COMMUNICATION AS A KEY SOFT SKILL IN TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

The article offers a theoretical analysis of communication as a key soft skill in teachers’ professional activity in the context of contemporary educational transformations. The relevance of the study is determined by the digitalization of education, the implementation of distance and blended learning, the intensification of social and psychological challenges, and the growing need for an emotionally safe and partnership-based educational environment. The study substantiates that teachers’ communicative competence determines not only the effectiveness of learning outcomes but also the quality of interaction among all participants in the educational process, including students, parents, colleagues, and school administrators.
The essence of professional pedagogical communication is revealed as a multidimensional process integrating perceptual, communicative, and interactive components, verbal and non-verbal means of interaction, as well as reproductive and productive forms of communication. Scholarly approaches to defining the functions of pedagogical communication-informational, regulatory, cognitive, and emotional-supportive – are analyzed, and their decisive role in shaping a positive psychological climate and enhancing students’ learning motivation is demonstrated.
Special attention is paid to the style of pedagogical communication as a factor influencing the effectiveness of teachers’ professional activity, interpersonal relationships, the emotional well-being of participants in the educational process, and learning outcomes. The key communicative skills of teachers are characterized, including social perception, empathy, tolerance, self-presentation, linguistic proficiency, reflective ability, and the flexible selection of communicative strategies.
The importance of speech culture and expressive speech as tools of pedagogical influence is emphasized, as they ensure sustained attention, highlight semantic accents, and reflect the teacher’s personal attitude toward educational content. It is argued that communication functions as an integrative soft skill combining cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of teachers’ professional competence and ensuring the effective implementation of the educational process. The study substantiates the expediency of the purposeful development of communicative skills as a priority direction of teachers’ professional growth in the context of contemporary educational challenges.

Received: November 17, 2025
Accepted: December 09, 2025
Published: January 16, 2026