LEARNING THE SOFT SKILLS

Most interactions with other people involve the use of soft skills. You could be negotiating a new
contract, presenting your fresh concept to coworkers, networking for a new job, and so on. With that, we
employ soft skills every day at work, and improving these skills will help you gain more business and
advance in your profession.

A lack of soft skills, on the other hand, can limit your potential or possibly be the ruin of your
organization. You can manage projects more smoothly, create outcomes that please everyone, and even
favorably influence your personal life by enhancing how you connect with others if you acquire good
leadership, delegation, teamwork, and communication skills.

What is a soft skill?

 Soft skill is a synonym for “people skills”. The term describes those personal attributes that
indicate a high level of emotional intelligence.
 Soft skills are a personal attribute that supports situational awareness and enhances an
individual’s ability to get a job done.
 In other words, soft skills are the skills and personality traits that make a person successful in his
job, creating not only a positive and functional work environment but also making the
organization highly competitive. Listing soft skills in your resume and demonstrating them in
your interview will open new doors of opportunity.
 It is often said that hard skills will get you an interview, but you need soft skills to get and keep
you in the job.
 Soft skills must not be mixed with hard skills. While hard skills are described as technical skills
that define a person’s ability to perform a specific task, whereas soft skills let that person retain
his job.
 For instance, if you are a chief cooking would be your hard skills, or if you are computer
programmer , coding would be your hard skills also. For soft skills, on the other hand these are
the people skills like communication, teamwork and such. Hard skills are generally learned
through schools, training, or previous experience. Soft skills are more difficult to develop, you
will need to practice them overtime in the real world with the others.
 According to researchers conducted in Harvard and Stanford Universities only 15% of your career
success is provided by your hard skills, whilst the other 85% by so called soft skills. 
 Nurturing skills is one of the most difficult facets of self-improvement. With that, being
employed is more than just acquiring a work or having a happy job; it is also about having a
broad range of skills, abilities, and attributes that will allow an individual to stay employed. An
individual who is aware of their skills and abilities has most likely achieved success in different
fields during their career.

SOFT SKILLS THAT ARE HIGHLY IN-DEMAND IN TODAY’S WORKFORCE

1. Communication Skills

 Strong communications skills include verbal communication, non-verbal communication, and

written communication. Developing them will let you clearly and precisely express yourself,
listen to your customers’ grievances, and build long-lasting relationships with your clients.
  For you to be an effective communicator you must have these 5 elements. (1) "Vocal
communication" refers to how well you are able to speak clearly and concisely. (2) "Nonverbal
communication" refers to your ability to communicate through positive body language and facial
expressions. (3) "Written communication" refers to your ability to compose messages in text
format, reports, and other types of documents. (4) "Visual communication" refers to your ability
to pass on information using images and other types of visuals. (5) Active listening is also an
important communication soft skill since it allows you to pay close attention to and actually
understand what others are saying. To understand how to communicate effectively with
someone, you must be able to listen. Any communication efforts will be one-sided and likely
ineffective unless you have great listening abilities.
 It is critical to have strong communication skills, regardless of the job. So, if you can express
ideas logically and they are well received, you will have a significant advantage over others.

2. Leadership Skills

 Leadership as a soft skill means that a person vests in himself the ability to grow within the
organization and lead other employees in the organization too. It encompasses the ability to
encourage peers, accommodate their needs, resolve conflicts, and cultivate the organization’s
culture in future employees.
 Organizations seek employees who can oversee and direct their subordinates. They seek
individuals who can build relationships at all levels of the firm. Leaders should evaluate, inspire,
encourage, and manage employees; establish teams; settle problems; and develop the desired
culture of the firm.
 The critical component of leadership is knowing how to influence others and meet their needs.
 Quality leaders are highly sought-after by employers. According to survey, the single major talent
gap managers deal with is in leadership. Don't think that leadership abilities are only useful if
you're in a managerial role. Managers require leadership skills in all positions.

3. Teamwork

 Possessing teamwork as a soft skill infers the ability to carry out the work in collaborations
with others that do not improve the quality of work but also results in prompt completion of
the task.
 The majority of employees work as part of a team, department, or division, and even those who
are not part of an official team must cooperate with other employees. You might want to work
independently, but it is important to show that you recognize and appreciate the need to
combine forces and collaborate with others to achieve the company's goals. That will indicate
you have the soft skills required for productive teamwork.
 Employees make up every business. The ability to develop connections with individuals in the
firm is a necessary talent for forming a good team. Further to that, research has shown that
employees that work effectively together, they accomplish more.
 Working in a team also educates you when to be a leader and when to be a follower.

4. Flexibility/Adaptability
  Flexibility is typically defined as a person offering more or less in the same scenario without
affecting the components or their general attitude or behavior. Adaptability is defined as a
shift in behavior or adjustment to a new sort of setting, and it could involve extensive changes.

 Both adaptability and flexibility are crucial in the job, yet they have diverse applications. It is
preferable for team members to demonstrate adaptability when transitioning to new jobs. When
a deadline changes or the price of an item increases, it's beneficial when that individual
demonstrates flexibility. In some cases, a staff member can employ flexibility and adaptability to
perform well in a variety of scenarios. For example, if a deadline shifts and gets closer, the
employee can be flexible by agreeing to fulfill the new deadline and adapt by modifying their
behavior to deal with the stress.

