knowledge And Skills.

What’s the difference between knowledge and skills?

The differences between knowledge and skills are principally what and how you learn.

Knowledge implies something ‘theoretical’ and refers to information about a given topic that you learn from books, newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, internet, or school/college.

Skills imply something ‘practical’ and refer to the application of theoretical information in practice and in the workplace.

Below we’ll be delving deeper into the differences between these two terms.

So, what do we mean by ‘knowledge’?

To clarify the difference between knowledge and skills, it’s important to define both terms properly and provide a few examples. Let’s start with ‘knowledge’.

Knowledge

A commonly used definition of knowledge, according to Wikipedia, reads as follows:

‘Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness, or understanding of someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills, which is acquired through experience or education by perceiving, discovering, or learning.’

Knowledge generally implies theoretical understanding and is something that can be passed on from generation to generation in many ways, for example books, magazines, archives, schools, and colleges.

A characteristic of knowledge is that it’s forever growing as we conduct new research and build upon what we already know. It has true value when it’s shared with others and they too can take advantage of this knowledge.

It’s a vital, theoretical building block for acquiring and mastering skills.

Examples

Knowledge can take many forms. Here are a few examples.

• A flair for languages is an example of knowledge. This could mean that someone speaks, understands, and/or writes in one or more languages. This knowledge could come in handy at work (translations, customer relations, etc.) or even on holiday.

• Can you remember the names and reigns of all the Roman emperors? Can you recount and reconstruct the course of the American Civil War? If so, then you’ve acquired great historical knowledge.

• Some people don’t have to read the boards at the zoo because they already recognize and know the names of all the animals. This is an example of someone with ready zoological knowledge.

• Someone with self-knowledge is in tune with his or her own thoughts, emotions, traits, and feelings. It implies you have a realistic picture of your strengths and weaknesses.