Social competence encompass the range of knowledge, skills and understandings that individuals develop to successfully navigate social situations that often present choices, challenges and opportunities. A key component of social competence is the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of social norms and dynamics; social awareness and social cognition involving the interpretation and understanding of social signals, intentions and emotions; behavioural skills including group cooperation, conflict resolution and leadership; and a pro-social attitude meaning the pursuit of a situation that is beneficial to others without expectation of self-benefit. Check out our glossary, which collects the most important terms related to developing social skills!
Compendium of social competence concepts
Confidence in social situations is often linked to effective communication skills, including assertiveness, active listening and clear expression. Confident people can communicate their thoughts, feelings and needs assertively and respectfully, promoting positive and constructive interactions with others.
Include activities that engage not only in performing tasks but also in thinking critically about them. Any form of interaction provides an opportunity to recognise, analyse or practice social skills.
The ability to adapt actions and attitudes to the demands of different social situations, effectively navigating different environments and interactions.
One of the key higher order skills that involves expressing one’s thoughts, feelings and needs confidently and respectfully. Assertive people are able to stand up for themselves while taking into account the perspectives and feelings of others.
Knowledge of the possible and best ways to behave in a given situation, understanding the potential consequences of different actions, and competence in group processes such as cooperation, conflict resolution and leadership.
Individuals with strong social skills excel at making friends and nurturing close relationships over time. They understand the importance of empathy, active listening and support in building meaningful relationships with others.
The ability to be comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity in social interactions, remaining composed and adaptable even in unfamiliar or difficult situations. The person sees social encounters as opportunities for growth and learning, taking advantage of opportunities to expand his interpersonal skills.
The general ability to perform well in a specific task domain, which requires not only the possession of a range of specific skills, but also a general understanding of the domain (knowledge), as well as specific attitudes that help one to perform well in that domain.
Behaviour that fosters or maintains positive interactions with others, is socially congruent, does not incur excessive psychophysiological costs and is adaptive both immediately and in the long term under the given conditions. |
Putting honesty, justice and moral principles first, helping to build trust and respect in your social circles.
The ability to interact effectively and face social challenges. The person trusts their social skills, communication skills, and ability to make meaningful connections with others.
Dealing constructively with disagreements, finding mutually beneficial solutions and maintaining positive relationships.
One principle to help develop social competence. Social competence programmes should include culturally relevant scenarios and practices.
The entity works effectively with others, communicates openly and transparently, and adheres to the principles of honesty and trustworthiness. |
Managing situations effectively by coping with social anxiety, navigating unfamiliar environments and adapting to unexpected social challenges.
Behaviour that leads to the subject’s well-being or enables the subject to achieve his or her own goals.
Intrapersonal skills include coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and frustration. People with strong intrapersonal skills can effectively regulate their emotions or affect maintain self-control and remain calm in difficult situations.
The ability to recognise, understand and manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. It includes empathy, assertiveness, relationship skills and stress management. People with high emotional intelligence can better communicate, collaborate and make decisions based on emotions, which promotes effective social interactions.
A set of principles and values that define standards of behaviour in an organisation, institution or community.
Knowledge of self and socio-cultural context (norms, expected behaviour, etc.) and relevant skills.
The skills required to communicate effectively with others. They include verbal, non-verbal and para-linguistic communication channels. Verbal communication involves using language to convey thoughts, feelings and information, while non-verbal communication includes gestures, facial expressions and body language. Para-linguistic communication refers to elements such as tone of voice, pitch and rhythm that complement verbal communication and convey additional meaning.
Information about conduct or behaviour that leads to action to confirm or develop that conduct or behaviour.
A desire to help others and share resources, knowledge and support, and lends a helping hand to those in need and contributes to the well-being of his community through acts of kindness and generosity.
The ability to perceive and process information provided by other people. They include the ability to accurately interpret verbal and non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language and tone of voice, in order to understand the thoughts, feelings and desires of others. Furthermore, interpersonal skills include empathy, which involves identifying with another person by taking their perspective (cognitive empathy) and sharing their emotions (affective empathy). Active listening, a key element of interpersonal skills, involves full concentration on what is being said, understanding the message and responding thoughtfully.
