Goals of this Module

• Explore how social skills contribute to safety and wellbeing
• Witness how a lack of social skills can affect all crew members
• Show how social skills can help support others onboard the vessel

A merchant vessel is a good example of a system which combines technology and human beings.  It takes skill to maintain the engines of a ship, and to navigate it safely across the seas and waterways of the world. 

The same amount of skill is needed to get the best out of the people onboard and this means seafarers need good social skills⁴. 

A ship is a close community of people who have to work together for months at a time. Social skills help maintain good working relationships and contribute to the wellbeing and safety of the whole crew.

Social skills include active listening, observing emotions and intervening, and managing conflict.  But they also include things that can be difficult to measure, like care, trust, respect and cooperation.

seafarers need good social skills