SOFT SKILLS Become a winner

Why soft skills?

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance”- Confucius

Many a times, in the process of upgrading our knowledge, we forget to work

on those aspects within us that mold our personality and make each one of us

stand out as an individual.

Understanding what soft skills are and implementing them in our day to day

lives will help us climb the ladder of success in our professional and personal

lives.

How soft skills help

• It is said that hard skills might get you the job, but you need soft skills to stay and grow within the organisation.

• Soft skills are sometimes so basic that they tend to be overlooked.

• Your cubicle in the office is not a closed environment - good interpersonal skills are required to be able to communicate and manage to get your work done from others around you

• Good grasp of soft skills is an empowerment tool – it will help you take advantage of opportunities

• Honing your soft skills will help you take up a leadership position

• On a personal level, it will improve relations with others around you

Important soft skills to be acquired

• Communication skills : Verbal & non verbal

• Listening skills

• Written skills

• Leaderships skills

• Time management skills

• Being a team player

• Personal grooming

• Telephone etiquettes

• Problem solving

• Adaptability

• Integrity

Communication skills

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere”

Lee lacocca

Improving your communication skills

Some people are natural masters at communication while most need to work hard to master it.

• Verbal:

a) Acknowledge the other person’s presence - greet people in a pleasant mannerb) Maintain the tempo of your speech and the tone of your voicec) Have clarity in your thoughts and speechd) Practice speaking : In front of the mirror, your friends & relativess

• Non verbal:

a) Edward T Hall says at least 65% of social meanings are transmitted through non-verbal methodsb) Your body language is as important as what you sayb) Maintain eye contactc) Maintain a correct posture while speakingd) Your facial expressions mirror your emotionse) Maintain personal space

Be an active listener

• It is as important to listen as it is to speak. You will need to listen actively to understand, follow, empathize, explain to the other person.

• Learning how to be a better listener will help you grasp aspects better, improve relations and productivity

• Listen carefully and pay attention to what the other person has to say – look at the person talking to you

• Use body language to show the person that you are listening- nod your head, smile, agree.

• Paraphrase and in case you do not understand - ask the person to repeat

• If required, make notes on what the person is saying

• Do not interrupt the speaker- if you have an argument to make or a counter -response, let the person finish speaking and then offer your point of view

• Respond appropriately to the person

Written skills

• Written communication is required in all fields of work• Even those with the best of technical skills can suffer if they don’t know

how to write out a proper sentence

Working on your written skills

• Know your audience

• Develop an outline of what you want to say

• Stick to simple words, crisp, short sentences

• Stick to one form of English – either British or American

• Use active, strong verbs – keeps audience engaged and the prose lively

• Make it reader friendly – use questions, bullet points, graphs, and illustrations

• Break it into paragraphs : Main points in first paragraph

• Proof read - Check, check and recheck on your grammar, spellings, sentence structures

• Read aloud to check if it sounds right

• Make writing a habit

Leadership skills

““Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”Steve Jobs

Good leadership skills

• Human relations is prime – need to be a people’s person

• Ability to influence others

• Organisation and control skills

• Ability to motivational others

• Communication skills- be an active listener and ensure that others listen when you speak

• Ability to delegate work

• Counseling skills- understand the problems faced by others and be able to counsel them

• Evaluation

• Managing conflicts

• Team building

• Financial management

Time management

“A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life. Charles Darwin”

Procrastination is a habit that all of us fall into often

Completing tasks on time will avoid errors due to last minute urgencies

Managing time effectively

• Make lists – simple to do list

• Set your goals

• Prioritize your work

• Schedule work

• Set personal deadlines

• Delegate work

• Focus on getting one thing done at a time

• Only take up work that you can finish

• Avoid procrastination

• Find out which time of the day/night works for you the best

Be a team player

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” - Henry Ford

How to be a good team player

• Communicate

• Listen to each one in the team

• No biases - respect each individual in the team

• Handle any misunderstandings immediately

• Share knowledge and ideas

• Learn from each other

• Keep an open mind

• Keep your ego in check

• Be an active participant

• Give credit to other team members where due

• Do not blame others

• Do not maintain an ‘I know it all’ attitude

Personal grooming

It takes just a couple of seconds to create a lasting impression.

