Soft Skills
Content
SOFT SKILLS
Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's "EIQ" (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with other people. Soft skills complement hard skills (part of a person's IQ), which are the occupational requirements of a job and many other activities. For decades the focus of management was on the so-called "hard" skills. That is, the emphasis centered on the technical skills necessary to effectively perform within the organization. These skills tended to be more job-specific or more closely related to the actual task being performed. A person's soft skill EQ is an important part of their individual contribution to the success of an organization. Particularly those organizations dealing with customers face-to-face are generally more successful if they train their staff to use these skills. Screening or training for personal habits or traits such as dependability and conscientiousness can yield significant return on investment for an organization. For this reason, soft skills are increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard qualifications. They determine your strength as • • • • A Leader A Listener A Negotiator A Conflict Mediator
SOFT SKILLS include : • • • • • • • • • • • • Communication skills Leadership Teamwork Project Management Interpersonal Skills Body Language Presentation Skills Professional Ethics Time and Stress Management Social skills Self-awareness Analytical thinking
• • • • • • •
Leadership skills Team-building skills Flexibility Creativity Problem-solving skills Listening skills Diplomacy
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The communicative skills involve effective communication in both the national language and English language in different contexts and with different people. There are eight sub-skills under communicative skills of which three are the must have skills and five are the good to have skills. Communicative skills are an integral part of any education system either in higher education or lower education. As mentioned earlier, in many countries, basic education or primary education is mandatory and it focuses on reading, writing and ciphering. People learn to read books, write letters, figure accounts and develop skills necessary to fulfill their expected roles in their households and community. At this very level, emphasis has been given to develop the communicative skills of individual so that by the time they leave college, they are able to participate in public and community activities and decision making. What is found to be missing in the nation’s present human capital is the lack of communicative skills. The absence of good communicative skills somehow or rather has an influence on the poor presentation of their views and decisions made to gain others’ confidence and respect.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Interpersonal skills are the skills that a person uses to interact with other people. Interpersonal skills are sometimes also referred to as people skills or communication skills. Interpersonal skills involve using skills such as active listening and tone of voice, they include delegation and leadership. It is how well you communicate with someone and how well you behave or carry yourself. Also they help people further their careers. Interpersonal skills refer to mental and communicative algorithms applied during social communications and interaction to reach certain effects or results. The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a person's ability to operate within business organizations through social communication and interactions. Interpersonal skills are how people relate to one another. Some ways to improve interpersonal skills are to; • • • • • Think positively, and enter the mindset to work well with others and maintain good relationships. Do not criticize others or yourself. Be patient. Learn to listen, experts recommend listening 80% of the time and only talking 20%. Be sensitive to others, this includes not gossiping.
• • • •
Have a sense of humour appropriate to your situation. Many people benefit from a good joke. Praise and compliment people when they deserve it. Smile – smiling. When don’t simply move Fake it fake it desired even when you don’t feel like
someone compliments you, disagree or boast about it– say thank-you with a smile and on. ‘till you make it. If you’re not naturally confident or happy, until you generally possess the characteristics. to appreciate, be helpful and motivate your team members. as a team, not as an individual. will achieve better results.
•
•
Learn not deWork This
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
‘There are leaders and there are followers’, as the saying goes, and developing good leadership skills can create the distinction between the two. Many people believe a strong leader is born and not made. This is not necessarily the case. As with anything, educating yourself to encourage become a great leader or a person with superb leadership skills takes time, energy and commitment. A leader is a person who has strong principles, courage and dedication to a clear vision.
TEAM WORK
• • • • • • • • People of either gender, different age groups, qualification, status & skills work as a team with a common objective of accomplishing the task The success of any organization largely depends on in the coordinated efforts of its employees It mainly refers to the agreeableness & co-operation among the team members Ability to build a good rapport, interact and work effectively with others. Ability to understand and play the role of a leader and follower alternatively. Ability to recognize and respect other’s attitude, behavior and beliefs. Ability to give contribution to the planning and coordinate group work. Responsible towards group decision.
