INTRODUCTION TO SOFT SKILLS

By
Ms ME Rasakanya
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

• Have an understanding of what soft skills are,

• Differentiate between soft skills and hard skills,

• Be familiar with different soft skills needed for everyday survival,

both at university and in the corporate world,

• Learn different strategies to improve soft skills

What are soft skills?
• Soft skills also known as people’s skills are interpersonal qualities and personal attributes that
one possesses

• They are called people skills because they are completely based on maintaining harmony with
others, be it a work place or any place.
• Soft skills include both personal qualities and career attributes.
• Personal attributes might include one’s personality, likeability, time management and
organizational skills.

• Career attributes might include communication, teamwork, leadership, good customer service.
• People’s skills are foundation of customer service and critical to professional
success in almost any job.

• They promote a positive attitude, effective communication, respectful and the

ability to remain composed in difficult situation.
• Hard skills on the other hand are those skills which are complimentary to soft
skills.

• These skills ate trainable like teaching academics, practical knowledge and so
on.

• All these hard skills are taught in schools and colleges. In one way, these skills
stand for excellence in academics.

• Soft skills and hard skills or technical skills are complimentary to each other.
There are different types of Soft Skills

 Communication: this include oral/speaking capabilities, written, presenting, and

listening

 Courtesy: this include manners, gracious, respectful

 Flexibility: this includes adaptability, willing to change, lifelong learner, accepts

new things, adjusts, teachable

 Integrity: this includes honest, ethical, high morals, has personal values, does
what is right
 Interpersonal skills: this include being nice/friendly, sense of humour, nurturing,
empathetic, has self-control, patient, sociability

 Positive attributes: this includes optimistic, enthusiastic, encouraging, confident,

being happy

 Professionalism: this include business minded, well dressed, etc

 Responsibility: this include accountable, reliable, gets the job done, resourceful,
self-disciplined, wants to do well
 Teamwork: this include cooperative, gets along with others, agreeable,
supportive, helpful, collaborative

 Work ethic: this include hard working, willing to work, loyal, self-motivate, on
time, good attendance

 Thinking skills: this includes critical and creative thinking, problem solving

 Leadership: this include having a vision for a certain goal, inspiring, motivating
TEAM WORK
• An ability to work with people from different socio-cultural and academic backgrounds

appears to be a simple task, however, it is a complex task in reality.

• Successful team players display high emotional intelligence and that emotional intelligence has

positive or negative impact depending on how much team members use their emotional

intelligence.

• Good communication among team members is a basic requirement for successful team

performance and fundamental element of how teams work together.

• Successful team performance comes from good communication, a team’s resources, the way in

which members engage and the skills possessed by each team member.
Elements of Teamwork – An Inventory of Skills

Below are some of the characteristics that makes an individual a good team member:

• SKILL #1: RELIABLE

This means: You can be counted on to get the job done.

• SKILL #2: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR

This means: You express your thoughts and ideas clearly and directly, with respect for others.

• SKILL #3: ACTIVE LISTENER

This means: You listen to and respect different points of view. Others can offer you constructive
feedback – and you don’t get upset or defensive.
• SKILL #4: PARTICIPATES

This means: You are prepared – and get involved in team activities. You are regular contributor.

• SKILL #5: SHARES OPENLY AND WILLINGLY

This means: You are willing to share information, experience, and knowledge with the group.

• SKILL #6: COOPERATIVE

This means: You work with other members of the team to accomplish the job - no matter what.
• SKILL #7: FLEXIBLE

This means: You adapt easily when the team changes direction or you’re asked to try something new.

• SKILL #8: COMMITTED

This means: You are responsible and dedicated. You always give your best effort!

• SKILL #9: PROBLEM SOLVER

This means: You focus on solutions. You are good about not going out of your way to find fault in
others.

• SKILL #10: RESPECTFUL

This means: You treat other team members with courtesy and consideration - all of the time
Communication
• One of the most desired attributes in an employee is the ability to communicate and convey
complex ideas orally, in writing, or even through presentation

• Communication does not only include conveying ideas but also practicing active listening,
responding, maintaining the conversation which means not monopolising the
conversation.

• Good communication skills are a good resource to influence others and have mature
conversations.

• Effective communication can create a positive effect on team’s performance and on

professional and personal goal achievement.
• Communication skills are more effective when an individual has a high level of
emotional intelligence since such an individual will engage in positive
interpersonal behaviours.

• If communication does not exist, the organization will not be successful.

• More importantly, without personal communication skills, interpersonal and

professional relationships will not flourish.
Critical thinking
• Critical thinking in simple term refers to analysing and evaluating objectively.

• Transformation of knowledge requires application of critical thinking as an

individual will evaluate the information transformed or received and then produce a
response based on the analysis.

• Critical thinking provides prospects for an individual to explore and grow their skills
by examining other viewpoints, perspectives, and possibilities.

• Well-developed critical thinking skills help an individual not only to assess difficult
and complex situation but also to reach feasible solutions and make logic decisions.
Leadership skills
• Leadership refers to an ability of an individual to inspire a group to achieve an
objective.

