We present to your attention several simple questions. Answer quickly, unambiguously: “Yes”, “No”, “Sometimes” and put an X in the appropriate column.

Test task

№	Question	Yes	Sometimes	No
1	You are about to have an ordinary or business meeting. Does her anticipation unsettle you?
2	Do you feel confused or displeased when asked to deliver a report, message, or information at a meeting, gathering, or similar event?
3	Do you put off visiting a doctor until the last moment?
4	You are offered to go on a business trip to a city where you have never been. Will you make every effort to avoid this business trip?
5	Do you like to share your experiences with anyone?
6	Do you get annoyed if a stranger on the street asks you (to show the way, tell the time, answer some question)?
7	Do you believe that there is a problem of “fathers and sons” and that people different generations is it difficult to understand each other?
8	Are you embarrassed to remind a friend that he forgot to return the money he borrowed several months ago?
9	You were served an obviously poor quality dish in a restaurant or canteen. Will you remain silent and only angrily push your plate away?
10	If you find yourself alone with a stranger, you will not enter into a conversation with him and will be burdened if he speaks first. Is this true?
11	You are horrified by any long line, no matter where it is (in a store, library, cinema box office). Would you prefer to give up your intention or stand in the back and languish in anticipation?
12	Are you afraid to participate in any commission for considering conflict situations?
13	Do you have your own purely individual criteria You do not accept evaluations of works of literature, art, culture and any other people’s opinions on this matter. Is that so?
14	Having heard somewhere on the sidelines expressing a clearly erroneous point of view on an issue that is well known to you, do you prefer to remain silent and not engage in conversation?
15	Do you feel annoyed when someone asks you to help them understand a particular work issue or educational topic?
16	Are you more willing to express your point of view (opinion, assessment) in writing than orally?

The key to the Ryakhovsky test, a method for assessing the level of sociability

Description

Ryakhovsky’s test for assessing the level of sociability and communication skills contains the ability to determine the level of a person’s sociability. The test taker must answer questions using three answer options: “Yes,” “Sometimes,” and “No.”

Processing the results

Count the number of points for each answer: “Yes” – 2 points, “Sometimes” – 1 point, “No” – 0 points.

Sum up the points received and use the classifier to determine which category the subject belongs to.

Interpretation of the result

30–31 points. You are clearly uncommunicative, and this is your misfortune, since you yourself suffer the most from this. But it’s not easy for people close to you either. It is difficult to rely on you in a matter that requires group effort. Try to be more sociable, control yourself.

25–29 points. You are reserved, taciturn, prefer loneliness, so you have few friends. New job and the need for new contacts, if they do not plunge you into panic, then take you out of balance for a long time. You know this feature of your character and are dissatisfied with yourself. But don’t limit yourself to such dissatisfaction - you have the power to reverse these character traits. Doesn’t it happen that with any strong passion you suddenly acquire complete communication skills? You just have to shake yourself up.

19–24 points. You are to a certain extent sociable and feel quite confident in unfamiliar surroundings. New problems don't scare you. And yet, approach new people with caution; you are reluctant to participate in disputes and disputes. Your statements sometimes contain too much sarcasm without any justification. These shortcomings can be corrected.

14–18 points. Your communication skills are normal. You are inquisitive, willingly listen to an interesting interlocutor, patient enough in communication, defend your point of view without temper. You go to meet new people without any unpleasant experiences. At the same time, you don’t like noisy companies; extravagant antics and verbosity irritate you.

9–13 points. You are very sociable (sometimes, perhaps even beyond measure). They are curious, talkative, and like to speak out on various issues, which sometimes irritates others. Be willing to meet new people. You love to be the center of attention, you don’t refuse anyone’s requests, although you can’t always fulfill them. Sometimes you get angry, but quickly move away. What you lack is perseverance, patience and courage when faced with serious problems. If you wish, however, you can force yourself not to retreat.

4–8 points. You must be a "shirt guy." Sociability flows out of you. You are always aware of everything. You love to take part in all discussions, although serious topics can give you a migraine or even the blues. You willingly take the floor on any issue, even if you have a superficial understanding of it. Everywhere you feel at ease. You take on any task, although you cannot always successfully complete it. For this very reason, managers and colleagues treat you with some caution and doubt. Think about these facts.

