An introduction to Soft Skills

      Throughout your educational pursuit, what you learn in your class is no doubt very important (I mean the Subjects). But how you present your learning to your clients/ customers etc. at your workplace is much more important to have a successful career. In olden days, Communication Skills or Presentation Skills were essential only to certain professions such as teachers, lawyers, pastors, priests, politicians, salesmen etc. All other categories of people carried out their work silently. But today, the scenario has changed. All the employees esp. those in the middle and the higher levels are expected to possess good communication skills.

Let us observe a few examples. There are many students who don’t succeed in Campus Placements in spite of having the essential qualification/ percentage of marks. Some of these students may be also good at technical skills (also referred to as Hard Skills). Yet they are not selected. Similarly we often notice that people joining low cadre jobs such as clerks, assistants etc. often retire in the same post while only a few of these people grow up to very high positions. No doubt these people had abundant Soft skills which the other people lacked.

Let us examine the term Soft Skills of which Communication Skills also form a part.

“Soft Skills” is a term derived from Sociology which represents a cluster of personality traits, facility with language, habits, friendliness, optimism etc. which vary from person to person. Soft Skills complement Hard Skills.

Now let us observe some of the most sought after soft Skills and see how we can improve them –

Firstly, skills related to language such as Grammar, Spellings, Reading, Writing and Listening skills, filling in forms and applications, preparing necessary documents etc. are usually taught in your English classes. These can be practised at home, school or college or can be learnt by attending good Spoken English classes.

Secondly, all the other skills not related to language can be conveniently classified into 3 categories –

1.       Corporate Skills:  These are generally the CEO level skills and a must for people at the highest rank. However, an employee who possesses these skills can guide his boss towards success.

These skills include – business, commercial and strategic awareness; organisation and control, team building, public relations, networking etc.

2.       Employability Skills: These skills are needed especially for the freshers.

These include –  co-operation, planning, organising, decision making, proper verbal communication in various situations such as attending phone calls, group presentations, explaining the clients etc.

3.       Life Skills: These are related to the head, heart, hands and health. These are highly personal and reflect our personality.

These include – honesty, reliability, courtesy, flexibility, co-operation, having good attendance, being energetic, motivational, ability to resolve conflicts, eye contact, following rules, willingness to learn, critical thinking, good appearance, being on time, awareness of company work, staying on the job till completion, team skills, striving for company’s growth etc.

Now, all the above mentioned Soft skills cannot be taught in the class or practiced in a language lab or at home by reading some books. They should be acquired and experienced personally. Hence, Soft skills are a continuous learning process.

However, here are a few tips for learning/ improving these skills –

*  Greet family members, friends, colleagues, neighbours etc. warmly and politely

* Greet your superiors, subordinates and peers with a smile

*  Smile at everyone irrespective of their cadre, including the office boy, watchman etc.

*  Be courteous; respect, help and empathise with others

*  Keep a watch on your intonation, pitch and modulation while speaking. You should always be audible, and soft spoken

*  Dress well esp. according to the situation

*  Be a good listener and also a good learner

*  Avoid political and religious comments

*  Don’t speak ill of others and don’t listen to such conversations either

*  Don’t speak provocative words

*  Work hard to make your organization grow

*  Improve your knowledge and awareness

*  Develop public relations and leadership qualities

*  Improve your language

To conclude, Soft Skills are the most sought after by the employers, in addition to the standard qualifications. To make themselves prosperous, many employers are even conducting workshops to train their staff in these skills. Hence Soft skills play a leading role in the success of an individual as well as in that of the organization.