcomes: A theory of change. Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

Hanno, E.C., Cuartas, J., Miratrix, L.W., Jones, S.M., & Lesaux, N.K. (2021). Changes in children’s behavioral health and family well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000001010

Jones, S.M., Bailey, R. & Jacob, R. (2014). Social-emotional learning as a platform for effective classroom management. Phi Delta Kappan . https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721714553405

Jones, S.M., Bailey, R., & Partee, A. (2017). SECURe Families: Interrupting Intergenerational Cycles of Stress and Poverty , The Aspen Journal of Ideas , Aspen Institute.

Jones, S. M., & Kahn, J. (2018). The Evidence Base for How Learning Happens: A Consensus on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. American Educator , 41 (4), 16-21.

Jones, S.M., McGarrah, M. & Kahn, J. (2019). Social and emotional learning: A principled science of human development in context. Educational Psychologist .

Liu, S., Zalewski, M.,Lengua,L., Gunnar, M., Giuliani, N., Fisher, P. A. (2022) Material hardship level and unpredictability in relation to U.S. Households’, family interactions and emotional well-being: Insights from the C0VID-19 pandemic . Social Science & Medicine, 115173 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953622004798?dgcid=author

Luthar, S. S. (2006). Resilience in development: A synthesis of research across five decades. In D. Cicchetti & D. J. Cohen (Eds.),  Developmental psychopathology: Risk, disorder, and adaptation  (2nd ed., pp. 739–795). New York: Wiley.

Masten, A. S., & Wright, M. O’. D. (2009). Resilience over the lifespan: Developmental perspectives on resistance, recovery, and transformation. In J. W. Reich, A. J. Zautra, & J. S. Hall (Eds.),  Handbook of adult resilience  (pp. 213–237). New York: Guilford Press.

Rutter, M. (1987). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. American journal of Orthopsychiatry , 57, 316—331.

The importance of social skills

Mar 27, 2019 | Elementary , Englist blog | 0 comments

Table of Contents

What are social skills and why are they important.

1. Speaking and conversation 2. Forming and fostering relationships: peers, strangers, and different kinds of people 3. Lawyer skills: explaining, negotiating, convincing 4. Active listening: patience, consideration, and empathy 5. Gaining trust and reliability 6. Confidence 7. Networking

How does Englist approach social skills?

Group classes, conversation practice, and informal atmosphere, writing skills overlap with social skills, cultural exposure, why englist hates one-on-one, having social skills vs. not.

The problem is, modern education and society have made social skill acquisition more difficult than ever before. In Taiwan, where we are based, students spend almost all of their waking hours in a classroom listening to teachers and taking tests. If they are not in school or doing homework, there is a good chance students are looking at a screen of some sort. The amount of time students spend actively interacting with each other is tiny, so even amongst their peers, student social skills are lacking.

However, the modern world also calls for interaction not just with peers, but with teachers, other adults, and even people from different countries. How is a student meant to meaningfully engage so many different types of people when all of their time is consumed by school and smartphones?

You can see the problem: there is a dearth of social skills education but we live in a world where success demands deft communication and persuasion abilitie s . Doctors see hundreds of patients a day, lawyers spend much of their time negotiating, explaining, and convincing others, and CEOs are tasked with building efficient and dynamic teams, and then leading them to success. Social skills – the ability to talk, interact, make friends, convince others, and to gain trust – are perhaps more important than any other set of abilities. But instead of trying to foster these in students, we have deeply limited them.

This is why Englist makes social skills a priority. Students need to speak in class. They need to think of things to say. They need to learn to interact with their teachers – adults from different countries who do things differently than parents or local teachers.

While our warm up sessions are important, they are also only the beginning; writing education demands that students open up, consider their thoughts, and learn to express them capably, first to teachers, then to everyone else.

“Social skills” encompass a range of specific abilities that are interrelated. Just by practicing one kind of social skill, you can improve in other areas, but it helps to be aware of as many of them as possible. This list is hardly comprehensive, but it is a good start.

1. Speaking and conversation

Just being able to speak when spoken to can be a tall order for a shy student. For obvious reasons, however, it is deeply important. Even asking a student “how are you today” can elicit nothing but blank stares, and kids (and adults!) need to get over this. It’s true, sometimes students don’t understand when someone is speaking to them, but they should say that rather than freeze.

Beyond just responding and being able to speak, students also need to learn how to engage in conversation. Let’s go back to our warm up exercise: we ask students what they did over the weekend or yesterday or whatever. Students often respond with, “Nothing,” and hope that is that. Fortunately for them, “nothing” is not good enough. So we press them, and they often follow up with some activity they have deemed uninteresting or boring. We ask them about the activity – why they are doing it, what exactly is boring about it, and what it entails.

This process usually involves dragging information out of students, and while it’s a pain for teachers, it is necessary for students. Once they are comfortable sharing a sentence or two, we ask them to expand. So, instead of “I had class” as a response, students learn to say, “I had dance class, which was really fun because we are learning a new routine to a new song and I really like it.” When students can comfortably form full thoughts and engage in back and forth, that is conversation. It takes time, but it’s worth it because it instills students with personality.

 2. Forming and fostering relationships: peers, strangers, and different kinds of people

Once kids can hold a conversation (in any language), they can begin to form relationships. They find people who share similar personalities or interests, and they converse about them. Students make and lose friends fairly regularly – this is part of growing up and practicing their social skills. They learn that being rude or too talkative damages relationships, while listening and having something interesting to contribute improves them. They develop and maintain strong relationships with peers, which turns into a virtuous cycle of social skill acquisition (and a source of fun and support).

Once students can form relationships with peers, they become better at engaging strangers. Their ability to speak with and listen to their friends makes them more capable of applying these same skills with new people, thus improving their ability to make new acquaintances and friends.

