SOFT SKILLS

  • Anastasiya Pakhorukova
    2022

Soft skills are a trendy topic, and you can find many definitions of what they represent on the internet. 21st-century skills, transversal competencies, social skills, etc. Let’s start by understanding the definition and then proceed to the diagnostics of soft skills.

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We rely on the concept of a VUCA world, which states that humanity lives in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous space. The conditions of our existence are constantly changing, more and more divergent factors arise, and the pace of changes is increasing. All our past experiences do not allow us to predict which decisions will lead us to the desired result.
The intensity of social, professional, economic changes is constantly growing. The world is changing rapidly, and if we do not tune in to this wave, our experience will quickly become devalued, and will not allow us to make the right decisions.
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Anastasiya Pakhorukova

Methodologist, instructional designer

Soft skills not only enable us to exist in such a world but also to make effective decisions. Since for most people, the center of life is work and career, soft skills are often referred to as transversal skills. However, they equally help in learning, building social connections, and being successful in personal life.


An educator not only needs to understand the difference between soft and hard skills but also constantly explain it to students.

Skills Needed Not Only at Work

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Various authors aim to compile a complete list of soft skills. Or at least highlight the most important, most pressing ones. Unfortunately, we are sure that these attempts do not lead to the desired result. The fact is that the very concept of the VUCA-world speaks of constantly changing conditions of our existence. Consequently, we will need various sets of soft skills at different periods of time.

Nevertheless, we can choose skills for the short term.
Research from 1918
The first studies showing the importance of soft skills were conducted in 1918 (yes, this is not a typo!) by researchers from Harvard, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford.
Future Skills: What You Need to Know and Be Able to Do in the New Complex World
The authors believe that hard skills are no longer sufficient for competition and propose a 21st-century skills model that significantly expands the concept of soft skills.
Eight Key Skills from the European Commission
In 2018, the EU adopted a model of eight key competencies for lifelong learning, helping to lead an active life and be successful at work.

The main problem in forming a list of soft skills is that many authors include competencies related to hard skills. This is precisely the disadvantage of a narrow field of view, where soft skills relate only to a person’s professional activity. Another side of the issue is the inclusion of personal qualities, such as self-confidence or stress resistance.

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For example, in many lists, we find "Negotiation skills." But such a competency is most likely related to professional duties.


A soft skill can be formulated as "I can express my thoughts using various communication methods," "I can logically formulate my thoughts and support them with arguments."

Therefore, we have developed the "Soft Skills Map"

In the first stage, all publications related to soft skills were gathered, translations from foreign languages were made, and concepts found in different materials were aligned. The second stage was the integration of collections into one comprehensive mind map. We aimed to find intersections in the works of different authors.

Unfortunately, most materials, regardless of publication language, represented not so much a complete list of skills but a description of an ideal person of the future: high emotional intelligence, leadership, self-organization, negotiation and conflict resolution skills, creativity, and a sense of humor. Therefore, in the third stage, we built our coherent and logical system of skills that can be trained.
screenshot of the soft skills map
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The formulation issue is key in forming the soft skills map. Most descriptions of soft skills are formed based on nouns: "ability," "intelligence," "creativity," "sense." But nouns are static, they provoke affirmation or denial, do not help to feel the dynamics.

On the "Soft Skills Map," all skills begin with verbs: "I can," "I know how," "I understand." Such a formulation implies the presence of action and its result. Verbs help understand how to identify, diagnose, and train a soft skill.

Soft Skills Map

A conveniently structured list of soft skills in offline and online formats. Basing on the map, you can develop your projects, assignments, exercises, and creative tests.

Download the map

How Are Soft Skills Measured?

Measuring soft skills is quite a subjective task. We cannot propose a scale where one unit indicates an extremely low public speaking skill, and a value of 5 allows you to gather stadiums. Yet, we can outline three main approaches.

  • SURVEYING

    Ordinary tests are unlikely to show the real picture; serious research should include both subjective assessment and subsequent data analysis — such results can be trusted.


    Psychometric Analysis

  • OBSERVATION

    The instructor observes how students learn, communicate, and collaborate; results are evaluated according to selected criteria, where not usual grades but behavior patterns are indicated.


    Assessment Strategies

  • PROJECTING

    Complex skills are best manifested in complex activities, for example, when performing creative, group projects; such an approach includes reflection.


    Project Examples

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