Soft Skills Training
Soft skills are essential for success
in the professional world - as well
as in one's personal life.
Soft Skills Course on Goals - "Live an Awesome Life of Purpose"
No goal is too small.
Never hesitate to dream big.
Make it ethical and beneficial for yourself and others.
In this 3-hr course, we will focus on what constitutes an 'awesome life', and how to set goals, stay on track and accomplish them to arrive at this 'awesome life'.
Time: 8:00am to 11:00am
Date: to be announced
Fee: $226.00 (tax included)
Location: online
Step Three
Walk
Adjust and modify - as needed - along the way.
Step Two
Map it out
To stay on track, set up the parameters and checkpoints.
Step One
Dream Big
Keep it simple. Make sure that it is attainable.
To Apply
Maximum number of attendees: 20 people
To apply or enquire further, please write to 'admin@cafelifeskills.com', or click on the red button.
What are Soft Skills?
Soft skills can be generally coined as 'people skills' and provide the human element in an increasingly automated, technological and high-performance society. In the workplace, they are also known as 'professional skills', while in school, they are known as 'core skills'.
They often come naturally to those who are considered gifted or talented or successful. However, with a little effort, they can be learnt and it is possible to attain a high level of proficiency through practice and training.
In contrast, hard skills are skills that are measurable and finite. They are technical skills in a specialized field, such as computer programming or car mechanics.
Soft skills are essential and relevant across all sectors of the business and educational world, as well as in all aspects of the social and personal life.
Why is Soft Skills Training necessary?
Quite simply, soft skills determine the quality of an interaction, and tangibly influence the outcome of a situation. They are absolutely essential in the workplace for any professional who wishes to stand out and be taken seriously.
Even if a person is technically the world's best surgeon, if his/her way of interacting with the patient is rough, abrupt and crude, then the patient's confidence in the surgeon may be compromised, and this could psychologically affect the recovery rate of the patient.
In an age when people are being held accountable for their speech and actions, if a person is an olympic-level coach who shouts at his/her athletes in a demeaning way, he/she will lose the respect of the team, as well as diminish the odds of success for the athletes in the actual competition. Knowing how to bring out the best performance in each athlete requires not only technical prowess but also a strong command of soft skills.
When international companies meet in-person or online to negotiate a potential alliance, excellence in calculating risk and future profit are not enough to 'seal the deal'. The soft skills of cross-cultural fluency, accurate listening, problem-solving and efficient teamwork are needed to bring everyone's resources together to a fool-proof plan of action.
When two long-time friends have an unintentional misunderstanding, it takes sensitivity and patience to work together through the different perspectives and disentangle the little knots where the lines of communication have gotten twisted up. Such competence is the result of having good, strong, soft skills.
Top Ten Soft Skills to Train
Here are the top ten soft skills that will set you apart as a working professional:
Communication
Being able to communicate well involves not only speaking clearly, but also active and attentive listening. Good writing and strong reading comprehension are also essential elements. These four elements, built on a foundation of solid ethics, will pave the way for great, long-lasting relationships with working colleagues, friends and family.
Teamwork
There are several key aspects to good teamwork: they involve being able to get along with your teammates, proactively seeking solutions when there are differences of opinions, presenting ideas and options that 'get the job done' while strengthening the collective team.
Problem-solving
Combining resourcefulness, perseverance, mental agility and focus, along with ample positivity, results in strong problem-solving skills. Both the process and the end result are equally important.
Adaptability
Adaptability involves mental flexibility as well as the ability to learn 'on the go'. This is an essential soft skill for those who wish to succeed in a highly competitive environment where the landscape is constantly changing.
Creativity
This soft skill often goes hand in hand with the skill of problem-solving. Creativity includes being able to see things from a new angle, think outside of the box, and take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary.
Conflict Management
This soft skill is about being able to diffuse tense situations to prevent them from escalating further into disorder and and chaos. It is not exactly the same as problem-solving as conflict management requires expertise in dealing with not just mental obstacles but also emotional blockages.
Initiative & Attention
When a challenge arise, what is required is initiative and keen attention to identify what the root cause of the problem is. The same initiative is needed to take something from the world of ideas and turn it into something tangible in the physical world. A sense of good timing is necessary to catch the right moment to implement or launch a new project.
Work Attitude & Ethic
Remaining undaunted in the face of difficulty is a key aspect of having a good work attitude. Being expedient without taking short cuts that come at a high price is part of having strong work ethic. In the hiring process, many managers are charged with hiring only those who have a great work attitude and impeccable work ethic.
Cross-Cultural Fluency
In an age when the internet has transcended so many borders and time zones, cross-cultural fluency is essential for bringing multiple international parties to a successful negotiation.
Leadership
A strong leader is someone who has many of the above-mentioned skills, or is able to bring on board others who have the necessary skills to carry a project to fruition. This is someone who knows the fine balance between delegating and not being afraid to jump down into the trenches and getting hands and feet dirty. Knowing when to take a step back to avoid micro-managing, and when to keep tabs on fellow teammates when the going gets tough, is a sign of great leadership.
Soft Skills Training
Soft Skills are also known as 'core skills' or 'common skills'.
Other names they are known by are 'behavioral skills', 'non-technical skills', 'essential skills', 'transferable skills', and 'interpersonal skills'.
Relevance
Soft skills today are considered by employers to be equally important to the GPA (grade point average) of graduating university students.
The importance of soft skills applies not only to those entering the workforce but also to those who wish to ensure that their presence continues to be an asset to the organization that they are working in.
On January 20, 2021, Yolanda Lau, Forbes Council Member, stated:
"Whether you are hiring employees, independent contractors or a blended workforce, we all know that the world is changing rapidly and how work gets done is evolving. As a result, how we screen and hire employees and freelancers has changed too. Soft skills — such as empathy, emotional intelligence, kindness, mindfulness, adaptability, integrity, optimism, self-motivation, grit and resilience — have become crucial success factors.
As more and more job activities become automated, soft skills, which cannot yet be replicated by machines, have become more important. In 2017, Deloitte also reported that "soft skill-intensive occupations will account for two-thirds of all jobs by 2030" and that hiring employees with more soft skills could increase revenue by more than $90,000."
History
This term was first used by the US army back in the 1960's. It was used to acknowledge the unidentified abilities of military leaders who were able to guide their troops through successful missions and 'win the war'. In 1972, the term was published in a training manual of the US army.
English neuropsychologist of Cambridge, Nicholas Humphrey, who worked with Dian Fossey on the study of gorillas in Rwanda, also well-known for his work on the evolution of human intelligence and consciousness, has stated that humans are defined by social intelligence rather than qualitative intelligence.