Finally, once people are comfortable engaging with strangers, they can then apply their social skills to building relationships with different kinds of people in different settings. The types of relationships required in a functioning, successful adult’s life are manifold and include professional relationships with people who are older, younger, in different departments, and from different backgrounds. Interpersonal relationships will include mostly peers, but also extended family and mentors. Beyond that, having the ability to engage people from different countries, of different social or economic backgrounds, or those with different beliefs and worldviews, opens up the most fruitful opportunities and experiences.

None of this is possible without being able to build and maintain relationships, and relationships are built on appropriate and adept social skills.

3. Lawyer skills: explaining, negotiating, convincing

Three of the most important social skills are being able to explain, negotiate, and convince. We call these the “lawyer skills” because they are at the core of that profession, but are imperative for many other types of work and experiences as well.

Englist addresses explanation skills specifically when we teach students the art of the expository essay.

Persuasion is a core skill of academic writing, and is thus a required skill for academic success. This is one reason why Englist focuses so heavily on persuasive writing.

4. Active listening: patience, consideration, and empathy

There is more to social skills than talking – knowing how to listen is incredibly important. Most people think this comes easily for students too; teacher’s teach, students listen. However, there is a difference between sitting quietly and actively listening, taking in, and parsing information. So many people confuse listening with waiting for the speaker to stop talking so they can speak, but these folks have poor social skills.

The first ability to foster when considering listening skills is patience. Sometimes listening is sitting there and hearing what someone has to say, and giving them the time to say it. Patience is a useful skill on its own and can be a profoundly helpful technique – oftentimes in a dispute or difficult situation, a client or friend or significant other just needs to “feel heard.” But it’s also necessary to learn patience when listening so you can employ your consideration and empathy.

Consideration is the next step of active listening. Beyond just hearing what someone has said, you need to be able to see it from their perspective, understand what their meaning is (both on and below the surface), and analyze what is being said. This skill is important not just in listening, but in reading and thinking in general.

Finally, having empathy is the mark of a true active listener. Those with empathy understand why someone says what they say and feel how they feel. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything someone says, but it ensures you truly understand, and it helps the speaker appreciate your listening.

5. Gaining trust and reliability

Being capable of all of the above skills, gaining the trust of others should be fairly easy. Being trustworthy requires the ability to listen, but also respond usefully, and then also repeatedly and consistently.

This is also called being “reliable” – when a friend is having a difficult time, or when a boss needs a project done now, they know they can count on you because you’ve come through before. Gaining trust, even of close friends, also requires tact and socialization, and because being trustworthy should be a goal in and of itself, developing social skills are a worthy pursuit.

6. Confidence

Confidence isn’t simply a skill, it is also the consequence of years of practicing social skills. The most confident students are often those who feel the most comfortable in their class and with their work, and these students feel comfortable because they don’t have to think so hard about how to engage others – it seems to come naturally to them after so much experience.

Still, confidence is also a skill. Having it instills confidence in you among other people, making socialization even easier. It helps establish that you are trustworthy and capable, which are both useful in terms of the opportunities that will be open to you, but even further because like trustworthiness, confidence is a worthy goal itself.

7. Networking

As a practical example of the utility of social skills, we can look at networking. Those who are the best at “networking” are those who have the best social skills – those who are the most convincing, interesting to be around, trustworthy, loquacious, and confident. And it is often true that those with the largest and best networks are often the most successful: “a person is a person through other people,” as the Ubuntu philosophy goes .

While networking can come across as the cynical version of friendship, the skills required to succeed at it are the same as those that drive relationship development in all other areas. People with the best social skills find the best partners, the best careers, the best schools, and make the best friends. And aren’t these the whole point of “success” anyway?

Hopefully we all agree on the importance of social skills, but that still begs the question of how Englist helps. It’s an academic writing service, not a social club, right? True, but as we’ve touched on, there is a lot Englist provides in terms of socialization.

One thing people often don’t realize is that public education is meant to do more than just “make people smart.” One of its main goals is socialization – school is a socializing process meant to ensure students grow up into citizens capable of interacting responsibly and comfortably with other members of society.

Much social learning comes from simply being at school and interacting with other students and teachers. This process is further enforced at Englist, where students need to be able to speak and listen beyond just writing. And it’s all done in English.

Furthermore, we allow no more than 10 writers per group, so kids can’t “hide” behind more vocal, outgoing classmates. And, as we mentioned, all students are required to talk about day-to-day life at each session. We never accept answers like “nothing” or “okay” – writers must respond articulately.

Due to the small size of our groups, they are a fairly open and active environment. While Englist writing coaches are professional, they also speak with students as people and in an informal manner, which more closely mimics actual conversation and exchange in English.

Beyond the speaking, the writing taught at Englist requires the ability to persuade and establish trust on the part of readers. Students are asked to try to get their work to be “relatable” so that potential readers can identify with it, and thus better understand and appreciate the arguments presented.

Take, for example, our “simple essay” – this is a simple form of persuasive writing where students have to be able to form an opinion, articulate their reasoning, and do so in an engaging manner. Simple, rote responses are never good enough, so social thinking is central to the writing process in this format. And again, this is required even for our most basic curriculum – the skills necessary for more advanced essays demand greater articulation and relatability.

Writing-as-social skills is on even brighter display at Taipei Teen Tribune , the showcase publication for our top writers. These students develop their own topics, discuss advanced issues with coaches, and delve deep into their research and reading for articles. Their work can range from controversial to candid, and these writers are able to employ this advanced social thinking in their day-to-day interactions, making them gregarious and engaged young people.

Many students in Asia only rarely interact with people different from them. At Englist, students get the chance to meet a range of education professionals from a wealth of backgrounds. Students see different personalities and ways of thinking many of their peers do not.

Also, when considering their work, they have the opportunity to question and engage educated and international minds regarding various topics, thus providing a global perspective.

Finally, Englist makes a point of introducing students to global and Western culture. In many sessions, students are responsible for reading novels or short stories, almost all from the Western literary canon. Writers are further exposed to a range of media including music, film, and pop culture. This background not only improves their writing range and abilities, it makes them more confident when they encounter new types of people from different backgrounds.