Research shows that well groomed people create a better impression than the non groomed ones.

Spending just an hour everyday to ensure that you are properly groomed is vital to everyday work and personal life.

A neat and well turned out person reflects a striking personality

• Looking good is feeling good

• Dress up properly for the occasion

• A neat and tidy appearance is mandatory

• Ensure that the clothes you wear fit you well

• Do not wear too revealing clothes

• Clothes must be ironed well and shoes polished

• Avoid wearing too many ornaments or heavy makeup -Women

• Hair and nails must be trimmed properly – Men

• Use subtle deodorants/antiperspirants

• Maintain oral hygiene

• Wear clean socks – avoid body odor

• Walk with confidence

• Keep a pleasant smile on your face

Maintaining a well groomed personality

Telephone etiquettes

A lot can be said about a person from the way he or she answers the phone

Basic telephone manners

• Pick up the phone in three rings

• Greet the caller - Hello, Good morning

• Crisp, clear tone

• Simple English- avoid jargons

• Address the caller by the title and name

• Focus on the call, in case you don’t understand something, politely ask the caller to repeat

• Listen to the person on the other line- interruptions create frustration and misunderstanding

• A smile on your voice- reflects in your voice

• In case you need to transfer the call- find out basics- who, where, when

• Have a pen and paper ready to take down messages

• Provide the solution, alternatives

• Ending a call - thank the caller, use the name

Problem solving

• Ability to assess a situation and deal with it• Understanding a problem well and determining

what data to collect to solve it effectively• Define the problem – find the root cause of the

issue and not just work on the symptoms• Turn the problem into an opportunity to research

and look into new avenues• Think out of the box : Creatively search for solutions

or alternatives• Decide a timeframe in which to develop the

solution• Arrive at the solution in a logical and well thought

out manner• Ability to decide when to escalate the matter to a

higher authority in case required

Adaptability

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”- Charles Darwin

• The ability to adjust to and manage change• Ability to manage multiple assignments and tasks• Flexibility to accept new ideas and technologies• Constant research and upgradation of skills will help

in the process of adapting• Keep an open mind to change• Be creative, experiment more• Do not be rigid in your process and expect others to

conform to your methods

Integrity

• Integrity is one of the most prized character trait• There is no such thing as 99 % integrity• Integrity creates life long relationships• Trust is a two way process• If you are honest, it tells the employer that you are a trustworthy

employee• Be with honest people• Stick to your word• Look up to and learn from people who are honest leaders• Corrupt behavior can jeopardize your career, no matter how good your

other skills are

How to improve your soft skillsThere are many ways to improve your soft skills – it depends on you to choose the ways that you are most comfortable with and start working on them. Take a skill a time, work on improving yourself and see the change in you and the way others behave with you

• Self realization - Understanding what one is and the ability to determine one’s strengths and weaknesses

• Work to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses• Understand those around you • Read and keep updating your knowledge about your field and

what is happening around the world• Cultivate a positive attitude• React positively to feedback and constructive criticism• Socialize as much as possible and meet new people• Take initiative at work and home• One step at a time - do not try to focus on improving all your soft

skills at the same time

Incorporating soft skills into your resume

• Evaluate the soft skills that you have acquired • Incorporate these soft skills in your resume – highlight those soft

skills you have acquired and how it has helped contribute to a particular situation/organisation.

• Mention how your soft skills will help the company grow• Ensure that you will be able to explain any soft skill or situation

you have mentioned in your resume during your interview• Be prepared for question you might have to face – have ready

answers and explanations for them

Practice makes perfect

Soft skills are not generally taught in class rooms, hence the best way to brush up on your soft skill is by practicing them on a daily basis through your daily interactions with other individuals.

In the process, you will also be able to identify which soft skills you need to work on and which ones will help you in your current organization.