5 Soft Skills Clusters – Soft Skills Development Framework

Five Soft Skills Clusters
(download pdf)

In order to facilitate training, development, practice, and application across various areas of life—not just career development—I have developed a simple framework (The 5 Soft Skills Clusters) that includes key behavioral indicators.

Communication Skills
The ability to send and receive clear messages

Decision Making & Problem Solving Skills
The ability to recognize, create, and choose effective options & solutions

Teamwork & Collaboration Skills
The ability to work with others toward a common goal or objective

Self-Management & Professionalism Skills
The ability to demonstrate behaviors and character traits on par with the highest standards of your role or position

Leadership, Influence, & Persuasion Skills
The ability to inspire and move people to action

NOTE: There are dozens of soft skills in each cluster. Many soft skills fit into multiple clusters. For example, conflict management is part of teamwork, leadership, problem solving, and communication. If you find yourself thinking, “This skill could be or should be part of a different cluster,” you are probably right.

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Definition of Soft Skills

Soft skills are personal abilities that improve human performance and facilitate effective interactions amongst people. (Duncan, 2013)

1. Soft skills are also known as: character skills, character strengths, interpersonal skills, noncognitive skills, people skills, performance values, essential skills, and power skills.
2. Introductory video series on soft skills: What Are Soft Skills and How Can They Give You A Competitive Advantage?
3. To suggest edits or additions please let me know on LinkedIn or use the contact page.
4. Sources are either cited (linked to) throughout or listed at the bottom of this page.
   

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Communication Skills

Examples:

Active Listening

Communication

— Verbal (Oral) Communication
— Nonverbal Communication
— Written Communication

Negotiation

Presentation Skills 

Public Speaking

Rapport

Storytelling

Writing

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Decision Making & Problem Solving Skills

Examples:

Creativity

Critical Thinking

Decision Making

Innovation

Problem Solving

Resourcefulness

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Teamwork & Collaboration Skills

Examples:

Collaboration

Cooperation

Dependability

Diversity 

Teamwork

Team Oriented

Team Player

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Self-Management & Professionalism Skills

Examples:

Adaptability

Attitude

Character

Character Strengths

Compassion

Concentration

Conscientiousness

Curiosity

Creativity

Diligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI, EQ)

Empathy

Enthusiasm

Flexibility

Focus

Grit

Growth Mindset/Fixed Mindset

Initiative

Integrity

Optimism

Organizational skills

Perseverance

Persistence

Personal Responsibility

Resilience

Self-Control

Self-Discipline

Self-Regulation

Time Management  

Work ethic

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Leadership, Influence, & Persuasion Skills

Examples:

Conflict Management

Conflict Resolution

Delegation (Sharing Leadership & Authority)

Influence

Leadership

Leadership Agility

Persuasion  

Selling

Talent Management

Team Building

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miscellaneous terms related to soft skills

Action step

Active Learning

Behavioral Indicators

Character Education (Character Development)

Coaching

Competitive Advantage

Customer Service

Deliberate Practice

Determination

Ethics

Executive Functions

Fail-Forward

Global Competence

Goal setting

Interpersonal

Intrapersonal

Mentoring

Motivation

Networking 

Noncognitive skills

People skills

Performance values

Personal Branding

Personal Development 

Personal Effectiveness

Personality

Philosophy

Professional Development 

Pro-Social Behavior

Positive Youth Development (PYD)

Self-Efficacy

Self-Improvement

Self-Reflection

Social Responsibility

Social Emotional Learning

Volition

Willpower

Youth Development

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Sources:

1. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory: An Introduction
2. Comparative Analysis of Soft Skills (Michigan State University)
3. Critical Thinking Community
4. Curious About Curiosity
5. Emotional Intelligence Consortium
6. Emotional Intelligence Glossary of Terms
7. FindYouthInfo.gov
8. Heckman Equation
9. How Children Succeed: Q & A with Paul Tough
10. Leading In The Heat Of Conflict
11. MDRC
12. Mentor
13. Merriam-Webster Dictionary
14. The Resilience Research Centre
15. The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance
16. Three Kinds of Empathy
17. University Of Michigan Center For Research On Learning And Teaching
18. VIA^® Institute On Character
19. Wikipedia