, are the same set of skills required by many other white-collar work. Such skills differ to hard skills, which are the vocational skills required to do your job.

For success in

. However, project manager soft skills can be difficult to prove, so it’s essential to show-off such skills at interview and provide examples on your CV.

Project management soft skills

The work of project managers involves not only managing teams, and ensuring deadlines and budgets are met, but also working with stakeholders. When engaging with stakeholders, project manager soft skills will be sorely tested especially when dealing with senior people across functional boundaries. This can be extremely challenging when such senior people have a much higher level of authority than the project manager.

The Association for Project Management (APM) in the UK recommends project managers have the soft skills listed below as core competencies.

Communication

Communication means relaying information or instructions to other people. It is a vital skill for project managers. Communication can be verbal or non-verbal but must be regular and accurate. The language used should be clear, objective and non-emotive. Listening is also a crucial part of communication.

Conflict management

Conflicts arise due to disagreement, conflicting values, and miscommunication. It causes teams to lack morale, productivity, and harmony. This can cause project failure, so conflict must be dissipated quickly. Conflict can be reduced by setting clear expectations at the start of the project.

Delegation

This is the act of giving team members responsibilities. It can be a way of motivating people to reach their full potential. Project managers must know who has the correct skills, working style and knowledge for the work. Feedback and reward mechanisms should be implemented.

Influencing

Leaders must be good influencers. This skill involves affecting the behaviours and actions of the team and stakeholders. It’s better to influence rather than authoritative, so people become willing rather than obedient. This requires empathy and understanding. Influencers must also communicate their vision and generate positivity for the project.

Leadership

Project managers are leaders. They must inspire, direct, empower and influence their team. Transformational leadership is recommended. This is where leaders help the team succeed and become leaders themselves. They help the team transform and achieve more than was intended. They should mentor their team, celebrate success and constructive feedback should be a two-way thing.

Negotiation

This is when two parties try to reach an agreement. Negotiation usually occurs when agreeing project time, cost, quality, and scope with stakeholders, or signing contracts with suppliers. It also happens when resolving conflict. Good negotiators communicate well, control their emotions, set limits, listen to the other party, and know when to close the deal. They come prepared and know when to walk away.

Teamwork

Teamwork is when a group work together towards a common goal. It works best when people with complementary skills, personalities and different strengths/weaknesses commit to an objective. Project managers must keep the team together via motivation, support, and communication of project goals.

• On the job experience
• TED Talks videos on YouTube

Some of the soft skills required for project management are briefly covered on courses like APM PFQ . This course is a great choice for anyone just starting a project-based career. It is recognized in all industries as proof of project management skills .

Dale Carnegie’s two bestselling books How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living are ideal for developing your influencing and communication skills, as well as your attitude to work. The latter will help you become more proactive.

Other recommended books include Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey and Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg and Deepak Chopra.

These days, so much help is available online and offline. If you need to improve your soft skills to become a better project manager , help is out there.

View soft skills infographic

Mariana Magalhães Project Manager at Forty8Creates

Mariana’s interest in the correlation between social media, data and strategy lead her to work in digital marketing. She started working with Forty8Creates as a Social Media Assistant and worked her way up to become Project Manager. She manages multiple client briefs, communicating client needs to team members and ensuring prompt project delivery .

Nicci Beacham Project Manager at Liberty Marketing

Nicci is a Project Manager at Liberty Marketing. She has over 7 years of experience working within the FMCG, Design and Digital Marketing sectors. Nicci began her career as a Project Coordinator managing packaging design for a British soft drink brand, before moving into digital marketing.

Liberty is the largest digital agency in Wales, with clients such as Universal Publishing Production Music, Pizza Express and Penguin Books.