Welcome,
The following is the resulting conversation from an assignment that was given out on September 2, 2009 between my students (and myself) to help add clarity to the definitions of “Soft Skills” and “Hard Skills” – but more specifically, the classification of “reading and writing” within those skills.
The instructions were for my students to visit 3 other random websites and then come back with their own determination/opinion.
.
.
.
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid182_gci1314710,00.html.
http://www.2020insight.net/Docs4/PeopleSkills.pdf
.
Please enjoy the debate and read through all of the comments. Also, please feel free to join in on the discussion by leaving your own comment as well.
If you have any questions or feel as though you may need some additional clarity on this issue, please contact me directly or leave your question in the comment section. I will do my best to answer it in a timely fashion.
Have a great day and happy learning.
James
Personally i would say that reading more than writting is considered a hard skill, in my mind set i feel that reading and writting is something you may learn in school. You also learn Automotive skills such as rebuilding an engine in school. I think soft skills such as communitcation, while learned in school to some extent, it has a lot to do with emotions. when you work on an engine you dont communicate with emotion, you get in and get 'er done. When dealing in sales with customers, i feel that you need to pour not only book and school knowledge per say but also emotion in reading the person and reacting to their thoughts. Writting i think could qualify in both, depending on yourt situation, writting different material may depend on your emotions. Book's for starters need to be emotional and catch the readers attention, where as if you are writting mindlessly for a company magazine word for word so to speak of what they want you to say or write or writting to fill out a form of paper, (i.e. to fill out a sheet of stock order sheets), i would say its more of a hard skill.
i think that reading and writing are hard skills because it takes seriouse talent to be a good writer in order to speak to the reader and make them feel connected . also i think that it is a hard skill because it takes a very unique person to be very good at it, and the people that are good at writing the number is very low, also writing would be a hands on thinking process. but i also think that i can depend on the situation
I think that they are both soft and hard skills. The “physical act” of reading and writing is a hard skill. Reading, understanding, or obtaining an emotion from and author is a soft skill. Writing a book or being and author and trying to “get your emotion delivered” to the reader is a soft skill.
James, based on my research Hard skills are cognitive and technical skills, which include reading, writing, listening, speaking, information organization and math. These are the fundamental skills that our children require to be successful in their their educations. These are the skills they will need to solve the difficult problems their future will present to them. By definition – Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that may be required in a given context, such as a job or university application.
Other examples of hard skills include:
facility with spreadsheets
typing
proficiency with software applications
operating machinery
software development
speaking a foreign language
calculus
james , it is great to participate with this group TOPIC hard skills and softskills everybody needs both hard and soft skills but it all depends on how you apply it , from the mind to paper by writing , mind to mouth speaking or by mind to hand by building and or repairing something all can do these things if they apply the mind first and as they go along in life you will look back and think yes i can do those things just like anyone else can it is all in the thinking of each person to apply it…..
james , it is great to participate with this group TOPIC hard skills and softskills everybody needs both hard and soft skills but it all depends on how you apply it , from the mind to paper by writing , mind to mouth speaking or by mind to hand by building and or repairing something all can do these things if they apply the mind first and as they go along in life you will look back and think yes i can do those things just like anyone else can it is all in the thinking of each person to apply it…..
The actual act of reading and writing are hard skills since they can be demonstrated and taught. The act of writing so certain people or groups will understand would be a soft skill as this action shows your interpersonal skills. Soft skills many times compliment hard skills.
If we are talking about reading and writing in the english language then I would have to say that both are hard skills. We can speak gibberish, we can write squiggles without assistance, but to put them into a concise manner that people understand around you,well, it has to be taught. .
What about if a person were writing without understanding? For example, I don't understand German, but I could copy German words out onto a piece of paper after reading them, without the knowledge of their meaning. To me, that would be the equivalent of 'drawing'.
Is drawing a hard skill? Why or why not?
Personally, i think in the same idea as my previous post, you are literally copying German, which in turn your sort or “teaching yourself” as you look at the paper on how to draw it. no emotion whatsoever. drawing word for word as i explained writing a magazine word for word without an artistic imagination or emotion put into it makes it a hard skill due to lack of meaning. I don't go to school to copy German out of a book but i am teaching myself in some manner.i feel that it is the same a variation hard/soft skill but in YOUR idea I'm going with hard…
p.s. That's what she said…
p.p.s. You knew it was coming…
Reading and writing are both hard skills and soft skills at the same time,it depends on perception i feel that hard skills are skills which are taught academically or through books and repetition, practice etc, and soft skills are ones that we have a natural ability to do. for example, you can spend ten years teaching someone a specific skill such as auto repair, and after 10 years they acheive the goal of master technician (purely hypothetical) which would be an example of a hard skill, but if someone we being taught in the same atmosphere but had a true understanding and passion for what they were doing, and became a master tech after 5 years, because of their passion and understanding, would it not become a soft skill as well because it now goes beyond the academic level? based on the defintion of a hard skill and soft skill? i think if you ponder this, you may find some agreeance in my point. and as far as not understanding german but copying it, it doesnt take a skilled person to copy out of a book.