3 points or less. Your communication skills are painful. You are talkative, verbose, and interfere in matters that have nothing to do with you. You undertake to judge problems in which you are completely incompetent. Knowingly or unwittingly, you are often the cause various kinds conflicts in your environment. You are quick-tempered, touchy, and often biased. Serious work is not for you. People - at work, at home, and everywhere in general - have a hard time with you. Yes, you need to work on yourself and your character! First of all, cultivate patience and restraint, treat people with respect, and finally think about your health - this lifestyle does not pass without a trace.

Two cases on assessing communication skills.

High-quality employee interaction is an important issue for any organization. Good communication skills help in any endeavor. However, in some areas, such skills are absolutely necessary to perform professional duties, and in others they are not. For example, the work of a financial analyst or accountant, as a rule, they are not visible, employees rarely see them, so the communication skills of people in this position do not particularly affect the results of their work. But for those who are involved in sales, marketing, PR, the ability to establish relationships with people is necessary first and foremost.

How to correctly assess a candidate’s communication skills during an interview? Let's look at two different interview tasks.

First task: Suppose you need to find a sales manager bitumen shingles for the company . Obviously, in order to hire the right candidate you will have to assess a potential employee's communication skills, and examine how a person interacts in a team to determine compatibility with the company's culture, where communication skills are defined as "the desire for long-term partnerships with others inside and outside the organization."

Second task for interviews with candidates for positions where effective communication is a mandatory professional skill on which the result of the work depends. It is necessary to assess the degree of development of the employee’s following abilities:

• easily establishes contact with strangers;
• adjusts his communication style, taking into account the characteristics of the interlocutor;
• responds adequately to the interlocutor’s facial expressions and gestures, pauses, maintains eye contact;
• communicates politely and openly;
• speaks competently, the tone is confident (not aggressive or apologetic);
• creates comfortable atmosphere communication.

Solution to problem No. 1 - use questions:
1. If you are asked to do work that is not your responsibility functional responsibilities, what will you answer?
2. How did you behave when discussing your dissatisfaction with your boss?
3. Tell me about your most unpleasant employee. How do you communicate with him? How did you deal with this situation?

Answering this question, the candidate may begin to say something completely different from what he does, and slightly distort reality, because he wants to get the job. If suddenly the candidate begins to describe his behavior very “sweetly”, use provocation - play along that you do not agree, “Well, why do you need this? He deliberately does not share information with colleagues / does not complete his piece of work on time / (at this point, name the actions of that unpleasant colleague that the candidate spoke about), and you “strain yourself” and correct the situation. You're spending working hours not on your direct responsibilities\or you cover up the negligence of a company employee/encourage the employee’s unproductive actions, leading to poor results for the entire team!”

And here's the trap: the candidate will adhere to the initial opinion or change it and adapt to the interviewer’s hint that he needs to behave differently.

4. Tell us about yourself difficult case communication with your supervisor.
5. Describe a situation where you achieved a desired result, having calculated in advance the impact of your words or actions.
6. What do you do or say to create good business relations?
7. When was the last time a colleague asked you for help?
8. Remember a situation when you needed help in solving an important task. Who did you contact? How did you choose? the right person. How did you ask for help?
9. Were your expectations met? How has this situation affected your relationship with this person?

While listening to the story, keep track of the facts:

• how receptive the candidate is to the feelings and emotions of other people;
• does he know how to build and maintain friendly, warm relations and contacts with people;
• offers assistance to colleagues and helps if necessary;
• motivates and supports colleagues, helps them feel their strength and importance.

And be provocative if the interviewee is prone to socially desirable answers.

When solving problem No. 1, remember: there are no right or wrong candidate answers. IN in this case it is important to determine the compatibility of a person’s communication methods with the requirements corporate culture companies.

Solution to problem No. 2 - use different methods: cases and STAR-method.

Case 1: “Imagine that I am your potential client. Tell me about the product you are selling/advertising/promoting.”

When listening to a candidate, pay attention to:

• What kind of presentation is this: dry, “live”, has a clear structure?
• Makes a presentation of a product/service without involving you in dialogue, does not involve you in communication or vice versa, asks questions, actively reacts to your verbal and non-verbal manifestations

When interviewing a candidate for a sales position, monitor the level of proficiency in the following abilities:

• How thoroughly does he know the features and properties of the product;
• How to answer questions about the product;
• When talking about a product, he uses the formula: properties, advantages and benefits.

Case 2, “well-worn”, and yet very effective: “Sell me..... (name any item in the room).”

HR often use this case to study the candidate’s activity, his energy, the presence of “fire” in his eyes, the structure and emotionality of his speech.