PROBLEM SOLVING
There are many approaches to problem solving, depending on the nature of the problem and the people involved in the problem. The more traditional, rational approach is typically used and involves, e.g., clarifying description of the problem, analyzing causes, identifying alternatives, assessing each alternative, choosing one, implementing it, and evaluating whether the problem was solved or not. Another, more state-of-the-art approach is appreciative inquiry. That approach asserts that "problems" are often the result of our own perspectives on a phenomena, e.g., if we look at it as a "problem," then it will become one and we'll probably get very stuck on the "problem." Appreciative inquiry includes identification of our best times about the situation in the past, wishing and thinking about what worked best then, visioning what we want in the future, and building from our strengths to work toward our vision.
BODY LANGUAGE
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Don’t cross your arms or legs Have eye contact, but don’t stare Don’t be afraid to take up some space Relax your shoulders Nod when they are talking Don’t slouch, sit up straight Lean, but not too much Smile and laugh Keep you head up 11. Slow down a bit Don’t fidget Use your hands more confidently Realise where you spine bends –
•
Keep a good attitude
You can change your body language but as all new habits it takes a while. Especially things like keeping your head up might take time to correct if you have spent thousands of days looking at your feet. And if you try and change to many things at once it might become confusing and feel overwhelming.
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Planning the presentation involves much of the work that you’re going to do before you actually deliver the presentation. This is a very important area and its also one that many people should consider improving their skills in. A key part of this planning is to research your presentation audience, since the more you know your audience, the more you can understand them and what their preconceptions might be. You also need to get to grips with the purpose of the presentation – so that you are very clear about what you are trying to achieve from it. (This is a skill in itself.)
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Time management is a set of principles, practices, skills, tools, and systems working together to help you get more value out of your time with the aim of improving the quality of your life. The important point is that time management is not necessarily about getting lots of stuff done, because much more important than that is making sure that you are working on the right things, the things that truly need to be done. Smart time managers do than anyone could trying to do it all, smart about how they spend They choose to focus and projects that will really spending all their time really matter all that much. know that there is much more to possibly accomplish. So instead of time managers are very picky their time. spend their time doing a few vital make a difference, rather than doing many trivial things that don't
If you become a good time manager, you’ll not only get a lot more done in less time, but you’ll feel more relaxed, focused and in control of your life. You’ll be able to use your time in a much more balanced and effective way, and you’ll be able to make time for the people and activities that you love. When you get to the end of a busy day, you’ll feel a strong sense of accomplishment from everything that you actually got done.
Be your own trainer!
While organizations are definitely investing in augmenting their staff's people skills, here are some inputs for professionals and students who would like to initiate the process themselves: i. Be a part of team activities It could be either as a part of your church choir, or an NGO, or your local youth circle. Observe your own behaviour in the group and how you relate to others. ii. Ask family members or close friends to write down your best and worst traits. Ideally, have at least four to five people do this for you. Evaluate the common traits all of them have mentioned. Thus, you can be aware of your strengths and work improving your weaknesses. iii. How well do you manage your time? Can you do more in life? Or is your day too crammed with activities? Effective time management is very essential in the corporate world. iv. Introspect on how you react to feedback. In organizations, people skills mostly come into the picture when there is feedback given -- be it for an idea, an executed project or a presentation. You are judged by the way you respond to feedback. Do you get defensive? Do you insist you were right? Do you meekly accept criticism? Remember, people tend to be judged and stereotyped according to their responses. You will, too. v. How good are you at critiquing? While responding to feedback is one side of the coin, giving feedback is the other side. Are you aggressive? Pessimistic? Do you believe in constructive criticism? Or prefer to be the yesman? vi. Live consciously
Any organization is manned by people; therefore soft skills are all about how you deal with people and present yourself. Though it may be easier said than done, soft skills can be enhanced simply by being aware of oneself and living consciously.
