An Inventory of Personal Group Skills

This practice develops the social skills needed for effective human relating and collaborating. As adults, we often assume that these skills are in place because they are “so obvious.” But are they? Think how often communication breaks down simply because people are not listening to one another. Real listening is a complex skill that takes practice.

There are two phases to this inventory.

Phase 1 is a personal inventory of your own social skills–skills that can have a dramatic impact on the quality of your interpersonal encounters.

Phase 2 is an inventory of your social skills by another person.

Introduction to the Practice
Studies show that a wide range of collaborative skills is necessary for effective one-to-one and group interpersonal relationships. In this practice you have an opportunity to analyze your social skills and find ways to improve them.

Getting Started
For this practice you need to enlist the help of someone you trust and who trusts you, with whom you can be very honest and open. This person should be someone who is interested in exploring ways to improve interpersonal skills.

Basic Process
The first exercise asks you to evaluate your own social skills, and the second exercise asks your friend to evaluate your skills. Don’t worry—these are not “sensitivity training” exercises. This time is simply for self-assessment and, if appropriate, an occasion for thinking about ways to change your interpersonal functioning. Follow exercise 1 immediately with exercise 2.

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Phase 1: Analysis of the Self BY the Self

1. You and your partner fill out the inventory for yourselves, considering how you operate as part of a group.

Rank yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 for each skill listed

5 = highly skilled
4 = shows promise
3 = average
2 = needs work
1 = trouble area

Don’t share the results of your inventory until both have finished.
Below is one form for each person.

Inventory of Collaborative Social Skills

                            First Person

3. Spend a moment individually reflecting on the the items in each column.

• What strikes me immediately?
• What did I expect? What surprises me?
• What connections do I see within a column?