I also suggest keeping track of the following facts:

• Where did you start? Did you ask the right open-ended questions?
• To further clarify the client’s (i.e. you) needs, does he ask clarifying questions?
• Actively listens to you, appropriately paraphrases (clarifies) your expressions?

If these factors are present at a well-developed level, you have a Professional in front of you!

Questions on the STAR methodology for assessment professional competence"Communication skills":

• Why do people buy goods or pay for services?
• How long does it take you to complete a transaction from initial contact?
• How do you turn a casual customer into a regular one?
• What three questions do you always ask your client at the first meeting?
• What are the three main benefits for your customers when purchasing your company's products?
• Have you received sales training?
• What's your favorite sales book?
• Have you ever sold over the phone?
• What do you know about the manufacturing process for your products?
• Who are your company's main competitors?
• What type of work rewards bring you the most satisfaction?
• Describe the most difficult deal you have made. How did you do it?

We wish you productive interviews and professional communication skills!

We offer you a test that will show your level of communication skills. Are you withdrawn, taciturn and prefer loneliness, or, conversely, are you sociable beyond measure.

When reading the questions, the possible answers are “yes”, “no”, “sometimes”.

1. You are about to have an ordinary business meeting. Does waiting for her unsettle you?

2. Do you put off going to the doctor until you feel worse?

3. Does giving a presentation at a meeting make you nervous or uncomfortable?

4. You are offered to go on a business trip to a city where you have never been. Will you make every effort to avoid it?

5. Do you like to share your experiences with anyone?

6. Do you get annoyed if a stranger on the street asks you a request?

7. Do you believe that there is a problem of “fathers” and “sons”, that it is difficult for people of different generations to understand each other?

8. Would you be embarrassed to remind a friend that he forgot to return the small amount of money he borrowed from you?

9. The restaurant served you an obviously low-quality dish. Will you remain silent?

10. If you find yourself alone with a stranger, will you start a conversation with him or will you wait for him to speak first?

11. When you see a long line, will you give up your intentions to buy something or will you stand at the end of the long line?

12. Having heard somewhere on the sidelines expressing a clearly erroneous point of view on an issue that is well known to you, do you prefer to remain silent and not enter into an argument?

13. Do you have your own criteria for evaluating music, painting, art and do you not accept any other opinions?

14. Are you afraid to participate in any conflict resolution commission?

15. Do you feel annoyed when someone asks you to help them sort out a particular official issue?

16. Are you more willing to express your point of view in in writing than orally?

Evaluation of results:

“yes” - 2 points, “sometimes” - 1 point, “no” - 0 points.

Calculate your total points.

Results:

30-32 points. You are clearly not sociable and this is your problem, since you yourself suffer from this. But it’s not easy for people close to you either. It is difficult to rely on you in a matter that requires business efforts. Still, try to become at least a little more sociable.

25-29 points. You are reserved, taciturn, prefer to be alone and probably have few or no friends. A new job and the need for new contacts throw you off balance. You know this feature of your character and are dissatisfied with yourself. It is in your power to change these character traits. After all, with any strong passion, do you “suddenly” acquire complete communication skills? All you have to do is shake yourself up.

19-24 points. You feel quite confident in an unfamiliar environment. New problems don't scare you. And yet you approach new people with caution; You are reluctant to participate in disputes and debates. There is a lot of sarcasm in your statements without any justification. Remember: these shortcomings can be corrected and you can too...

14-18 points. Your communication skills are normal. You are inquisitive, willingly listen to an interesting interlocutor, are patient enough in communicating with others, and defend your point of view without temper. Without unpleasant experiences, you meet other people halfway. At the same time, you don’t like noisy companies or extravagant antics; verbosity makes you irritated.

9-13 points. You are sociable (sometimes beyond measure). They are curious, talkative, and like to speak out on various issues, which sometimes irritates others. Are you willing to meet different people. You love to be the center of attention and do not refuse anyone’s requests, although you cannot always fulfill them. And sometimes you don’t do it? Isn't it? It happens that you lose your temper, but quickly move away. What you really lack is perseverance. Patience and courage when faced with serious problems. Do you agree? But if you want, you can force yourself not to retreat even an inch. If only there was this desire...

4-8 points. Yes, you must be just a “shirt guy.” Sociability flows out of you. You are always aware of everything. You love to take part in all discussions, although serious topics can give you migraines, even blues. You willingly take the floor on any issue, even if you have the most superficial understanding of it. You feel at ease everywhere. You take on any task, although you cannot always complete it. It is for this reason that managers and colleagues are internally wary of you.

3 points. Your communication skills are simply painful. You are talkative, verbose, and interfere in other people's affairs that have nothing to do with you. You undertake to judge problems in which you are incompetent. Knowingly or unwittingly, you are the cause of various kinds of conflicts in your environment. You are quick-tempered, touchy, and often biased towards the people around you. Serious work is not for you. People really have a hard time with you. Yes, you should, you should, you should work on yourself and your character. Cultivate patience in yourself. Restraint, respectful attitude towards others, and most importantly - think about your health. After all, the lifestyle you are leading now does not pass without a trace. Isn't it?

When reading the questions, the possible answers are: “yes”, “no”, “sometimes”.

1. You are about to have an ordinary business meeting. Does waiting for her unsettle you?

2. Do you put off visiting a doctor until it gets worse?

3. Do you feel embarrassed or unhappy about presenting a report at a meeting?

4. You are offered to go on a business trip to a city where you have never been. Will you make every effort to avoid it?

5. Do you like to share your experiences with anyone?

6. Do you get annoyed if a stranger on the street asks you a request?

7. Do you believe that there is a problem of “fathers and sons”, that it is difficult for people of different generations to understand each other?

8. Would you be embarrassed to remind a friend that he forgot to return the small amount of money he borrowed from you?

9. The restaurant served you an obviously low-quality dish. Will you remain silent or push your plate away angrily?

10. If you find yourself alone with a stranger, will you start a conversation with him or will you wait for him to speak first?

11. When you see a long line, will you give up your intentions to buy something or will you stand at the tail of the long line?

12. Having heard somewhere on the sidelines expressing a clearly erroneous point of view on an issue that is well known to you, do you prefer to remain silent and not enter into an argument?

13. Do you have your own criteria for evaluating music, painting, art, and do you not accept any other opinions?

14. Are you afraid to participate in any conflict resolution committee?

15. Do you feel annoyed by someone’s request for help in sorting out a particular official issue?

16. Are you more willing to express your point of view in writing than orally?

Answer ratings: “yes” - 2 points; "sometimes" - 1 point; "no" - 0 points.

Calculate your total points.

30 - 32 points You are clearly uncommunicative and this is your problem, since you yourself suffer from this. But it’s not easy for people close to you either. It is difficult to rely on you in a matter that requires business efforts. Still, try to become at least a little more sociable. Books by Igor Dobrotvorsky will help you with this. Even just by reading them, you will truly begin to attract success to yourself.

25 - 29 points. You are reserved, taciturn, prefer to be alone and probably have few or no friends. A new job and the need for new contacts throw you off balance. You know this feature of your character and are dissatisfied with yourself. It is in your power to change these character traits. After all, with any strong passion, do you “suddenly” acquire complete communication skills? You just need to “shake yourself up.”

19 - 24 points In a social and unfamiliar environment, you feel quite confident to a certain extent. New problems don't scare you. And yet you approach new people with caution; You are reluctant to participate in disputes and debates. There is a lot of sarcasm in your statements without any justification. Remember: these shortcomings can be corrected.

14 - 18 points. Your communication skills are normal. You are inquisitive, willingly listen to an interesting interlocutor, patient enough in communicating with others, defend your point of view without temper. You go to meetings with other people without any unpleasant experiences. At the same time, you don’t like noisy companies or extravagant antics; verbosity makes you irritated.

9 - 13 points. You are sociable (sometimes beyond measure), curious, talkative, love to speak out on various issues, which sometimes irritates others. You willingly meet different people. You love to be the center of attention and do not refuse anyone’s requests, although you cannot always fulfill them. Yes, and sometimes you don’t. Isn't it? It happens that you lose your temper, but quickly move away. What you really lack is perseverance, patience and determination when faced with serious problems. Do you agree? But if you want, you can force yourself not to take a step back. If only there was this desire...

4 - 8 points. Yes, you must be just a “shirt guy”. Sociability flows out of you, you are always aware of everything. You love to take part in all discussions, although serious topics can give you a migraine, even the blues. You willingly take the floor on any issue, even if you have the most superficial understanding of it. You feel at ease everywhere. You take on any task, although you cannot always complete it. It is for this reason that managers and colleagues are internally wary of you.

3 points Your communication skills are simply painful. You are talkative, verbose, and interfere in the affairs of others who have nothing to do with you. You undertake to judge problems in which you are incompetent. Voluntarily or unwittingly, you are the cause of various kinds of conflicts in your environment. You are quick-tempered, touchy, and are often biased towards the people around you. Serious work is not for you. People really have a hard time with you. Yes, you need to, you need to work on yourself, on your character. Cultivate patience and restraint, a respectful attitude towards others, and most importantly, think about your health. After all, the lifestyle you are leading now does not pass without a trace. Isn't it?