NEGOTIATION SKILLS
Negotiation is something that we do all the time and is not only used for business purposes. For example, we use it in our social lives perhaps for deciding a time to meet, or where to go on a rainy day. Negotiation is usually considered as a compromise to settle an argument or issue to benefit ourselves as much as possible. Communication is always the link that will be used to negotiate the issue/argument whether it is faceto-face, on the telephone or in writing. Remember, negotiation is not always between two people: it can involve several members from two parties. There are many reasons why you may want to negotiate and there are several ways to approach it. The following is a few things that you may want to consider.
WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE
Above all else, employees must be ready, willing and able to change. No one can remain wed to the past. This willingness to change means tactfully challenging the status quo. Employees can no longer blindly obey, but rather must question what they do. The heart of process reengineering is to continually ask if this is the best way to something or if it even needs to be done. Continuous improvement requires that each and every employee be willing to change. In addition, employees must take this one step further and be willing to create some of this change. This goes hand-in-hand with the need for creative people. Employees must constantly search for that "better mousetrap."
TEAM PLAYERS
Interpersonal skills are important in helping one become a better team player. Managers walk an especially thin line. The very people they must cooperate with are also those with whom they compete. That is, managers must be team players and work in cooperation with their peers (as well as their subordinates in many cases). And yet these same peers compete for the limited resources of the organization - financial, physical and human. Being a team player today also means working with a diverse team. And this diversity goes beyond demographic characteristics. For example, it involves accountants working with marketers, engineers, human resource managers and those from many other functional areas.
CREATIVITY
Those employees who are creative will contribute extraordinary efforts to today's organizations and will help outline the vision for tomorrow's organizations. Companies have learned they can no longer
conduct business exactly the way it was con ducted even ten years ago. Today's changing environment requires companies to adapt to the current world. This means employing people who "think outside the box." Rational problem solving is not enough today. Creative problem solving and an ability to identify opportunities is critical in this dynamic environment. Employees who can "think outside the box" and present new solutions to the old problems will be highly valued.
VALUE DIVERSITY
A diverse workforce presents wonderful opportunities for companies and for individuals to succeed. It does, however, require that all employees learn to value this diversity and celebrate the differences among people. While it is the tendency for people to surround themselves with others who are just like them, this can be counterproductive. Research has proven heterogeneous groups (as opposed to homogenous groups) are more creative. This diversity, however, must be valued and the actions of people must reflect this. Truly valuing diversity means treating everyone as an individual with unique needs. For managers, this means tailoring rewards to each individual rather than using "one size fits all" rewards. To value diversity then, the manager must begin by getting out of the office, walking around and really getting to know others. Only then can the manager begin to appreciate the differences among individuals and begin to utilize those unique talents to enable each person to contribute to the organization in their own way. Valuing diversity doesn't just apply to employees. It also means valuing diversity in the organization's customer base. Market segmentation is crucial in today's diverse marketplace. Only by understanding these various markets can the organization be responsive to their diverse customers and their needs.
FAST, AGILE AND RESPONSIVE
Organizations have been told repeatedly to become fast, agile and responsive to maintain their competitive position. Employees today must be likewise. All employees should consider themselves as working in a boundary-spanning position. That is, it is the responsibility of each employee (management and non-management alike) to scan the external environment to watch for changes which may impact the organization. Furthermore, as these changes are monitored and recognized, employees must know how to respond. The responses to these changes that must be made within the organization to respond should be clearly thought out and articulated -- and done so quickly.
THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
Many of these soft skills are interdependent. That is, as one skill is developed, one or more of the other skills are also being developed. The true value to the organization is in having the complete package in as many employees as possible. Self-awareness is critical. All employees are responsible for their own career development today. This means every employee must know what they can and cannot do. A complete inventory of knowledge, skills and abilities (referred to as KSA’s) should be performed on a regular basis. This should then be compared with the KSA’s considered critical to success in the workplace. While many employers feel they can train employees in the technical skills needed to perform the job, there is more concern with the ability to teach the softer skills. Therefore, more companies are seeking job applicants that already possess these soft skills.
Employees of the twenty-first century must be committed to the soft skills. And this commitment doesn't begin the first day on the job. This is a commitment that starts even prior to entry in the workforce and stems from the dedication to become a lifelong learner -- constantly updating and revising skills to better meet the needs of the changing marketplace.
Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's "EIQ" (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with other people. Soft skills complement hard skills (part of a person's IQ), which are the occupational requirements of a job and many other activities. For decades the focus of management was on the so-called "hard" skills. That is, the emphasis centered on the technical skills necessary to effectively perform within the organization. These skills tended to be more job-specific or more closely related to the actual task being performed. A person's soft skill EQ is an important part of their individual contribution to the success of an organization. Particularly those organizations dealing with customers face-to-face are generally more successful if they train their staff to use these skills. Screening or training for personal habits or traits such as dependability and conscientiousness can yield significant return on investment for an organization. For this reason, soft skills are increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard qualifications. They determine your strength as • • • • A Leader A Listener A Negotiator A Conflict Mediator
SOFT SKILLS include : • • • • • • • • • • • • Communication skills Leadership Teamwork Project Management Interpersonal Skills Body Language Presentation Skills Professional Ethics Time and Stress Management Social skills Self-awareness Analytical thinking
• • • • • • •
Leadership skills Team-building skills Flexibility Creativity Problem-solving skills Listening skills Diplomacy
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The communicative skills involve effective communication in both the national language and English language in different contexts and with different people. There are eight sub-skills under communicative skills of which three are the must have skills and five are the good to have skills. Communicative skills are an integral part of any education system either in higher education or lower education. As mentioned earlier, in many countries, basic education or primary education is mandatory and it focuses on reading, writing and ciphering. People learn to read books, write letters, figure accounts and develop skills necessary to fulfill their expected roles in their households and community. At this very level, emphasis has been given to develop the communicative skills of individual so that by the time they leave college, they are able to participate in public and community activities and decision making. What is found to be missing in the nation’s present human capital is the lack of communicative skills. The absence of good communicative skills somehow or rather has an influence on the poor presentation of their views and decisions made to gain others’ confidence and respect.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Interpersonal skills are the skills that a person uses to interact with other people. Interpersonal skills are sometimes also referred to as people skills or communication skills. Interpersonal skills involve using skills such as active listening and tone of voice, they include delegation and leadership. It is how well you communicate with someone and how well you behave or carry yourself. Also they help people further their careers. Interpersonal skills refer to mental and communicative algorithms applied during social communications and interaction to reach certain effects or results. The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a person's ability to operate within business organizations through social communication and interactions. Interpersonal skills are how people relate to one another. Some ways to improve interpersonal skills are to; • • • • • Think positively, and enter the mindset to work well with others and maintain good relationships. Do not criticize others or yourself. Be patient. Learn to listen, experts recommend listening 80% of the time and only talking 20%. Be sensitive to others, this includes not gossiping.
• • • •
Have a sense of humour appropriate to your situation. Many people benefit from a good joke. Praise and compliment people when they deserve it. Smile – smiling. When don’t simply move Fake it fake it desired even when you don’t feel like
someone compliments you, disagree or boast about it– say thank-you with a smile and on. ‘till you make it. If you’re not naturally confident or happy, until you generally possess the characteristics. to appreciate, be helpful and motivate your team members. as a team, not as an individual. will achieve better results.
•
•
Learn not deWork This
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
‘There are leaders and there are followers’, as the saying goes, and developing good leadership skills can create the distinction between the two. Many people believe a strong leader is born and not made. This is not necessarily the case. As with anything, educating yourself to encourage become a great leader or a person with superb leadership skills takes time, energy and commitment. A leader is a person who has strong principles, courage and dedication to a clear vision.
TEAM WORK
• • • • • • • • People of either gender, different age groups, qualification, status & skills work as a team with a common objective of accomplishing the task The success of any organization largely depends on in the coordinated efforts of its employees It mainly refers to the agreeableness & co-operation among the team members Ability to build a good rapport, interact and work effectively with others. Ability to understand and play the role of a leader and follower alternatively. Ability to recognize and respect other’s attitude, behavior and beliefs. Ability to give contribution to the planning and coordinate group work. Responsible towards group decision.