As a writing service, sometimes we hear from families that don’t want to join a class, but instead ask for one-on-one tutoring. We strongly discourage one-on-one tutoring, unless it is for a very specific purpose.

We will occasionally recommend one-on-one tutoring if students need to study for a specific test or in preparation for a presentation, speech, or to assist with a large assignment. However, we usually only work with students who we are already familiar with and who know a thing or two about academic writing. Without this rapport, one-on-one usually proves to be fruitless and more trouble than it’s worth.

Another important reason why one-on-one tutoring is more problematic than helpful is that it can, in some circumstances, teach students that they deserve special attention separate from the group. This is what parents are for, not academic programs or coaching. Students need to learn how to operate in environments that exist independently of them, not those tailor-made for their specific needs. One-on-one tutoring, however, is tailored to a student’s schedule, level, and personality.

Even considering how important social skills are, most people still lack these abilities. Many people, adults and kids alike, are awkward, lack confidence, and are clumsy in their interactions. And for most people, this may be okay. Not everyone should be Tony Stark or Jack Ma. But we have found that social skills are critical to success in many fields.

Take for example the story of Robert Oppenheimer vs. Christopher Langan as outlined in Malcolm Gladwell’s popular book Outliers . Robert Oppenheimer, a man known mostly for his mathematical genius but also for his speaking skills, is lauded as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. Chris Langan is much less well known, but likely on the same intellectual level with Oppenheimer. However, Langan, from a disadvantaged background, never developed the level of socialization Oppenheimer did, and consequently suffered for it.

We encourage you to read the book and learn about these two figures ( as well as our article about student intelligence ), but one important lesson to take away from this narrative is the importance of human connection and socialization. Being good at school is not enough, nor is it good enough for students to respond to “how was your day” with a terse “good”.

Social skills matter, even in mundane interactions. As such, at Englist they are a priority.

Interested in learning more? Want to check out our program?

Contact us for information about our program, or explore our online services .

• Our Mission

Why Social and Emotional Learning Is Essential for Students

Learn more about the critical role that social and emotional learning plays in promoting student success.

Editor's note: This piece is co-authored by Roger Weissberg, Joseph A. Durlak, Celene E. Domitrovich, and Thomas P. Gullotta, and adapted from Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning: Research and Practice , now available from Guilford Press.

Today's schools are increasingly multicultural and multilingual with students from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Educators and community agencies serve students with different motivation for engaging in learning, behaving positively, and performing academically. Social and emotional learning (SEL) provides a foundation for safe and positive learning, and enhances students' ability to succeed in school, careers, and life.

5 Keys to Successful SEL

Research shows that SEL not only improves achievement by an average of 11 percentile points, but it also increases prosocial behaviors (such as kindness, sharing, and empathy), improves student attitudes toward school, and reduces depression and stress among students (Durlak et al., 2011). Effective social and emotional learning programming involves coordinated classroom, schoolwide, family, and community practices that help students develop the following five key skills :

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness involves understanding one's own emotions, personal goals, and values. This includes accurately assessing one's strengths and limitations, having positive mindsets, and possessing a well-grounded sense of self-efficacy and optimism. High levels of self-awareness require the ability to recognize how thoughts, feelings, and actions are interconnected.

Self-Management

Self-management requires skills and attitudes that facilitate the ability to regulate one's own emotions and behaviors. This includes the ability to delay gratification, manage stress, control impulses, and persevere through challenges in order to achieve personal and educational goals.

Social Awareness

Social awareness involves the ability to understand, empathize, and feel compassion for those with different backgrounds or cultures. It also involves understanding social norms for behavior and recognizing family, school, and community resources and supports.

Relationship Skills

Relationship skills help students establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships, and to act in accordance with social norms. These skills involve communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking help when it is needed.

Responsible Decision Making

Responsible decision making involves learning how to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse settings. It requires the ability to consider ethical standards, safety concerns, accurate behavioral norms for risky behaviors, the health and well-being of self and others, and to make realistic evaluation of various actions' consequences.

School is one of the primary places where students learn social and emotional skills. An effective SEL program should incorporate four elements represented by the acronym SAFE (Durlak et al., 2010, 2011):

• Sequenced: connected and coordinated sets of activities to foster skills development
• Active: active forms of learning to help students master new skills
• Focused: emphasis on developing personal and social skills
• Explicit: targeting specific social and emotional skills

The Short- and Long-Term Benefits of SEL

Students are more successful in school and daily life when they:

• Know and can manage themselves
• Understand the perspectives of others and relate effectively with them
• Make sound choices about personal and social decisions

These social and emotional skills are some of several short-term student outcomes that SEL pro­grams promote (Durlak et al., 2011; Farrington et al., 2012; Sklad et al., 2012). Other benefits include:

• More positive attitudes toward oneself, others, and tasks including enhanced self-efficacy, confidence, persistence, empathy, connection and commitment to school, and a sense of purpose
• More positive social behaviors and relationships with peers and adults
• Reduced conduct problems and risk-taking behavior
• Decreased emotional distress
• Improved test scores, grades, and attendance

In the long run, greater social and emotional competence can increase the likelihood of high school graduation, readiness for postsecondary education, career success, positive family and work relationships, better mental health, reduced criminal behavior, and engaged citizenship (e.g., Hawkins, Kosterman, Catalano, Hill, & Abbott, 2008; Jones, Greenberg, & Crowley, 2015).

Building SEL Skills in the Classroom

Promoting social and emotional development for all students in classrooms involves teaching and modeling social and emotional skills, providing opportunities for students to practice and hone those skills, and giving students an opportunity to apply these skills in various situations.

One of the most prevalent SEL approaches involves training teachers to deliver explicit lessons that teach social and emotional skills, then finding opportunities for students to reinforce their use throughout the day. Another curricular approach embeds SEL instruction into content areas such as English language arts, social studies, or math (Jones & Bouffard, 2012; Merrell & Gueldner, 2010; Yoder, 2013; Zins et al., 2004). There are a number of research-based SEL programs that enhance students' competence and behavior in developmentally appropriate ways from preschool through high school (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2013, 2015).