• Every individual can exercise leadership.

• For one to be a leader the person should have integrity, caring for others, ethics,
accepting other people’s opinions
Networking
• When it comes to finding a job, you’ve got to network! An individual has to understanding the importance
of networking as a strategy for career development and exploration.

• Everyone has a network, even if you don’t realize it, and when it comes to job searching, this network may be
just as important as your skills and experience.

• A personal network is that group of people with whom you interact every day – family, friends, and parents of
friends, friends of friends, neighbours, teachers, bosses, and co-workers.

• With these people, information and experiences are exchanged for both social and potential professional
reasons.

• Networking occurs every time you participate in a school or social event, volunteer in the community, visit
with members of your religious group, talk with neighbours, strike up a conversation with someone at the
store, or connect with friends online.
Strategies to Improve Soft Skills
• Soft skills revolve around personal relationships, character, and attitude.

• By developing these skills, you can increase your work performance, build

stronger relationships, and work toward earning a promotion.

• If you are finding that some of these soft skills do not come naturally to

you, you need to learn how to improve soft skills so they will become a

natural reflex for you in dealing with people every day.

Developing Communication Skills
Your goal should be to communicate clearly through written, oral, and nonverbal communication. Start simply by
being aware of how others feel when they are around you or are talking with you.

 Make eye contact: Acknowledge someone else’s presence by looking them in the eye, especially if they just
walked into the room or you pass them in a hallway. Look at them when they are talking to you. Do not let your
eyes wander around the room.

 Monitor your body language: Show interest by sitting up and leaning forward. Resist the urge to tap your
fingers or foot. Mimic the posture of the person with whom you are talking to create a comfortable environment.

 Practice speaking: This includes both public speaking and conversational speaking. Be conscious of your pace
and volume when speaking. If you are uneasy in personal relationships, practice with a close friend or family
member. If you are nervous about speaking in public, volunteer to give presentations within a smaller group and
work your way up to a larger one.
 Develop your writing skills.

• Proofread your emails, letters, and notes.

• Learn correct spelling and word usage.

• Vary your sentence structures. Be concise instead of elaborate.

Practice Active Listening Skills

• Listening requires focus and self-discipline. We listen for many different reasons:

i. To understand instructions,

ii. to empathize with another, individual, or

iii. to judge whether a plan is good or not. Regardless of the reason you are
listening, there are several things to keep in mind:

 Paraphrase and ask questions to learn more about what someone is telling you.
This demonstrates interest and focus. It also helps you understand the situation.
 Take notes when appropriate.

This shows that the subject matter is important to you. Practice taking notes in team meetings or
staff training sessions.

 Do not interrupt other people.

Respect them by letting them finish saying what they are saying.

 Pay attention to the other person’s body language.

Observe their posture, tone of voice, eye contact (or lack thereof), gestures, and facial expressions.
Build Relationship
• Interpersonal skills are important in the workplace, especially since so many
organizations are designed around teams and departments. Seek to build
friendships with peers, supervisors, clients, and business partners.

• Befriend colleagues: Greet them when they get to work. Invite them to
lunch or coffee. Talk for a few minutes in the break room as you are getting a
drink. Participate in work events like softball clubs, staff lunches, and
training days. Stay away from gossip. It only destroys relationships.
 Learn to manage conflict in a healthy way: Address issues with the individual(s)
involved in a private manner. Approach the discussion in a non-judgmental, but
assertive manner. Ask questions and try to understand their side of the story. Work
together to find a solution.

 Network with people inside and outside your organization: Ask people about their
jobs. Share a bit about what you do. Note connections and ways you could potentially
help each other. Exchange contact information and be sure to follow up with them.
Practice Leading

• Leadership is simply influencing other people. As such, leadership skills can be used by any
employee at any level in the organization.

 Observe your own supervisor and note how that individual leads your team. Find positive
things that person does and emulate them in your own work.

 Practice leading in small group discussions by asking your teammates questions and bringing
quieter members into the conversation.

 Set the example for others by displaying a positive attitude in difficult situations. Remain
calm in moments of crisis.

 Talk about concerns one-on-one with your supervisor instead of in front of the entire team.
BOTTOM LINE------Take Initiative

Demonstrate responsibility and enthusiasm for your job by striving to go the extra
mile. This starts by finishing work without constant reminders from your supervisor.

 Do tasks without being asked by someone else: Look around, see what needs to be
done, and do it. If a co-worker has a large project and you have some time on your
hands, volunteer to help.

 Seek more challenging work: Strive to develop your technical skills. Learn more
about your organization. Ask a co-worker about their department. Take a class, read
a blog, or subscribe to a magazine in your field of work.
Conclusion

• It is important to note that there are people born with all these personal attributes
and there are others who lacks one or two of personal attributes.

• However, it is advisable to practice so that you can live harmoniously with other
people and this includes here at varsity and tomorrow at the corporate world.

• As a result, practice makes perfect and you can never say you are 100% perfect
in a certain attribute. In other words, you always have to keep polishing it so that
you can succeed in life.