PROBLEM SOLVING
There are many approaches to problem solving, depending on the nature of the problem and the people involved in the problem. The more traditional, rational approach is typically used and involves, e.g., clarifying description of the problem, analyzing causes, identifying alternatives, assessing each alternative, choosing one, implementing it, and evaluating whether the problem was solved or not. Another, more state-of-the-art approach is appreciative inquiry. That approach asserts that "problems" are often the result of our own perspectives on a phenomena, e.g., if we look at it as a "problem," then it will become one and we'll probably get very stuck on the "problem." Appreciative inquiry includes identification of our best times about the situation in the past, wishing and thinking about what worked best then, visioning what we want in the future, and building from our strengths to work toward our vision.
BODY LANGUAGE
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Don’t cross your arms or legs Have eye contact, but don’t stare Don’t be afraid to take up some space Relax your shoulders Nod when they are talking Don’t slouch, sit up straight Lean, but not too much Smile and laugh Keep you head up 11. Slow down a bit Don’t fidget Use your hands more confidently Realise where you spine bends –
•
Keep a good attitude
You can change your body language but as all new habits it takes a while. Especially things like keeping your head up might take time to correct if you have spent thousands of days looking at your feet. And if you try and change to many things at once it might become confusing and feel overwhelming.
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Planning the presentation involves much of the work that you’re going to do before you actually deliver the presentation. This is a very important area and its also one that many people should consider improving their skills in. A key part of this planning is to research your presentation audience, since the more you know your audience, the more you can understand them and what their preconceptions might be. You also need to get to grips with the purpose of the presentation – so that you are very clear about what you are trying to achieve from it. (This is a skill in itself.)
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Time management is a set of principles, practices, skills, tools, and systems working together to help you get more value out of your time with the aim of improving the quality of your life. The important point is that time management is not necessarily about getting lots of stuff done, because much more important than that is making sure that you are working on the right things, the things that truly need to be done. Smart time managers do than anyone could trying to do it all, smart about how they spend They choose to focus and projects that will really spending all their time really matter all that much. know that there is much more to possibly accomplish. So instead of time managers are very picky their time. spend their time doing a few vital make a difference, rather than doing many trivial things that don't
If you become a good time manager, you’ll not only get a lot more done in less time, but you’ll feel more relaxed, focused and in control of your life. You’ll be able to use your time in a much more balanced and effective way, and you’ll be able to make time for the people and activities that you love. When you get to the end of a busy day, you’ll feel a strong sense of accomplishment from everything that you actually got done.
Be your own trainer!
While organizations are definitely investing in augmenting their staff's people skills, here are some inputs for professionals and students who would like to initiate the process themselves: i. Be a part of team activities It could be either as a part of your church choir, or an NGO, or your local youth circle. Observe your own behaviour in the group and how you relate to others. ii. Ask family members or close friends to write down your best and worst traits. Ideally, have at least four to five people do this for you. Evaluate the common traits all of them have mentioned. Thus, you can be aware of your strengths and work improving your weaknesses. iii. How well do you manage your time? Can you do more in life? Or is your day too crammed with activities? Effective time management is very essential in the corporate world. iv. Introspect on how you react to feedback. In organizations, people skills mostly come into the picture when there is feedback given -- be it for an idea, an executed project or a presentation. You are judged by the way you respond to feedback. Do you get defensive? Do you insist you were right? Do you meekly accept criticism? Remember, people tend to be judged and stereotyped according to their responses. You will, too. v. How good are you at critiquing? While responding to feedback is one side of the coin, giving feedback is the other side. Are you aggressive? Pessimistic? Do you believe in constructive criticism? Or prefer to be the yesman? vi. Live consciously
Any organization is manned by people; therefore soft skills are all about how you deal with people and present yourself. Though it may be easier said than done, soft skills can be enhanced simply by being aware of oneself and living consciously.
NEGOTIATION SKILLS
Negotiation is something that we do all the time and is not only used for business purposes. For example, we use it in our social lives perhaps for deciding a time to meet, or where to go on a rainy day. Negotiation is usually considered as a compromise to settle an argument or issue to benefit ourselves as much as possible. Communication is always the link that will be used to negotiate the issue/argument whether it is faceto-face, on the telephone or in writing. Remember, negotiation is not always between two people: it can involve several members from two parties. There are many reasons why you may want to negotiate and there are several ways to approach it. The following is a few things that you may want to consider.
WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE
Above all else, employees must be ready, willing and able to change. No one can remain wed to the past. This willingness to change means tactfully challenging the status quo. Employees can no longer blindly obey, but rather must question what they do. The heart of process reengineering is to continually ask if this is the best way to something or if it even needs to be done. Continuous improvement requires that each and every employee be willing to change. In addition, employees must take this one step further and be willing to create some of this change. This goes hand-in-hand with the need for creative people. Employees must constantly search for that "better mousetrap."
TEAM PLAYERS
Interpersonal skills are important in helping one become a better team player. Managers walk an especially thin line. The very people they must cooperate with are also those with whom they compete. That is, managers must be team players and work in cooperation with their peers (as well as their subordinates in many cases). And yet these same peers compete for the limited resources of the organization - financial, physical and human. Being a team player today also means working with a diverse team. And this diversity goes beyond demographic characteristics. For example, it involves accountants working with marketers, engineers, human resource managers and those from many other functional areas.
CREATIVITY
Those employees who are creative will contribute extraordinary efforts to today's organizations and will help outline the vision for tomorrow's organizations. Companies have learned they can no longer
conduct business exactly the way it was con ducted even ten years ago. Today's changing environment requires companies to adapt to the current world. This means employing people who "think outside the box." Rational problem solving is not enough today. Creative problem solving and an ability to identify opportunities is critical in this dynamic environment. Employees who can "think outside the box" and present new solutions to the old problems will be highly valued.
VALUE DIVERSITY
A diverse workforce presents wonderful opportunities for companies and for individuals to succeed. It does, however, require that all employees learn to value this diversity and celebrate the differences among people. While it is the tendency for people to surround themselves with others who are just like them, this can be counterproductive. Research has proven heterogeneous groups (as opposed to homogenous groups) are more creative. This diversity, however, must be valued and the actions of people must reflect this. Truly valuing diversity means treating everyone as an individual with unique needs. For managers, this means tailoring rewards to each individual rather than using "one size fits all" rewards. To value diversity then, the manager must begin by getting out of the office, walking around and really getting to know others. Only then can the manager begin to appreciate the differences among individuals and begin to utilize those unique talents to enable each person to contribute to the organization in their own way. Valuing diversity doesn't just apply to employees. It also means valuing diversity in the organization's customer base. Market segmentation is crucial in today's diverse marketplace. Only by understanding these various markets can the organization be responsive to their diverse customers and their needs.
FAST, AGILE AND RESPONSIVE
Organizations have been told repeatedly to become fast, agile and responsive to maintain their competitive position. Employees today must be likewise. All employees should consider themselves as working in a boundary-spanning position. That is, it is the responsibility of each employee (management and non-management alike) to scan the external environment to watch for changes which may impact the organization. Furthermore, as these changes are monitored and recognized, employees must know how to respond. The responses to these changes that must be made within the organization to respond should be clearly thought out and articulated -- and done so quickly.
THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
Many of these soft skills are interdependent. That is, as one skill is developed, one or more of the other skills are also being developed. The true value to the organization is in having the complete package in as many employees as possible. Self-awareness is critical. All employees are responsible for their own career development today. This means every employee must know what they can and cannot do. A complete inventory of knowledge, skills and abilities (referred to as KSA’s) should be performed on a regular basis. This should then be compared with the KSA’s considered critical to success in the workplace. While many employers feel they can train employees in the technical skills needed to perform the job, there is more concern with the ability to teach the softer skills. Therefore, more companies are seeking job applicants that already possess these soft skills.
Employees of the twenty-first century must be committed to the soft skills. And this commitment doesn't begin the first day on the job. This is a commitment that starts even prior to entry in the workforce and stems from the dedication to become a lifelong learner -- constantly updating and revising skills to better meet the needs of the changing marketplace.
