---
title: "What Is Soft skills? Dental Practice Glossary | Copeland Consulting Services"
description: "Interpersonal and thinking skills, such as listening, empathy, teamwork and clear speech, that help people work well with others and perform effectively in the..."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/soft-skills
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Leadership and communication

# Soft skills

Interpersonal and thinking skills, such as listening, empathy, teamwork and clear speech, that help people work well with others and perform effectively in the workplace.

Soft skills are interpersonal and thinking skills used at work. O\*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor occupational database, says many employers value workers with soft skills, which it describes as the interpersonal and thinking skills needed to interact successfully with people and to perform efficiently and effectively in the workplace.

Examples include communication, teamwork, problem solving and professionalism. Skills such as [active listening](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/active-listening) and [emotional intelligence](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/emotional-intelligence) fall in this group. In dental teams they support [team communication](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/team-communication) and patient trust.

The term is informal, and lists differ by source. Soft skills are not a replacement for clinical competence. They sit alongside it. This entry is a general definition only.

[Next stepPractice consulting with Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact?topic=consulting)

## Related terms

-   [Active listening](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/active-listening)
-   [Emotional intelligence](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/emotional-intelligence)
-   [Team communication](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/team-communication)
-   [Leadership](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/leadership)

## Sources

1.  [O\*NET OnLine, Soft Skills Custom List](https://online.onetcenter.org/skills/)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)