PRIME – DAY 4:SOFT SKILLS

Facilitated by:

Course Tutor: Giselle Ruoss

Course Assistant:

Frances Saggers

WHAT NEXT?What are your plans after this course?It may seem strange to ask that question at the beginning of the day

But as it is the last day of this course it is useful to think about?

We will refer to this throughout the day

ICE BREAKER: PART 1THINK ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU FELT THAT YOU WERE TREATED REALLY WELL AT WORK OR AS A CUSTOMER

What did they do for you or say to you that made you feel good?

ICE BREAKER PART 2THINK ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU FELT THAT YOU WERE TREATED AT WRONGLY WORK OR AS A CUSTOMER

What did they do or say to make you feel that you were treated so wrongly?

WHAT ARE SOFT SKILLS?They are the skills that help you work out whether or not a job is right for you

They also help you choose whether you are right for the job.

Do you remember back on Day 2 we spoke about dreams and nightmares as a way of finding out what you did and did not like and how this could effect what jobs you chose to do?

TASK 2: SOFT SKILLS ARE:Leadership skillsProblem solvingTime managementCommunication skillsCreative skillsLearning skillsCareer skillsListening skillsTell the group about two skills you have and one

skill you don’t have from this list and we must guess which one is false!

LEADERSHIP SKILLS TASK BUILDING A NEWSPAPER TOWER Background: The strength of a building material can depend on how it is used.

Pleating or rolling paper can increase its stiffness. By crumpling, folding, and otherwise reshaping the flimsy flat sheets and by forming a wide base, students can make their newspaper sheets in this activity stand up and reach unexpected heights

Many forces are at work on towers. Gravity and the dead load of a towers will push down, the ground pushes back up, and small air movements push from the side. A foundation distributes the load into the surrounding ground material and can help balance the sideways wind force. The size of the foundation depends on the strength of the supporting ground. A foundation placed in rock can be smaller than a foundation placed in sand or mud.

LEADERSHIP SKILLS – NEWSPAPER TOWER TASKActivity: In groups of three, the aim of the task is to

build the tallest newspaper tower using only two sheets of newspaper per group. The tower must stand up by itself without support.

On the table there are things to help you, you can use anything you need:-

Glue, scissors, paperclips, tape

PROBLEM SOLVING TASKIn business it is important to be able to problem solve

Sudoku is a Japanese number puzzle that is quite good fun and can also be a challenge

This task can shows you how to work as part of a team to solve a problem

TIME MANAGEMENT TASKYou are given your bosses diary to arrange

her appointments for the day:-Here is her diary – Thursday 4th July 2013Book a venue for a conference of 100 peopleContact 100 relevant people to attend the

conferenceFind a venue to hold a conferenceArrange a buffetArrange transport All of these tasks need to be arranged today.

TIME MANAGEMENT TASK Imagine you were given these tasks to do. What order would you do the tasks and why?Would you organise everything yourself or get

someone to help you?Would you work out how long each task takes to do? If you get someone to help you what would you ask

them to do?What would you do yourself?What questions would you ask your boss?What questions would you ask the conference

attendees?

COMMUNICATION SKILLS TASK

This bag has been handed in to lost property you have been asked to find out who it belongs to:-

Are they male or female?Where do they live?Where do they travel?What else will help you to return this bag to its rightful owner?

CREATIVE SKILLS TASKYou have been asked to design a new logo for a local bakery business

The company name is TASTY BAKEThe shop colours are red and whiteThey specialise in cupcakes and pastriesIn 20 minutes design a logo for TASTY BAKE

LEARNING SKILLS TASK Knowing how you learn is useful for you to know. This is because some people learn by watching

something. They are called Visual learners Some people learn by listening they are called Audio

learners Other people learn by movement or doing something in

order to learn. They are called Kinaesthetic learners The final group of people learn by taking time to think

about what they have learnt. They are called Retrospective learners

Which type of learner are you?

CAREER SKILLS TASKDifferent careers require specific skills. On day 2

we looking at your ideal job.Can you remember some of your likes and

dislikes?Well it is much the same when choosing a careerOnce you find your first job, many of you will look

for other jobs with similar skills this is usually because you like what you do or you are good at what you do

After all once in work, you often spend a lot of time working so you might as well enjoy what you do!

CAREER SKILLS TASKOften the skills you learn in one job lead to your next job

If you have worked before how have your previous jobs helped you in the job you have now or the next job you want to get?

LISTENING SKILLS TASKIn pairs spend 2 minutes telling the person next to you about a time when you really enjoyed listening to someone you had never met before

What did they talk about?How did they speak?What did they say that made listening to them so interesting?

After 2 minutes swap roles one person talks the other listens without saying anything

WHICH OF THESE SKILLS DO YOU…

ALREADY HAVE? WISH YOU HAD?

Qualities Employers look forGood all-round intelligenceEnthusiasm, commitment and motivationGood communication skillsTeam work abilityAbility to solve problemsCapacity to work hardInitiative and self-reliance

LIFE EXPERIENCE TASKHow has you life experience so far effected the choices you make in your life and work today?

WORKING FOR A COMPANY

SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR A COMPANY ARE:-

SOME OF THE DRAWBACKS OF WORKING FOR A COMPANY ARE:-

WORKING FOR YOURSELF

SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR YOURSELF ARE:-

SOME OF THE DRAWBACKS OF WORKING FOR YOURSELF ARE:-

OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESSOwning your own business can be:-RewardingChallengingEnjoyableHard workExcitingTiringFunWorryingProvide opportunitiesTime consumingFlexible

LIFE-LONG LEARNING

Sometimes the only thing that stops you from doing what you want to do is yourself

Or you may believe you do not have the right qualifications or experience

After your experience of this course, what do you think about studying now?

TAKE YOUR PASSION AND MAKE IT HAPPEN