It’s a higher-order skill. It involves approaching others, starting conversations and engaging in dialogue in a way that promotes connection and understanding.
The ability to do something necessary or helpful to the subject but does not relate directly to other people, such as intrapersonal skills, such as stress management, is strongly linked to social competence. In contrast, others do not have such an obvious link, for example, the ability to organise learning. |
The cognitive result of the assimilation of facts and figures, concepts, ideas and theories that are already established in a given field. Knowledge can be acquired and developed in the context of the formal education system, in the non-formal system of structured learning outside the education system and in informal settings through life experience.
The ability to inspire, motivate and guide others towards common goals and understand group dynamics, delegate effectively and foster collaboration between team members.
Achievement of mutually satisfactory agreements through communication and compromise, and motivating others by inspiring and encouraging individuals to achieve their goals.
Subject is not disruptive, does not display aggression, and does not drop out of studies. Demonstrates respect for rules and norms, engages in constructive interactions and positively contributes to the social environment.
Intrapersonal skills include planning and decision-making abilities. People with strong intrapersonal skills can set goals, develop strategies and make informed decisions to achieve desired outcomes.
The ability to recognise one’s value and contribution in the social environment leads to a sense of empowerment and confidence in interactions with others.
It is an attitude and behaviour to focus on the well-being of others, rather than on personal gain. It includes a wide range of actions key to the common good, such as helping, cooperating, sharing, protecting, caring, and implementing social norms.
Willingness to act according to norms and expectations and with respect for other people; at a higher level, it means having the disposition and motivation to act for the good of others.
Intrapersonal skills include problem-solving skills, enabling individuals to identify challenges, analyse situations and generate effective solutions. Practical problem-solving skills would allow individuals to overcome obstacles and achieve goals.
The ability to recognise and acknowledge the common interests of self and others, seek to find common ground and work together towards common goals, promoting cooperation and harmony in the social environment.
Include the expression and management of emotions, beliefs, needs, and expectations in interpersonal relationships; the ability to express liking, attachment, and positive or negative affective experiences; and the ability to describe and evaluate behaviour or personal characteristics, and to engage in cooperative, dependent behaviour and self-presentation.
The ability to learns from their experiences and maintain a positive attitude towards future interactions.
The ability to demonstrate sensitivity to differences in background, culture and embrace diversity as enriching and valuable, showing tolerance and acceptance towards others who may have different beliefs or identities.
It involves recognising and understanding one’s own emotions, thoughts and behaviour. Self-aware people can accurately identify their values, needs, strengths and limitations.
The belief that one can meet the demands of social situations; belief in one’s skills, abilities, and judgment in social interactions.
The ability to perform a task well. A skill is something that is acquired and that can be improved by various means, mainly through learning and practice.
Awareness of the interrelationship between one’s own behaviour or feelings and the functioning of others in a given situation. It includes processing social information, i.e. interpreting and understanding social signals, intentions and emotions.
Performed in social situations, a well-learned behaviour or an automatic sequence of behaviours that is relatively situation-specific and over time has become motor reflexive and independent of motivational or cognitive influences – that is, it is performed with little or no conscious intention.
Concepts characterise pro-social people. Take social initiative and demonstrate a sense of responsibility towards others and their community. Proactively identify opportunities to positively impact, take responsibility for their actions and contribute to collective wellbeing.
The ability to take social initiative and demonstrate responsibility towards others and their community. Proactively identifies opportunities to make a positive impact, takes responsibility for their actions and contributes to collective well-being.
Informal, mostly unwritten rules that define acceptable and appropriate actions within a group or community. |
Situations in which other people (individually or collectively) are involved – as action partners, observers, sources of influence exerted on the individual or objects of influence exerted by them.
The ability to do something necessary or helpful to interact with others, acquired through training and practice.
Understanding and considering what is expected or required of oneself in a given situation and adapting behaviour to social norms, cultural expectations and situational cues.