Sean Breheny cornell.edu> writes: >=20 > Hmm. Well, firstly, I would expect that this would be among the skills > that people pick up along the way from family, mentors, good managers, > etc. In addition, I was taught it in 8th grade by several teachers, > then again in high school speech class, and then used it at many > points in University, long before my first full-time job. I know that > many people fail to realize this or at least to practice it (like the > example someone gave here of yelling at someone in order to try to get > them to help you), but I would think that most people on this list who > have significant work experience would already know these simple > points. >=20 > You are certainly right that it seems that education to many people > today seems to mean simply learning a particular set of skills in one > field, and that "people skills" or "human skills" are very important - > it's just that it seems strange to me that people have to be taught > these in an explicit class on them - it should be a part of growing > up. >=20 > Sean Sure, most people learn how to interact through family, mentors etc. "Norm= al" interactions are very different from "management" interactions though. =20 I found that going through MBA made me better at communication in a workpla= ce and much better in managing people. Usually interactions with families and friends have very different dynamics compared to workplace, at least at pla= ces I have worked at.=20 Sergey Dryga http://beaglerobotics.com --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .