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Introduction To Soft Skills

Theory for improving soft skills

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prankufufug
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42 views

Introduction To Soft Skills

Theory for improving soft skills

Uploaded by

prankufufug
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

Definition of Soft Skills

• Soft skills are non-technical


skills that describe how one
works and interact with others.
• Generally, any skill enabling
better interaction with
people can be considered a
“soft” skill.
• These types of skills can come
naturally depending on your
personality but can be
surprisingly hard to learn on
your own.
Soft Skills vs Hard Skills
• Soft Skills are different
from hard skills
• Soft Skills are more of
Communication
style, work ethic and
work style
• Some examples of soft
skills include:
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
Some more differences
• Hard skills, also referred
to as measurable
abilities, include anything
from mastering
Photoshop to emergency
care knowledge.
• Soft skills, also called
people skills, are a mix of
social and interpersonal
skills, character traits,
and professional attitudes
that all jobs require.
Soft skills are:
• More
subjective than
hard skills:
• More timeless
than hard
skills:
• Context
Specific
Relevance of Soft Skills

When an employee with a


high level of emotional
intelligence has good
communication skills and
interpersonal skills, they
are more likely to be able
to clearly articulate goals
and lead a team in a
positive manner.
Continued…
• Creativity
• Appropriate use of
humor
• Confidence
• Honesty and integrity
• Friendliness
• Time management
• Good manners
• Enthusiasm
• Positive attitude
• Good listening skills
• Attention to detail
• Self Motivation
Significance of Soft Skills
• Soft skills are absolute necessary and are vital skills
that every individual must possess.
• Lack of these skills can limit the potential of a
person. However, having soft skills improves one’s
ability to work with others and positively impacts one’s
career or even positively influences one’s personal life
by improving ways of interacting with others.
• This is also on record that soft skills cannot be
learned solely through training and are more
challenging to develop. They are more about the
character, relationships, and personality of a person.
Human-centric skills
• The world is changing fast with artificial intelligence in almost
every field of work; machines are replacing humans with
automatic tasks.
• However, there is no substitute for soft skills in this hi-tech
world.
• Therefore, these become a differentiator for a job seeker to fit
himself/herself in the fast-changing job market landscape and
meet the hiring requirements of any organization.
• So, human-centric skills are becoming essential for a human
touch mechanism. Hiring employees with advanced soft skills
can significantly impact their working capability from an
organization’s perspective.
For individuals
• High demand by recruiters and organizations
• They are hard to automate
• Career progression, promotion, and growth
• Long-term professional well-being
• Sustainability
For businesses
• Improved productivity
• Improved leadership
• Better teamwork
• Enhanced employee satisfaction
• Increased workplace communication
How to improve your Soft Skills?
• While it is true that soft skills cannot be taught with formal training,
they are ways to develop and polish them.
• Work with a mentor– This will help to build and improve your skills.
A mentor who can give constructive feedback and model appropriate
skills can go a long way in helping you to hone your skills.
• Practicing skill sets that are important to you or your
weakness– soft skills can be refined by practice. Make it a routine to
work on soft skills that require improvement and work on them
consistently.
• Observe soft skills in others and mimic– some professionals have
specific soft skills as their strength. It is a good practice to observe
these skills in them and make it a habit to incorporate them into your
day-to-day use
Continued…
• Many people are strong in certain soft skills, while weaker in others. For
example, someone might be a great public speaker and able to command
a room full of people while on stage, but struggle to interact with people at
a busy networking event.
• It’s common to either underestimate the importance of soft skills or
overestimate your own abilities. Here are a few scenarios that may be
improved with stronger soft skills:

• You have a low client retention rate compared to others in your field
• You are frequently late for meetings or struggle to meet deadlines
• You fail to grow your professional network, or avoid networking
opportunities altogether
• You manage to land meetings with prospective clients, but rarely proceed
to the next stage or close deals
Importance of soft skills for work
• Soft skills are needed across all industries, for example,
strong communication skills are needed whether you
are working as a teacher, an engineer , a businessman
etc.
• Developing each soft skill comes with its own
advantages, for instance, improving communication will
help your employees interact more effectively and
improvements in time-management can increase
productivity.
benefits of employees developing
their soft skills:
• Increased productivity - Employees' efficiency in their tasks and
responsibilities increases which will help bring the company closer to
achieving its goals.
• Improved teamwork - For a business to function effectively people
must work well together in order to achieve a common goal. The quality
of work improves when people use their individual strengths and skills
together in collaboration.
• Improved leadership - Soft skills help prepare employees for leadership
positions because specific skills are needed, such as, active listening,
empathy etc. This is important because 50% of employees leave their job
due to poor managers.
• Increased workplace communication - Effective communication
between staff increases which consequently reduces the risk of messages
becoming distorted. This allows the company to operate more smoothly.
Continued …
• Soft-skills in a post-industrial age
• Automation Can't Replace Soft Skills: While automation can
replace some technical skills, it cannot replace soft skills.
• Soft Skills Complement Technical Skills: In many cases, soft
skills are complementary to technical skills. For example, a data
analyst who possesses strong communication and presentation
skills can explain complex data analysis to non-technical
stakeholders effectively.
• Soft Skills are Essential for Leadership: As organizations
adopt new technologies, leadership skills become increasingly
important. Soft skills such as empathy, communication, and
emotional intelligence are essential for effective leadership.
So, how to achieve all this?
• Begin with the basics: acknowledge some realities
• We are all human
• We need to work together
• We cannot all be happy all the time
• We will experience unpleasant feelings
To be continued...
• Emotional Intelligence and How to achieve it
• (will be discussed in a later lecture)

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