Teachers can also naturally foster skills in students through their interpersonal and student-centered instructional interactions throughout the school day. Adult-student interactions support SEL when they result in positive student-teacher relationships, enable teachers to model social-emotional competencies for students, and promote student engagement (Williford & Sanger Wolcott, 2015). Teacher practices that provide students with emotional support and create opportunities for students' voice, autonomy, and mastery experiences promote student engagement in the educational process.

How Schools Can Support SEL

At the school level, SEL strategies typically come in the form of policies, practices, or structures related to climate and student support services (Meyers et al., in press). Safe and positive school climates and cultures positively affect academic, behavioral, and mental health outcomes for students (Thapa, Cohen, Guffey, & Higgins­-D'Alessandro, 2013). School leaders play a critical role in fostering schoolwide activities and policies that promote positive school environments, such as establishing a team to address the building climate; adult modeling of social and emotional competence; and developing clear norms, values, and expectations for students and staff members.

Fair and equitable discipline policies and bullying prevention practices are more effective than purely behavioral methods that rely on reward or punishment (Bear et al., 2015). School leaders can organize activities that build positive relationships and a sense of community among students through structures such as regularly scheduled morning meetings or advisories that provide students with opportunities to connect with each other.

An important component of schoolwide SEL involves integration into multi-tiered systems of support. The services provided to students by professionals such as counselors, social workers, and psychologists should align with universal efforts in the classroom and building. Often through small-group work, student support professionals reinforce and supplement classroom-based instruction for students who need early intervention or more intensive treatment.

Building Family and Community Partnerships

Family and community partnerships can strengthen the impact of school approaches to extending learning into the home and neighborhood. Community members and organizations can support classroom and school efforts, especially by providing students with additional opportunities to refine and apply various SEL skills (Catalano et al., 2004).

After-school activities also provide opportunities for students to connect with supportive adults and peers (Gullotta, 2015). They are a great venue to help youth develop and apply new skills and personal talents. Research has shown that after-school programs focused on social and emotional development can significantly enhance student self-perceptions, school connectedness, positive social behaviors, school grades, and achievement test scores, while reducing problem behaviors (Durlak et al., 2010).

SEL can also be fostered in many settings other than school. SEL begins in early childhood, so family and early childcare settings are important (Bierman & Motamedi, 2015). Higher education settings also have the potential to promote SEL (Conley, 2015).

For more information about the latest advances in SEL research, practice and policy, visit the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning website .

• Bear, G.G., Whitcomb, S.A., Elias, M.J., & Blank, J.C. (2015). "SEL and Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports." In J.A. Durlak, C.E. Domitrovich, R.P. Weissberg, & T.P. Gullotta (Eds.), Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning . New York: Guilford Press.
• Bierman, K.L. & Motamedi, M. (2015). "SEL Programs for Preschool Children". In J.A. Durlak, C.E. Domitrovich, R.P. Weissberg, & T.P. Gullotta (Eds.), Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning . New York: Guilford Press.
• Catalano, R.F., Berglund, M.L., Ryan, J.A., Lonczak, H.S., & Hawkins, J.D. (2004). "Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of positive youth development programs." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591 (1), pp.98-124.
• Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2013). 2013 CASEL Guide: Effective social and emotional learning programs - Preschool and elementary school edition . Chicago, IL: Author.
• Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2015). 2015 CASEL Guide: Effective social and emotional learning programs - Middle and high school edition . Chicago, IL: Author.
• Conley, C.S. (2015). "SEL in Higher Education." In J.A. Durlak, C.E. Domitrovich, R.P. Weissberg, & T.P. Gullotta (Eds.), Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning . New York: Guilford Press.
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• Sklad, M., Diekstra, R., Ritter, M.D., Ben, J., & Gravesteijn, C. (2012). "Effectiveness of school-based universal social, emotional, and behavioral programs: Do they enhance students' development in the area of skill, behavior, and adjustment?" Psychology in the Schools, 49 (9), pp.892-909.
• Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Gulley, S., & Higgins-D'Alessandro, A. (2013). "A review of school climate research." Review of Educational Research, 83 (3), pp.357-385.
• Williford, A.P. & Wolcott, C.S. (2015). "SEL and Student-Teacher Relationships." In J.A. Durlak, C.E. Domitrovich, R.P. Weissberg, & T.P. Gullotta (Eds.), Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning . New York: Guilford Press.
• Yoder, N. (2013). Teaching the whole child: Instructional practices that support social and emotional learning in three teacher evaluation frameworks . Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research Center on Great Teachers and Leaders.
• Zins, J.E., Weissberg, R.P., Wang, M.C., & Walberg, H.J. (Eds.). (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? New York: Teachers College Press.

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Social Skills for A Brighter Future

• What do you mean by social skills
• Different types of social skills
• Why social skills are important
• How to develop and improve social skills for students.

You may have noticed how some of your friends are able to form a rapport with just anyone around them.

They may not need to know the person for long, but can easily start a conversation and proong it for hours. This simply means that they have great social skills.

Social skills are interpersonal skills. It is the ability of a person to communicate effectively with another.

It is the most important skill required not only by students but also by adults and professionals.

It is through these social skills that bonds are formed, work runs smoothly and decisions are made.

The importance of social skills can not be undermined. Social skills are needed in every sphere of life irrespective of age or gender.

They are skills that help you communicate, interact and build relations around you.

However, you may notice that some may have great social skills while others shy away from interacting with people.

It is of utmost importance to develop social skills. Social Skills for the pre-deciders of success in the future.

It is advisable to train yourself to improve your social skills while you are a student. Social skills are important for students and even more important for professionals.

It is generally considered that those with good social skills are successful in their careers. In fact some career decisions can be taken based on the level of your social skills.