To determine whether reading and writing are soft or hard skills, it would depend on what your position or job is. For example, if you were a Newspaper Editor, your job could be defined as hard skills as reading, writing and editing articles would be your principal function. If you were an automotive Technician, your principal function is diagnostic and repair of vehicles therefore is would be hard skills.
Soft skills would be the communication between an editor and his staff or an Automotive Technician and the customers. For example, when speaking with a customer and getting the information required to diagnose the problem, making the customer feel comfortable about the process and what the problem has been determine to be (ensuring there is a complete understanding).
I was leaning towards soft skills because i was thinking on the lines of listening, but when i started thinking about it, think back when you were a baby you just didn't talk or write for that matter you were taught by your parents and teachers. Say we took a baby and raised the child in the woods with animals with no interaction with people after years gone by do you think this child would know how to read and write. My opionion is NO, so i think they are skills that are taught.
i believe reading and writing are both hard skills. they are both pretty much drilled into your head since grade 1. no matter how bad of a communicator you are the info you have is still written and and can be read.
Reading and writing, in my opinion, are soft skills. Although they are skills that are taught, they are learned early in life so that you have a foundation to learn every other skill you will need in life. I mean, someone taught you to walk and talk as well, are they hard skills? If you consider things literally, every skill is a hard skill; you are taught either directly or indirectly. I feel that reading, writing, talking, adn wlking are all the soft or foundation skills.
Listening skills can be 'taught' and learned. Does that make them a hard skill?
I believe Reading and Writing to be soft skills. They are mandatory skills taught in schools, but i don't consider them to be technical in nature. I learned that hard skills are technical skills that are taught, so i consider them to be soft skills.
Reading & writing are Hard or Soft “Skill”? It’s a bit hard to discussion, because I personal think ones you have to be toughs a skill its hard skill. They are so many Languages in the world if you did not need to learn them, and then everyone would just read & writ them all
I think a misconception is that 'any' skill that is 'taught' is a hard skill. All skills are taught to us, so why is it that soft skills are the type that are not taught? Is that even possible?
I believe that reading and writing are soft skills while you may have to learn to read and write correctly it can still be done without being taught. Hard skills I believe are skills that require some sort of physical effort. Now if you were writing Hieroglyphics that I would consider a hard skill because you would have to draw the different shapes.
This is just one man’s opinion.
first of I would like to say thank you for James Ryan for the opportunity you gave us to exchange our ideas and learn from eah other.
The study shows that hard skills are those skills that lend themselves to testing and typically have academic basis. Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that may be required in a given context. Hard skills are typically easy to observe, quantify and measure. If we agree with that, then, writing is some thing we learn it from some one.
“What about if a person were writing or drawing something, without no one understand the meaning?”
You may write or draw something you only understand the meaning, and if that skill is not transferred from some one to you, in my opinion it is a soft skill.
Reading; you may read and understand common signs or abstracts by just living with society with out learning how to read.
If your Skill are not lend them selves to testing and are very much hard to isolate that would be categorize in a soft skill, but if you learn it from some one, again in my opinion, it will be consider as Hard Skill.
there are plenty of skills which are not white or black but grey.
I would say reading and writing is are hard skills from what I can tell. Soft skills are more social skills. Hard skills are more defined.
I believe that reading and writing are soft skills while you may have to learn to read and write correctly it can still be done without being taught. Hard skills I believe are skills that require some sort of physical effort. Now if you were writing Hieroglyphics that I would consider a hard skill because you would have to draw the different shapes.
This is just one man's opinion.
I understand and belive reading and writing are a soft skill, as soft skills build personal qualities.
I belive reading and writing are the foundation for what makes a person a good candidate for a particular job.
I believe that reading and writing are hard skills. even though its something we would observe are whole life, we wouldn't fully understand it, unless we are taught its true meaning.
Some things to consider:
“Workforce.com, 67% of managers would hire an applicant with strong soft skills, even if their technical skills were lacking.”
“Soft Skills are anything that enables you to influence others, to pitch ideas, and to successfully persuade others to take action. Think about how much of your role involves influencing and persuading others to take action. Although many think they can gain advancement through more education, training or other hard skills, the most effective way to move forward in your career is to focus on upgrading your soft skills. We live in a world where most professionals emphasize their hard skills. Hard skills are the education, knowledge and skills you need to practice your specific profession.”
“One of the great career myths is that if you get a great education, this will automatically lead to a great career. A great education is a 'hard' skill”
“To become very successful, you will need to certainly develop your soft skills – your body language, clear communication, use of language, dress, confidence level and handshake.”
“The ultimate example of the role your soft skills play is the job interview.”
“The reality is that you need both soft and hard skills, but paying attention and developing both is important. How many hours and how much money did you invest getting your education (a hard skill)? How much time and money have you invested strengthening your soft skills? We invest in what we believe will help move our careers forward – invest wisely.”