Soft Skills are a set of skills that influence how we interact with each other. It includes such abilities as effective communication, creativity, analytical thinking, diplomacy, flexibility, change-readiness, and problem solving, leadership, team building, and listening skills. The goal of soft skill training is to give students the opportunity to learn and practice new patterns of behavior and in so doing to enhance human relations.
The word ‘soft' in soft skills is a term used to differentiate these skills from the ‘hard' technical skills and knowledge required for success in business. They are just another way of being smart. These skills are intangible soft qualities like effective communication skills, social etiquette, right attitudes and values, and other personal and interpersonal skills like optimism, emotional maturity, confidence and awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and adeptness in relationships, that determines our potential for learning personal and social soft skills.
[...] All these presuppose one common truth the higher the level of job, the greater the relative importance of soft skills as compared to technical skills and cognitive skills. Team Building "Team building" refers to the process of establishing and developing a greater sense of collaboration and trust between team members. Interactive exercises, team assessments, and group discussions enable groups to cultivate this greater sense of teamwork. Modern society and culture continues to become more fluid and dynamic. Factors contributing to this include the communications revolution, the global market and the ever-increasing specialization and division of labor. [...]
[...] Encouraging soft skills is the vital component of any organization's management philosophy and an underlying premise for hiring, training and performance appraisals. In the new workplace, with its emphasis on teams, flexibility and strong customer orientation, soft skills are becoming increasingly essential for excellence in every job. It is being observed more and more that high performing organizations are including in their performance appraisal process not just financial performance but also relationship skills, self motivations and self management skills, team spirit, and skills in mentoring and [...]
[...] GAINING THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE WITH SOFT SKILLS Carole Nicolaides, President and Executive Coach of Progressive Leadership, offering executive coaching, organizational development consulting and leadership development training, says, “More and more corporations around the world recognize that in order to make sure their people know how to handle themselves at work and how to relate to their customers and peers. From showing empathy and optimism to knowing what's going on around them, these vital competencies are an integral part of a progressive organization.” The use of these skills is what elevates the organization above the competition. [...]
[...] Consider the instance below: A marketing or production head of an organization may be involved in various activities every day. In such a case, the person should be able to manage his time and perform all his activities within the specific time. He or she may be indulged in performing various activities at the same time, but the priority of work may vary. Such a situation is common and one needs to give special attention to effort prioritization even before venturing into multiple activities. [...]
[...] Importance of Soft Skills Broadly speaking, we can view the employees of an organization as having two kinds of skills: one set used to perform basic duties at work, and another set of skills used to approach work. The former can be categorized as technical skills and the latter as soft skills. To elaborate more on soft skills, these are the ones that define one's approach towards work, life, problems, etc. Soft skills are people skills. The best part about mastering them is that the application of these skills is not limited to one's profession, but their scope reaches all aspects of life. [...]
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