There are jobs that are more lucrative if you have great social skills like marketing jobs, psychologists, teachers among others

So, let’s look at a list of social skills for students that may help them to prepare for the future. Though this list may not be exhaustive or conclusive, it gives an overall idea of some of the important social skills for jobs.

• Listening and observing
• Facial expressions
• Eye Contact while conversing
• Giving orders to others
• Taking orders from others
• Respecting others
• Showing compassion to others

These are just some of the important social skills for students. As mentioned above, it is not an exhaustive list and many more skills can be added to form the core list of social skills for students.

Importance of Social Skills

1. for building bonds.

Great social skills allow you to talk and interact with others effectively. At the same time you are able to listen to the other person. What more can a friend ask for?

A person who is able to listen as well as talk with them. This is the starting of your bonds of friendship.

Apart from strong bonds of friendship, it also builds good relationships with colleagues and higher ups in the workplace.

2. Academic Success

Social skills are also important for academic success. While in school or college, you come across students who are introverted while others may be extroverts.

The students who are introverted refrain from clearing doubts during class hours or are too shy to answer in class.

This leads to questions and doubts which remain unanswered throughout the academic year. Undoubtedly, this leads to poor performance in examinations.

On the other hand, a student who is able to effectively communicate with the teacher, asking doubts and answering in class is able to clear doubts as and when they arise.

Therefore, it is evident that good social skills directly lead to better academic performances.

3. Better Quality of Life

Social skills for students also directly leads to better quality of life. For better quality of life, there are two most important aspects that need to be covered, that is, livelihood and strong relationships.

Both these aspects need great social skills in order to achieve them. One can not earn a livelihood without social interactions and communication with the public at large.

Also, relationships can not be built without effective communication. Therefore social skills are a must for anyone to lead a better quality of life.

4. Social Skills for Troubleshooting

One of the benefits of having good social skills is that it can get you out of trouble anytime. Being able to work your way out of trouble requires good communication skills .

Communication skills form an integral part of social skills required for students. Studies have shown that a lack of communications is one of the foremost problems that have led to more juvenile delinquents over the recent years.

Difficulties with language and communication skills appear to be prevalent among juvenile offenders, with estimates of those falling into the poor or very poor categories ranging from 46 to 67%; overall, up to 90% of juvenile offenders demonstrated language skills below average.

Lack of communication between parents and teenagers is a cause of juvenile delinquency.The important social skill of communication is lacking in many households.

This social skill must be developed right from a very young age.  Lack of proper communication between members of the family may lead to the young people feeling the lack of unity, understanding or trust.

These feelings may lead to a lower self-esteem or confidence in themselves. As a result, the teenager may lose their sense of individuality and may, in turn, participate in activities that are frowned upon just to boost their confidence .

The teenager may follow peers blindly which results in them adopting a lifestyle that is unhealthy. Some of these lifestyles include shoplifting to get items that they cannot afford or they are not supposed to use such as cigarettes.

Although the teenagers are aware that these behaviors are wrong, they still do them in the hope that they will be accepted by their peers.

5. Great Career Prospects

This requires a good amount of social skills. Team interaction, communication with colleagues and ability to take and give orders for an integral part of any company interactions. With good social skills, the greater the career prospects.

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Now that we have seen the importance of social skills for students, the question arises how to develop social skills and improve them?

There are several ways one can develop social skills. Here are a few ways you can try to develop important social skills for students.

1. Listen, Observe, Learn

One of the best ways of how to develop social skills is to listen to others around you, observe their actions and mannerisms and learn from them. It is the most effective way of developing social skills.

As you listen, you tend to pick up new vocabulary that will help you to communicate better. Listening to others is also a sign of showing that the other person’s views matter.

Observe the mannerisms of people around you. Pick up the good mannerisms from others and try to inculcate it in your own actions on a daily basis.

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2. Socialise Often

Another one of the tips for improving social skills is to interact and socialise with people. Socialising helps you to increase your interactive base.

If you are an introvert then it may seem a bit difficult to socialise, but with time it gets easier. For example, you are a shy person who doesn’t socialise often.

In this case you can make a small beginning by interacting with those in your immediate vicinity. Like your neighbours or your local market shopkeeper.

Make it a point to talk to those around you first. From here you can make a small start and then advance to larger social gatherings.

3. Make Conversation About Others

This is your true test. Make sure that you listen to others talking about themselves and encourage them to do so.

The conversation may seem boring and monotonous, but it’s the best way to build your social skills. You must show that you are interested in their stories. This way more people will be encouraged to talk and interact with you more.

While you converse with others, it is also necessary to compliment the other person every now and then. This boosts the confidence of the other person who will now be more than happy to communicate with you.

4. Join a Club

Your residential society will most probably have an entertainment or social interaction club. The best advice is to join these clubs to interact with different people.

If you like working out, you can even join your local gym and make some friends there too. Joining a club gets you introduced to like minded people and people who share the same interest as you.

Starting a conversation with such people may be much easier as you have common topics to discuss.

5. Watch Ted Talks for Starters

TED Talks are influential videos of people from around the world. Watching these videos can inspire you to get out of your shell and get out there.

6. Maintain Eye Contact

While conversing, you must maintain eye contact with the other person. Facial expressions and mannerism also form a very important part of communication.

One of the best ways of how to improve social skills for students is to practice talking in front of a mirror. Here, you can see yourself how others will perceive you.

Practice making eye contact and maintaining the right facial expressions and mannerisms while talking.

7. Participate in Debates and Discussions in College

It will improve your social skills. While participating in debates , you will learn certain social skills like listening, effective communications, empathy towards others, and teamwork .

8. Stay up To Date

Staying up to date with current affairs can avoid situations where you have nothing much to talk about. Reading and keeping yourself up to date is one of the best solutions for how to improve social skills.

When you are at a loss for words, you can always depend on current affairs to fill up a quiet gap. Thus, eliminating the fear of social interactions.

9. Accept Other View Points

Listening and accepting other people’s points also forms a vital part of developing social skills. Be open to others ideas while working in a team.

