3.13 Soft Skills_PPT.pptx for graduate trainees

Soft Skills_PPT.pptx

1. Training on Soft Skills to EAGC-ADA Staff By Jebessa Senbeta Mobile: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] AGAR Development Partners 13-14 January 2021 Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA

2. Learning Objectives To enhance the understanding of participants on soft skills and the ways and means by which soft skills can be utilized in the day to day life. To enhance the ability of participants to face the everyday challenges of life with confidence. To boost the ability of participants to demonstrate an outstanding personality in the social and work environment by skillfully maneuvering individual emotions

3. Presentation Outline Session 1: Understanding Soft Skills Session 2: Skills necessary to have a good relationship with yourself Session 3: Skills necessary to have a good relationship with others Session 4: Skills necessary for making good decisions

4. Session 1: Understanding Soft Skills

5. Activity 1: Brainstorming Understandings Soft Skills (1) What are Soft Skills?

6. Understandings Soft Skills (2) Soft Skills are the set of skills that a person should possess in order to face life's daily challenges successfully and to positively adapt to it. This would build the self confidence in an individual to handle life challenges in a more effective manner. Soft skills are the behaviors and characteristics that people demonstrate unconsciously and routinely For success in the workplace, the contribution of soft skills are 85% and contribution of technical skills are 15%. Soft skills are learned through practice and experience Soft skills will take you higher in your profession while giving you the technical skills to provide an efficient service S kills you need to unlock your hidden potential.

7. Soft skills are personal attributes that allow us to effectively relate to others. Applying these skills helps us build stronger work relationships, work more productively, and maximize our career prospects. Often, we place the focus of our career development efforts on hard skills – technology skills, knowledge, and other skills that specifically relate to our ability to get work-related tasks done. This means we neglect to develop our soft skills. However, soft skills are directly transferrable to any job, organization, or industry. Understandings Soft Skills (3)

8. Activity 2: Brainstorming Understandings Soft Skills (4) Why are Soft Skills important?

9. They help us focus and pay attention. They can help us have a better awareness of ourselves. They help us develop a stable self-image and appreciate ourselves better. They teach us self-control and self-regulation. They help us learn how to take care of our bodies. They help us learn how to recognize and express our emotions. Understandings Soft Skills (5) Why are Soft Skills important?

10. They teach us empathy, being able to take on the perspectives of others. They help us learn to communicate effectively. They teach us how to make informed decisions and how to plan our lives jobs, career, future. They help us learn to accept praise and criticism as well as overcome failure. They are also helpful in modeling rational (nonviolent) behavior in conflict situations. Understandings Soft Skills (4) Why are Soft Skills important?

11. Categorizing Soft Skills

12. Session 2: Skills Necessary To Have A Good Relationship With Yourself

13. The best thing you can do for others is to understand who you are and allow that to be the foundation for all of your interactions One of the major issues that a person faces when reaching his/her life goals is, not having understood who he/she is. This lack of understanding is the cause behind the inability to solve problems efficiently or to logically reach a conclusion after assessing the pros and cons of a problem. Therefore, this topic will create an opportunity to identify a person’s skills, aspirations, qualities and personality traits Knowing Myself : discovering our abilities and skills

14. Activity 3: Exercising Johari Window Knowing Myself: discovering our abilities and skills (2) Johari Window (next slide )

15.   Window 1: Open (known to self and known to others)       Window 2: Blind (unknown to self but known to others)   Window 3. Façade (known to self but unknown to others)           Window 4: Unknown (unknown to self and unknown to others) Johari Window Knowing Myself : discovering our abilities and skills (3)

16. Activity 4: The River of Life Exercise 1. Knowing About Life The River of Life

17. Self Management Self-management is the ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviours effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, being self-motivating, setting personal and academic goals and working to achieve them. Examples of questions that can be answered when successfully adopting this skill are: ‘What different responses can I have to an event?’ and ‘How can I respond to an event as constructively as possible?’