 Therefore, they seek employees who are able to switch or change courses as needed. Because
firms have become less structured and more flexible, it has become more crucial than ever for
staff members to be able to manage a variety of activities and show an eagerness to take on
activities that may fall beyond their field of skill.

5. Problem Solving

 Employees with problem solving skills tend to be more reliant and self-dependent.
 They possess the ability to analyze the cause of the unwanted situation, generate a set of
alternative interventions to achieve the end goals, evaluate the best solutions, implement the
best plan, and assess effectiveness.
 Several applicants attempt to minimize difficulties since they are unaware that organizations hire
staff members to solve problems. Barriers in the path and obstacles are all associated with work
and provide opportunities for learning. The capacity to apply your knowledge to solve urgent
issues and create practical solutions shows that you are able to manage and succeed in your
profession. Making mistakes and learning from them is a key aspect of developing soft skills.
 You probably have good critical thinking skills if you succeed at thinking outside the box. These
characteristics are vital in today's information economy, as robots and software are rapidly
replacing humans for routine activities. The ability to solve problems is useful in any industry.

Soft Skills in this category include:

• Creativity – imagining new approaches to a problem.

• Critical thinking – developing and using a systematized method to handle tasks.

• Analysis – interpreting deeper meaning from surface-level data.

• Innovation – developing new and original products, services and systems.

6. Interpersonal Skills

 People skills, social skills, and social intelligence are all terms used to describe interpersonal
skills. They involve accurately receiving and understanding the signals sent by others in order
to generate effective reactions. Individuals demonstrate their interpersonal abilities all the
time by interacting with others.
  This is a broad area of "people skills" that encompasses building and sustaining connections,
establishing relationships, and employing diplomacy. It also involves providing and getting
constructive feedback, being open to and respectful of others' points of view and understanding
them.

Examples of Interpersonal Skills

The many types of interpersonal skills that can lead to great outcomes at work include:

 Clear communication, whether you're explaining an idea or asking a question in person,

in writing, or by phone.
 Attentive, careful listening
 Confirming that you comprehend what you've heard from a colleague or customer.
 Supporting the useful ideas and honest efforts of colleagues
 Responding positively to communications from others
 Presenting a willingness to get a job done.
 Building relationships
 Being positive

But, lets not go further to that one.

7. Work Ethics

 A good work ethic reflects your work style and consistent capacity to perform. It can provide
you with several opportunities and will have a significant influence on your job success. A
work ethic is a characteristic that can be applied to any profession and is highly valued, even if
you're just starting out or entering a new industry.

 Organizations do not prefer to micromanage their staff. Employers expected staff members to be
accountable and to accomplish the task for which they are being compensated, which involves
arriving on time, completing tasks on time, and ensuring that what they do is free of mistakes.
Going above and beyond also shows your dedication to doing your job well.

 People with a strong work ethic focus their efforts on the goals and positive outcomes that
organizations must achieve, so with that, hey pursue these with enthusiasm, not allowing
obstacle and changes to stand in their way. They are regarded as devoted personnel capable of
exceeding expectations.

Importance of Soft Skills in the Workplace

Above all the things I have discussed, the ppt presented list down the following essential soft skill
objectives:

 increases client service.

 reduces the risk that it poses.
 enhances the employees' productivity.
 encourages teamwork and the gathering of multiple ideas in order to complete the work
effectively and efficiently.
  allow you to enhance your presenting skills, networking talents, and etiquette awareness, which
can help you acquire new clients and gain more work from current ones.
 Teamwork, communication, and time management skills will help you deliver outcomes and gain
confidence, favorably influencing your personal life.

Further to that, employers are no longer only concerned with improving their employees' product
knowledge. In today's competitive environment, every firm takes the initiative to provide soft skills
training to its employees, which benefits not only the employee's overall development but also the
organization as a whole.

How to acquire Soft Skills.

 Like any other skill, soft skills also need to be developed among the new employees. It not only
impacts professional life but also positively influences personal life too.

o You as an employer for example, you should develop an engaging soft skill course.

o Never impose; rather, create engagement so that learners automatically adopt this
teaching.

o Include a learning management system that consists of courses on communication,

collaboration, problem-solving, creative thinking, and so on.

Conclusion

• More and more businesses are considering soft skills as an important job criterion.

• An increase in the service industry emphasizes the need for soft skills.

• Soft skills are both used in personal and professional growth.

• Regardless of industry, every firm recognizes the critical necessity for soft skills. And it provides
numerous incentives and rewards. According to research, soft skills will account for two-thirds of
all occupations by 2030. Therefore, make the workplace a better and more productive
environment.

Successful Soft Skills Development

 Observing others in your organization who succeed in these seven areas can also help you obtain
useful experience. Having to take on new responsibilities at work (sitting on committees,
organizing events, etc.) may also help you earn helpful knowledge.

 Think about doing soft-skills courses online. Increasing your emotional intelligence will make you
more valuable to your employer and boost your probability of success in your work.

 Employee evaluations can also indicate areas for improvement, making it easier to build an
improvement strategy to address those needs. When planning their development, people
frequently prioritize technical abilities or competencies over soft skills.