Accept the ideas and work with the team. If you are not completely convinced of how another person’s idea will work, you must learn to politely refuse or politely explain the drawbacks of following that particular idea. You must be able to convince the other team members.

At the same time, you have to be open to criticism . Accept negative feedback positively and try to understand the reason for the rejection instead of going on the defence.

Social skills form the backbone of any human interaction. Whether you are a student, a professional or a stay at home mom or dad, social skills are needed everywhere.

It paves the way for greater social interactions and happy, content lives. Without the basic social skills, interacting and communicating with others will be tough and challenging.

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Importance of social interaction to learning Essay (Critical Writing)

Introduction, social interaction strategies, importance of social interaction to learning, limitations to social interaction, countering limitations to social interaction, reference list.

The following essay is concerned with the importance of social interaction to learning. This essay begins by examining the meaning of social interaction as well as the knowledge or learning.

It also explores the various forms of social interactions, social interaction strategies and the major challenges of the social interaction as far as learning is concerned.

Knowledge involves a social science where people interacts with one another and with the social sorroundings.Learning entails communicating as well as appreciation of the human race as well as the social environment that they interacts with on daily basis.

Social interaction entails the means through which people acts and also reacts to others. Social interaction therefore is a daily affair that involves people who have different roles as well as status and it can take the form of verbal as well as non verbal communication.

Verbal communication entails the communication upon which two or more properly interacts face-to-face and it involves such components as language, speaking among others. Misunderstanding is thus eliminated as a result of verbal communication.

Non-verbal communication is a form of social interaction which involves the interactions through the use of signals, body movements among others. In social interactions, the group’s actions thus has an effect with regards to an individual i.e. one gains some knowledge or tends to develop a habit as a result of social interactions (Goodnow &Warton, 1992, 18-26).

In learning however, social interaction is crucial as it enhances the mental as well as the social aspects of a child. The main reason as to why people interact socially is to pursue common objectives. The relationships that are created as a result of social interaction are crucial as far as learning is concerned (Gergen, 1999, 15-17).

Social instruction starts when a tutor introduces the objective to be achieved to the students. The students then are grouped into teams upon which they discuss among themselves so as to come up with findings. The tutor’s main role is that of monitoring the teams so as to ensure that they carry out their tasks in accordance with the set objectives.

The instructor facilitates the teams by providing the students with guidelines concerning the topic.

The instructor also ensures that all the students takes part in the interaction and that rules are followed. the steps that are followed during the social interaction includes; the instructor introduces the concept, students are grouped into discussion teams, the students then carries out the facilitators’ role of negotiating, compromising as well as explaining the concepts under the guidance of the facilitators, students carries out the role of assessing their work and finally, the students presents their findings (Gergen, 1999, 15-17).

Social interaction has some benefits as far as students’ learning is concerned. Some of the benefits are discussed below;

Social interaction helps to improve the learning strategies. Social interaction enables the learner to discover the situations that are distressing unto him or her. This thus enables one to modify his or her behaviors so as to realize positive outcomes.

Social interaction enables a person to understand other people’s behaviors and so a learner can improve his or her learning strategies by modifying his or her negative behaviors.

The other aspect in which the social interaction can help one to improve his or her learning strategies is that it enables one to become a good listener as well as learning how to accept responsibility with regards to actions that one takes.

Social learning has been considered as an ideal teaching strategy because it encompasses all levels of learning i.e. from kindergartens up to the time when one completes his or her secondary education.

For instance, the adolescents socializes with one another by sharing their feelings ,supporting each other emotionally as well as learning to view things form their colleagues’ perspective (Burr,1995,12-17).

Social interaction is important because it does not discriminate the learners with regards to their objectives or ethnic group. It thus provides an environment where people from different origins can interact freely with one another so as to achieve a common objective.

Social interaction helps to enhance the perseverance in learning i.e. the achievement of the group goals provides the students with a motivation to work hard and persevere.

The social interaction enables students to increase their individual efforts so as to enhance the group grades The social interaction enables students to be involved with regards to school community and thus the ability to maintain trust as well as manage the conflicts(Goodnow &Warton,1992,18-26).

Social interaction usually helps to reduce the work of an instructor. The instructor only provides guidelines and assist where the students have been met with changes, the students think, communicates and shares information among them (Burr, 1995, 12-17).

The groupings usually have an effect as far as the achievements of students are concerned due to the fact that those students who are of low ability are usually motivated by ones who have high ability and hence they end up performing well.

As the students interact in a group, they share ideas as well as the opinions concerning so as to work out a certain question. The instructors on the other hand encourage the students to continue working in teams so as to achieve more.

Social interaction enables the students to workout problems on their own and this enables them to gain experience in solving future related challenges. The instructors through social interaction are able to identify those students who have poor socialization skills for instance those students who never ask questions and hence come up with solutions on how such students can be assisted.

When a student is performing poorly, he or she may not be willing to interact freely with his or her colleagues and so, the instructor is able to identify the problem and hence intervene so as to enhance the performance of the student.

When students are grouped in teams, they are given the motivation to put extra effort so as to achieve their objectives. The social interaction gives the students healthy competition which enables them to focus on their goal attainment (Goodnow &Warton, 1992, 18-26).

Social interaction is important because it enables students to enhance their communication skills. For effective learning to take place, there is need for proper communication. Both verbal and non verbal communication enables the students to interact with others.

With this regards to communication, social interaction enables students to have high esteem upon which they communicates effectively with their colleagues. The social interaction helps to improve the communication skills of students by enabling them to become good listeners.

The social interaction helps students to overcome fears associated with large crowds and also making them to be assertive.Communication skills as a result of social interaction thus enables the students to be relaxed and thus to think and also to act in given situations(Burr,1995,12-17).

Social interaction plays an important role of enhancing the student’s interpersonal skills. It thus enables them to get over their shyness and be in a position to exchange ideas with others. Interpersonal skills enable the students to gain self confidence which in turn helps them to succeed as far as their learning is concerned.