18. Emotion is a different word for feelings. There are 4 basic emotions: happy, sad, angry and afraid. Apart from these 4 basic emotions, there are many more. If you are feeling sad or feeling happy, you might behave in a different way. It is important to know how you are feeling and to discover why and when you can experience different emotions. Some people feel emotions in a very high intensity, if something nice happens they are very happy and if something bad happens they become extremely sad. Others experience emotions in a low intensity: their sadness or happiness is less intense when they experience it Self Management

19. Time management is about more than just managing our time; it is about managing ourselves, in relation to time. It is about setting priorities and taking charge. It means changing habits or activities that cause us to waste time. It means being willing to experiment with different methods and ideas to enable you to find the best way to make maximum use of time. Time Management

20. Great time management means being effective as well as efficient. Managing time effectively, and achieving the things that you want to achieve, means spending your time on things that are important and not just urgent. To do this, you need to distinguish clearly between what is urgent and what is important: IMPORTANT: These are activities that lead to the achieving your goals and have the greatest impact on your life. URGENT: These activities demand immediate attention, but are often associated with someone else’s goals rather than our own. Time Management

21. Time Management

22. Time Management URGENT AND IMPORTANT: Activities in this area relate to dealing with critical issues as they arise and meeting significant commitments. Perform these duties now. IMPORTANT, BUT NOT URGENT: These success-oriented tasks are critical to achieving goals. Plan to do these tasks next. URGENT, BUT NOT IMPORTANT: These chores do not move you forward toward your own goals. Manage by delaying them, cutting them short and rejecting requests from others. Postpone these chores. NOT URGENT AND NOT IMPORTANT: These trivial interruptions are just a distraction, and should be avoided if possible. However, be careful not to mislabel things like time with family and recreational activities as not important. Avoid these distractions altogether.

23. Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence What your belief about yourself affects everything you do Self-confidence, self-worth, and self respect are the rewards of high self esteem. Self-esteem is not static. It can and does change. It can be temporarily affected by different events in your life. When you succeed at something, your self esteem is usually high. When you fail at something, for instance why you fail interview for a job, your self-esteem is usually low. Most low self-esteem is caused by negative emotional reactions.

24. Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence Ways to improve self-confidence: P lanning and Preparation: People often feel less confident about new or potentially difficult situations. Perhaps the most important factor in developing confidence is planning and preparing for the unknown. 2) Learning, Knowledge and Training: Learning and research can help us to feel more confident about our ability to handle situations, roles and tasks. By doing something we have learned a lot about we put theory to practice which develops confidence and adds to the learning and comprehension.

25. 3) Try to recondition the way you think about your life: Know your strengths and weaknesses.  Write a list of things that you are good at and things that you know need improvement Celebrate and develop your strengths and find ways to improve or manage your weaknesses. We all make mistakes.  Don't think of your mistakes as negatives but rather as learning opportunities. Use criticism as a learning experience . Everybody sees the world differently, from their own perspective, and what works for one person may not work for another. Criticism is just the opinion of somebody else. Be assertive when receiving criticism, don't reply in a defensive way or let criticism lower your self-esteem. Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

26. In our daily lives we experience stress. A little stress helps us to be better at the things we do such as meeting new people or going to see a manager when we have problems at work; however too much stress can prevent us from going on with our daily activities. Stress is a feeling from inside that occurs when a person is faced with a situation or problem that he/she perceives as having no means or resources to solve. There are 2 different levels of stress: PRIMARY STRESSOR: It is the initial disturbing experience or event (e.g. death of a parent, being sexually abused). SECONDARY STRESSORS: They are experienced as a result of the primary stress (e.g. dropping out of school after the death of a parent). Stress Management

27. We go to our jobs while carrying the burden of many private matters which could decrease the efficiency and affectivity of the job. Also, we come back home from work while carrying the problems of work and the problematic situations we have created as a result of not working efficiently. This may act as a vicious circle and reduce ones patience and endurance resulting in a restless mind and behavior. Stress can grow to a state where there is increased conflict, seemingly less solutions for problems, lack of creativity, isolation due to weakened interpersonal relationships as well as various mental health issues Stress Management

28. How to manage stress? Solve a problem in its early stages rather than letting the problem worsen To only have realistic hopes. That is living with achievable, feasible targets rather than impossible dreams. Engage in activities that you enjoy outside of work. Start a new hobby and maintain it. Practice a relaxing exercise daily even for a short while. Exercise regularly Share your problems or worries with your spouse or trustworthy friends. Discuss your life plans Stress Management

29. Create a good plan. Manage your time accordingly. Take a small break from every two hours of work Get enough sleep Get a full medical checkup annually Drink the required amount of water daily. (Medically advised amount) Make it a habit to drink water Walk in way that the entire sole of the foot touches the floor. Get rid of the thoughts that make you think that things should only happen in a particular way and in that way only Stress Management