In order to find out whether you have communication skills and determine your level of communication skills I suggest you go communication test .

Communication test

For each of the 16 questions below, give one of three answers: - yes, - no, - sometimes.

For each “yes” answer - 2 points, for each “sometimes” answer - 1 point, for each “no” answer - 0 points.

1. You are about to have an ordinary business meeting. Does her anticipation unsettle you?
2. Do you put off visiting a doctor until it becomes unbearable?
3. Does the need to present a report, message, information at a meeting, meeting or conference cause you confusion and displeasure?
4. You are offered to go on a business trip to a place where you have never been. Will you make every effort to avoid this business trip?
5. Do you like to share your experiences?
6. Do you get annoyed when a stranger asks you to show him something or answer a question?
7. Do you believe that there is a problem of “mutual understanding between people of different generations”?
8. Are you embarrassed to remind a friend that he owes you money that he borrowed a few days ago?
9. In a cafe or canteen you were served an obviously missing dish. Will you remain silent and just move the plate to the side?
10. When you find yourself face to face with a stranger, are you usually the first to start a conversation with him?
11. Are you horrified by any long line, no matter where it is: at a bank, in a store, at a cinema box office? To avoid this, are you ready to give up your intention rather than languish in anticipation?
12. Are you afraid to participate in any commission for considering conflict situations?
13. Do you have purely individual criteria for evaluating works of literature and culture and do you not accept any other opinions?
14. Having heard somewhere a clearly erroneous statement on an issue that is well known to you, would you prefer to enter into an argument?
15. Do you feel annoyed when someone asks you to understand a particular issue or educational topic?
16. Are you more willing to express your point of view in writing than orally?

Calculate the amount of points you scored when answering the questions

• If you scored 30-32 points, you are clearly uncommunicative, and this is your problem, since you yourself suffer the most from this, and it is very difficult for those close to you. It is difficult to rely on you in a matter that requires joint efforts. Advice: try develop communication skills, learn to be sociable.
• If you scored 25-29 points, you are taciturn, reserved, prefer loneliness, so you probably have few friends. A new job and the need to be in contact with strangers, if it doesn’t throw you into panic, will certainly throw you off balance. You know the peculiarity of your character, for which you are often dissatisfied with yourself. Advice: don’t despair, work on yourself as much as possible.
• If you scored 24-20 points, you are sociable and feel quite confident in an unknown environment. New problems don't scare you. But still, you approach strangers with caution, you rarely and reluctantly enter into arguments and discussions, and if you do have to argue, there is a lot of sarcasm in your statements. Advice: These shortcomings are completely correctable, think about your conclusions, analyze similar situations.
• If you scored 14-19 points – you sociable person, You are inquisitive, ready to listen to your interlocutor, tolerant in communicating with other people, defend your point of view without temper. You go to meet new people without any unpleasant worries. At the same time, you don’t like noisy companies, extravagant antics and verbosity, it irritates you. Tip: Look for different behaviors in people positive aspects, be more lenient, because every person is an extraordinary person.
• If you scored 9-13 points, you are very sociable, sometimes even beyond measure. They are curious, talkative, and like to express their point of view on various issues, which sometimes irritates others. You willingly get to know other people, love to be the center of attention, and do not refuse anyone’s requests, although you cannot always fulfill them. Sometimes quick-tempered, but quickly move away. Advice: Work on perseverance, patience and courage when faced with serious problems. A little effort on yourself and you will force yourself not to retreat.
• If you scored 4-8 points, you are a “grunt guy” - sociability is in full swing from you. You are always aware of everything, you like to take part in disputes and discussions, although ordinary topics can make you blue. You willingly speak out on any issue, even if you have a superficial understanding of it. You get down to business, although you can’t always finish what you start. Advice: Fight this illness, think about every word or decision, because for this reason, managers and colleagues treat you with some caution and doubt.
• If you scored 0-3 points, your communication skills are poor. You are talkative, verbose, and interfere in matters that have nothing to do with you. Willingly or unwittingly, you become the cause of various conflicts in your environment. You are quick-tempered, touchy, and often biased. Serious work is not for you! Both at work and at home - people everywhere have a hard time with you. Advice: Cultivate tolerance, restraint, and respect for other people. Beware of judging problems in which you are completely incompetent.