The students usually feel free to share ideas with others and thus they are able to discuss about anything. The interpersonal skills as a result of social interaction enables the learners to coexist peacefully with others as it assists them to refrain from using offensive language or hurting others in one way or another.

The students are therefore careful while speaking with their colleagues because the interpersonal skills that they gains as a result of social interaction enables them to figure out their mistakes and hence to change their behaviours so as to attain positive outcomes (Bruce, 1987, 34-38).

Social interaction helps students to develop a positive attitude towards school.Usually, the students are very curious with regards to their leaning environment. The school enviroment, workloads, their fellow students, rules and regulations as well as the parent’s ambivalence often affects their attitude towards school.

The social interaction enables student to develop positive attitude towards school in that, the workload is discussed among the students and so the students are not overwhelmed or bored as a result of workload problem.

The social interaction makes learning to be more interesting due to the fact that the students shears information for problem solving. Social interaction also provides a conducive learning environment hence making students to develop a positive attitude towards school.

The students know their responsibility and so there is no confusion at all. The students are able to discuss the challenges that they face with their instructor and hence the solutions are devised so as to help counter the challenges.

The other kids often help a student to have a positive attitude towards school. They motivate a student to work hard so that the group goals can be attained. The student also learns important skills from his or her fellow students (Bartsch, & Wellman, 1997, 96).

Social interaction increases cohesion among students i.e. the degree to which the students are attracted to one another. More cohesive groups are usually more serious and more effective in achieving their goals since there is often greater communication among the students.

This in turn leads to higher satisfaction among the students, decreased tension and more pressure to conform.Usually, the main reasons for group cohesiveness could be the personal attractiveness of the group members, the attractiveness of the group tasks to be performed or the prestige of belonging to the group.

As the group achieves its goals, cohesiveness increases. Large groups are often less cohesive as compared to small ones. The high status of a group and outside pressure on the group can make the students to move closer to each other resulting in greater cohesiveness.

Social interaction with regards to learning is important because it helps to set out the individuals’ role. A role is a set of shared expectations concerning appropriate behavior.The set role is the set of expectations which members of the role set conveys to the individuals (Smith, 1996, 7).

The social interaction often helps to create norms and expectations with regards top learning. Norms are expectations about how remembers ought to behave e.g. students should always be smart or behave in a certain way e.t.c.This norms may relate to performance,honesty,teamwork,loyalty or anything else the group feels is important.

Norms apply only to the students’ behaviors and not to the private thoughts and feelings of the group members. They generally develop only in relation to those matters that most group members consider important.Thus, if a student behaves in a way that violates the group norms, the group members can exert pressure for conformity to those norms.

Social interaction enhances the student’s retention i.e. the students persist in completing their education in certain schools. Social interaction plays an important role of ensuring that students are not transferred to other schools or otherwise switch their classes within the school.

The relationship that exists between students plays an important role as far as student retention is concerned. Thus the students’ groups ensure that workload is shared and therefore, the students don’t find their learning to be cumbersome.

Students are likely to persist in a particular institution where the students’ are given a chance to express their attitudes and values. Usually, students in a learning institution come from different backgrounds and therefore, the social environment enables them to interact and fit well into the institution.

Social interaction helps to increase participation i.e. it provides the students with an environment where they can participate in leaning activities as well as discussions. The groups enable the students to come closer so as to develop an understanding concerning a situation by way of sharing of the ideas.

The social bonding enables the students to get committed to the group discussions. The instructors too also facilitate the discussions among the students and this is important as far as the goal attainment of the group is concerned.

The increased participation with regards to school activities as well as programs ensures that the student’s life in the learning institution is enhanced.

The participation as a result of social interaction helps to understand the student’s needs. Each student is given a chance to express his or her views concerning an issue and this in turn enhances their understanding (Burr, 1995, 12-17).

Social interaction enhances negotiation with respect to understanding. Negotiation entails two people with a difference in which they initiate a discussion attempting to solve it and bring in a consensus that satisfies their interests.

This also happens n social interactions among students where students discuss issues in which they differ and reach an agreement. The success of negotiation may entail the parties making promises to each other to comply to the terms and conditions of the agreement reached.

The students may choose to negotiate so as to; solve a problem, develop new procedures for handling a problem, change perceptions, educate each other about a particular view of an issue or concern, ventilate emotions about each other e.t.c. (Lave,1988,54-61).

In social interaction, learning occurs as a result of interactions among the students. The interactions often lead the students into conflicts. The social interaction enables students to gain reasoning skills which they use in resolving the conflicts.

Social interaction helps the learner with regards to discovery and exploration i.e. the students are able to learn in a more appropriate manner as compared to when they an independent situation. The social interaction enables students tom acquire greater social skills upon which they interacts effectively with their colleagues.

The students relates with each other through asking questions or providing explanations on certain issues. The exploration enables students to allow discovering many things by themselves and the instructor assists them only when the need arises Exploration is associated with inductive learning that enables students to remember most of things that they have learnt by themselves and hence increases their motivation to learn more things.

Social interaction I important as far as learning is concerned because it enables the students to cope with challenges even after school. The students thinking capacity is greatly enhanced as a result of social interaction.

The students also learns on how to co-think once faced with challenges i.e. they confronts the issues together and this is vital since it enables a student to learn on how to face problems in the future (Bartsch, & Wellman,1997,96).

In social interaction, the options that are available for communication are usually much wider and therefore, there is extended opportunities with regards to classroom participation. This is important because it provides the students with ample opportunities upon which they can construct knowledge.

Social interaction is important because it enables the students to establish such aspects as their personality. As the students interacts with others in school. they often leans such behaviors as the importance of respecting other people’s belongings, the act of sharing with others, the importance of sympathizing with others among others(Fodor,2000,16-18).

The social economic inequality often affects the performance of students and therefore, the social interaction n enables students with from different backgrounds to interact together and this helps to improve their performance. Social interaction thus does not segregate as far as learning is concerned.

