Components of Soft Skills: The 6Ts
Source: Dev.to
Summary
- Soft skills are emergent in nature.
- The components include the following 6 Ts:
Tools
- Tool
- Technique
- Thought
- Tenet
Actions
5. Training
6. Test
Background
Soft skills are crucial even in DevRel and DevEx. That’s why I launched Soft Skills Engineering, abbreviated SSE.
Just as software engineers propose optimal software, analyze the current state, improve what exists, and develop new solutions, soft‑skills engineers propose optimal soft skills, analyze the current state, improve what exists, and develop new ones.
What Exactly Are Soft Skills?
“Soft skills” can be a vague concept, so here is a definition and its components.
Soft Skills Are Emergent
First and foremost, soft skills (or, more generally, skills) are emergent.
Emergence means “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (also called supermodularity). Emergent phenomena cannot be described simply as a collection of independent parts.
The same applies to soft skills. For example, consider the soft skill communication. It is not merely A + B + C; its components are complex, diverse, and ambiguous. If you ask ten people to list the components of communication, you’ll likely receive ten different answers.
Components of Soft Skills: The 6 Ts
Although soft skills are emergent, they can be broken down into six components, grouped into tools and actions. These are not proficiency levels.
Tools
1. Tool
A Tool is anything you use. Beyond software and hardware, templates and checklists also count.
Examples for the soft skill “communication”:
- Slack
- Outlook or Google Calendar (meeting tools)
- GitHub Issues (ticket management)
2. Technique
A Technique is a methodology, method, or process—linguistically described steps and hints meant to be executed or used as references.
Examples for “communication”:
- Brainstorming, Open Space Technology (OST)
- Text‑Based 1‑on‑1
- Rapid Q&A
3. Thought
A Thought encompasses interpretations and concepts. These are ideas meant to be understood, discussed, and applied.
Examples for “communication”:
- Psychological safety
- QWINCS – categorization of communication‑tool types (Q&A, Wiki, Issues, Notes, Chat, Sticky boards)
- Dry Behavior – interacting with generative AI (and humans) in a “dry” manner
In SSE, Thought is the most critical component. It represents concept hypothesis testing: building understandable concepts, discussing them, and turning them into Techniques or Tools for experimentation.
4. Tenet
A Tenet refers to cultures, dynamics, or beliefs—more fundamental and harder to change than Thoughts. They are articulated principles.
Examples for “communication”:
- A company culture that requires all employees to work in the office every day
- A manager’s belief that “1‑on‑1 meetings must be face‑to‑face”
- Corporate cultures such as “Starting with brainstorming, ending with brainstorming” (Kayac vision) or GitLab’s all‑remote approach (GitLab handbook)
Actions
5. Training
Training denotes practice—acting out or articulating your understanding and documenting it. Documentation (code, configs, or written explanations) is a key part of training. It can be done privately or publicly, but it is always self‑contained.
6. Test
Test means trial. It involves using the developed Tools, Techniques, Thoughts, and Tenets, showing them to others, observing reactions, or having others try them. SSE embraces a mindset of constant trials, whether informal personal experiments or formal team roll‑outs.
Re‑examining Soft Skills Engineering
New Development
Developing new soft skills, e.g., Task Engineering, creative thinking, exploration, and crossover concepts like Project vs Transject.
Wide Contribution
Sharing the 4 Ts and 2 Ts broadly—blog posts, documentation, study sessions, events.
Deep Contribution
Tailoring and supporting the 6 Ts for specific individuals, teams, or organizations.
I am eager to promote this emerging field, especially in today’s era of generative AI. If you need support or wish to hire me, please feel free to contact me.
Conclusion
How was it? I hope this article gave you a sense of Soft Skills Engineering. We began by stating that soft skills are emergent, then introduced the 6 Ts as components: the four tool‑related Ts (Tool, Technique, Thought, Tenet) and the two action‑related Ts (Training, Test).