30. Session 3: Skills Necessary To Have A Good Relationship With Others

31. “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.” Lao Tzu Social awareness is the ability to empathize with and understand the perspective of others from diverse backgrounds and cultures. This includes understanding social and ethical norms of behaviour Thus, it is very critical to discover more about each other and to increase mutual understanding and respect The idea behind this, is that if people know more about each other and learn about the experiences, hobbies, talents, and faults they have in common, they will understand and respect each other more. 1. Knowing Others- Social Awareness

32. Empathy goes beyond an ability to understand other people’s feelings’ It is more than just sensing other people’s feelings and emotions. It also means taking a genuine interest in them and their concerns. Developing empathy allows us to imagine ourselves in another person’s shoes, to respond to others, and even to vicariously experience others’ feelings of emotions. Empathy is one component of what is known as Emotional Intelligence 2. E mpathy (Understanding Others): Fundamental to relationships

33. People who are good at understanding others: Pick up emotional cues , often from body language, tone of voice, and other non-verbal elements of communication Listen well to what people are saying , actively checking their understanding (active listening, clarifying, reflecting) When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen ( Ernest Hemingway ) Show sensitivity towards others , and understand their perspectives (being polite, tact and diplomacy, intercultural awareness Help other people appropriately , based on their understanding of their needs and emotions. 3. E mpathy (Understanding Others): The Skills You Need

34. What is emotion? Emotion is a different word for feelings. There are 4 basic emotions: happy, sad, angry and afraid. Apart from these 4 basic emotions, there are many more. If you are feeling sad or feeling happy, you might behave in a different way. It is important to know how you are feeling and to discover why and when you can experience different emotions. Some people feel emotions in a very high intensity, if something nice happens they are very happy and if something bad happens they become extremely sad. Others experience emotions in a low intensity: their sadness or happiness is less intense when they experience it Emotional intelligence (EI) is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments. 4. Emotional Intelligence (1)

35. Benefits of Higher Emotional Intelligence People with higher emotional intelligence find it easier to form and maintain interpersonal relationships and to ‘fit in’ to group situations. People with higher emotional intelligence are also better at understanding their own psychological state, which can include managing stress effectively and being less likely to suffer from depression. 4. Emotional Intelligence

36. Professionalism is a key soft skill Professionalism is simply the ability to conduct yourself with responsibility, integrity, accountability, and excellence. Acting with professionalism also means seeking to communicate effectively with others and finding a way to be productive. Professionalism involves what may seem to be small acts, such: Always reporting to work on time and returning promptly from breaks Dressing appropriately Being clean and neat Speaking clearly and politely to colleagues, customers, and clients Striving to meet high standards for one’s own work 5. Professionalism

37. 6. Teamwork The ability to work as part of a team is one of the most important skills. Teamwork is an essential part of workplace success. Teamwork quotes “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” - Henry Ford The strength of the team is each individual member...the strength of each member is the team.” - Phil Jackson.

38. 6. Teamwork Belbin’s Team Roles Research shows that the most effective teams have team members who can take on each of the nine key roles (1 team member can play >1 role). Shaper – drives work forward and gets things done, has a clear idea of the desired direction of travel; Implementer – also gets things done, looking for ways to turn talk into action and generate practical activity; Completer-Finisher – focuses on completing tasks, and tidying up all the loose ends; Coordinator – manage the group dynamics, often in a leadership role;

39. Team Worker – helps the team to work effectively by supporting personal relationships; Resource Investigator – gathers external resources and information to help the team; Plant – generates ideas and creative solutions, not all of them practical; Monitor-Evaluator – good at critically assessing ideas and proposals, and at making decisions; and Specialist – brings expert knowledge to the group, not always necessary to effective functioning. 6. Teamwork

40. A conflict is a struggle and a clash of interest, opinion, or even principles. Conflict will always be found in society; as the basis of conflict may vary to be personal, racial, class, caste, political and international Conflict is a natural part of any workplace, especially in those with many people of varying responsibilities and personalities who must work together. You can find conflict between groups, individual employees and even between members of management. It's important to manage conflict so the workplace can continue to be a positive and collaborative environment where employees are happy and productive at work. 7. Conflict Management