Students who come from poor families are thus mixed with those students who hail from rich families and this is ideal since it enables the students to compete on a fair playing ground.

Social interaction usually provides an environment upon which the disabled students are able to interact freely with those students who have no physical disability. This is important as it respects the right of the disabled as well as their promoting their dignity.

Social interaction enhances freedom on the part of the student. As they interact with their colleagues, the students get to know of their rights and they thus become knowledgeable as far as their individual rights are concerned.

The students also become interdependent as a result of social interaction.This are because the social interaction enables them to solve problems on their own and thus them and this gives them self confidence (Fodor, 2000, 16-18).

Finally, social interaction does not end with school implying that the students will apply the social skills that they gain in their respective careers.Thus, those students who have undergone through social interaction are usually self centered and they are able to communicate effectively with their colleagues.

They therefore don’t look miserable when confronted with challenges. Students needs to interact with others so as to learn the simple rules of the society and in turn be socially acceptable.

Social interaction teaches the students their right as well as the wrong things with regards to the society in which they interact with. It thus enables them to create relationships and also how to deal with any kind of situation (Claxton, 1997, 76).

The following factors can contribute to social interaction; incompatibility or perceived incompatibility between students’ goals, requirements and desires. Differences in students’ motivation can also contribute to limitations as far as social interaction in learning is concerned.

For instance, the differences between the goals of the instructors and those of the students.Sometimes, the students find themselves in a situation where the membership of their group is compulsory or in a situation where they don’t like working in a particular group.

There may also be challenges whereby the individuals in the group reset the style of leadership or the kind of strategies that the group leaders use in order to persuade and direct the fellow student’s e.g. intimidating, threatening, bullying tactics e.t.c. (Kress, 1997, 34).

The following are important with regards to countering the challenges that are associated with social interaction in learning; the student in a group should be encouraged to air his or her objections and doubts.

The construction of worst-case-scenarios should be encouraged that may result from decisions.Also, the alternatives as well as plan contingencies should be explored.

Learning issues to be dealt with should be presented initially in an impartial way without stating the preferred outcome or expectations. The bigger group should also be subdivided periodically into smaller groups (Kress, 1997, 34).

Social interaction is very crucial as far as learning is concerned. It has been used in learning for many years with an aim of enhancing positive interactions among students. Social interaction plays a vital role with regards to learning. Most people have gained while at school through sharing of their problems with their classmates or teachers.

This implies that one learns from the others and others learn from an individual. The mere act of sharing of ideas and information is usually crucial as far as gaining of knowledge is concerned.

The discussions withy the rest of the students often enables them to acquire much knowledge and hence helps tem to improve their grades. Social interaction also ensures that the positive changes are infused so as to enhance the student’s individual development.

Bartsch, K. & Wellman, H., 1997. Children Talk about the Mind. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bruce, T., 1987. Early Childhood Education . London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Burr, V., 1995. An Introduction to Social Constructionism . London: Routledge

Claxton, G., 1997. Hare Brain and Tortoise Mind . London: Fourth Estate.

Fodor, J., 2000. In Critical Condition: A Bradford Book Massachusetts . London: IT Press.

Gergen, K., 1999. An Introduction to Social Construction . London and Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage.

Goodnow, J. J. & Warton, P., 1992. ‘ Contexts and cognitions: taking a pluralist View’ in P. Light and G. Butterworth (Eds) Context and Cognition: Ways of learning and knowing . Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Kress, G., 1997. Before writing: rethinking the paths to literacy. London: Routledge.

Lave, J., 1988. Cognition in Practice . Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press.

Smith, A., 1996. Accelerated learning in the Classroom . Stafford: Network Educational Press.

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IELTS essay sample | Are social skills becoming more important than academic skills?

by Manjusha Nambiar · Published March 28, 2016 · Updated April 23, 2024

Essay topic

Sample essay

It has become a growing trend among employers to hire people with excellent social skills. In fact, some employers give more importance to social skills than academic qualifications. Some people, however, argue that a person’s educational qualifications should be the prime deciding factor in the recruitment process. I don’t agree with this view because in this modern era social skills are essential to survive in the workplace.

There are many reasons why companies prefer employees with good social skills. Firstly, thanks to globalisation now local industries have to deal with multinational corporations. Good communication and negotiation skills help build better trade relations. Thus in order to expand their business globally, companies are recruiting people with good social skills. For example, now India has a booming call centre industry. If one wants to find a job in this sector one needs good command of English language.

There is yet another reason to hire employees with good social skills. The various departments of modern organisations are interconnected and thus to augment the productivity and smoother functioning, it is necessary to have great understanding among these departments. For example, in many enterprises, the IT department has to work with the HR department and the marketing department. In this situation, if employees lack good communication skills, it may lead to conflicts and chaos.

However, there is an important argument against the emphasis on social skills. The backbone of any successful business is the intellectual power of its employees. One can’t produce great products with social skills. One needs technical and academic knowledge for that.

To conclude, educational qualifications are definitely important and they must be considered while hiring employees. However, in this day and age social skills are also becoming equally important. And in some sectors that require a lot of interactions with people, social skills are more important than academic skills.

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Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Effective Communication — Soft Skills and Their Importance in the Workplace

The Importance of Soft Skills in The Workplace

• Categories: Communication Skills Effective Communication

About this sample

Words: 802 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 802 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

• Communication - Importance of Good Communication Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/communication/.
• Doyle, A. (2019, August 24). What Are Soft Skills. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-are-soft-skills-2060852.
• Hill, L. B., Linda, Bruce, & Hill. (n.d.). Chapter 6: Professional Skill Building. Retrieved from https://press.rebus.community/blueprint3/chapter/37-professional-skill-building/.
• Soft skill: Leadership skills | Milkround. (2019). Retrieved 10 November 2019, from https://advice.milkround.com/soft-skill-leadership-skills
• Why Employers Value Creative Thinking. (2019). Retrieved 10 November 2019, from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/creative-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063744

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

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