On another forum they were discussing whether people skills and interpersonal skills were the same, and they concluded that they were. I don't think so. What do you think?

I think they are. Now, since I have lousy people skills, are you gonna tell me to get lost in a nice way or a nasty one?

This is a tricky one. Certainly people skills are closely related to interpersonal skills . . . but I think that, for me, there are slight nuances of difference. I think of people skills being more showy - the more out-going side of things, and interpersonal skills being more about relating one-on-one.

Yes, I agree, CW. People skills are more general, whereas interpersonal skills are more specific.

Does the term "people skills" include other less wholesome activities such as "social engineering" or "brainwashing"?

OOOH, zmj, I hadn't gotten that connotation at all.

Well, this is probably just I, but I think of having people skills as being positive. "Social engineering" and "brainwashing" are hardly positive, so I wouldn't consider them to be part of having people skills. If someone didn't have people skills, I suppose he/she could "brainwash" or "socially engineer."