41. What are conflict management skills/styles? Conflict management skills are abilities that help you manage how conflict affects you, those you work with and the workplace as a whole. Knowing that conflict is inevitable, conflict management aims to make conflict a productive part of the workplace, and if you have the skills do to so, you can contribute to an environment where conflict is accepted, managed and used positively. 7. Conflict Management

42. One must understand that it is important to carefully select the most suitable technique or style in solving a conflict successfully. Before reacting or responding to other characters involved in the conflict and their behavioral patterns, one must first try to presume their expectations and then select the best conflict resolution technique based on their suggestions. 7. Conflict Management

43. Conflict management skills in the workplace Have patience Understand body language Be impartial Be open to discussion Reference the company values There are only three basic methods to resolve a conflict. Using force (not often successful and sustainable) Acting upon Rights and Standards Agreement 7. Conflict Management

44. The Eight Essential Steps to Conflict Resolution Create an Partnership Atmosphere Clarify Perceptions Focus on Individual and Shared Needs Build Shared Positive Power Look to the Future, Then Learn from the Past Generate Alternatives Develop ‘ Doables ’ Make Mutual-Benefit Agreements 7. Conflict Management

45. Strategies to solve conflict: Wait and cool off (wait till the anger has become less and you can think normally again) Walk away and let it go (if the conflict is very small, you are for example a bit irritated because of what someone does, just walk away and let it go) If somebody wrongs you: tell them to stop (it is important to know your boundaries and to know when somebody crosses them, you have the right to tell them to stop) Ignore it (if the conflict is very small, just ignore the conflict) Apologize! (if you did something wrong, apologize) 7. Conflict Management

46. Talk it out (solve the conflict by explaining each other why you got angry, how you felt and make sure you understand each other) Ask for help (ask somebody you trust to help you solve the problem, this can be for example your teacher or your parents) STOP arguing and start solving, SAY what is bothering you, THINK of positive solutions and CHOOSE a solution that you can both agree on. Be clear and be truthful Do not call names Use brains not fists Be open to understand each other Listen to the other 7. Conflict Management

47. What is communication? Communication, at its simplest, is the act of transferring information from one place to another. It may be vocally (using voice), written (using printed or digital media such as books, magazines, websites or emails), visually (using logos, maps, charts or graphs) or non-verbally (using body language, gestures and the tone and pitch of voice). In practice, it is often a combination of several of these. Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all life skills. 8. Effective Communication

48. How to develop communication skills? Developing excellent communication skills is probably best thought of as a long-term project Verbal communication skills: Reflection and clarification are both common techniques used in verbal communication to ensure that what you have heard and understood is what was intended. Non-verbal Communication : This includes non-verbal signals, gestures, facial expression, body language, tone of voice, and even our appearance. These can serve to either  reinforce or undermine  the message of our spoken words, so are worth considering carefully Interpersonal Communication Skills: Interpersonal skills are the skills we use when engaged in face-to-face communication with one or more other people. Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication. Interpersonal communication is not just about what is actually said - the language used - but how it is said and the non-verbal messages sent through tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body language. 8. Effective Communication

49. Listening Skills? Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. Listening is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to listen effectively, messages are easily misunderstood. Listening is Not the Same as Hearing Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal messages. 8. Effective Communication

50. Listening is not a passive process. In fact, the listener can, and should, be at least as engaged in the process as the speaker. The phrase ‘ active listening ’ is used to describe this process of being fully involved. ' Active listening ' means, as its name suggests, actively listening. That is fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively ‘hearing’ the message of the speaker. Active listening involves listening with all senses Interest can be conveyed to the speaker by using both verbal and non-verbal messages such as maintaining eye contact, nodding your head and smiling, agreeing by saying ‘Yes’ or simply ‘ Mmm hmm’ to encourage them to continue. 8. Effective Communication

51. Session 4 : Skills Necessary For Making Good Decisions

52. 1. Critical/Innovative Thinking Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas. Transformation of knowledge requires the application of critical thinking, and critical thinking means to analyze objectively. Critical thinking allows an individual to use analytical skills to assimilate and evaluate information and then produce a response based on the analysis Critical thinking cultures provide prospects for an individual to explore and grow their skills by examining other viewpoints, perspectives, and possibilities Well-developed critical thinking skills allow an individual not only to assess difficult and complex situation but also to reach feasible solutions and make logical and pragmatic decisions.

53. 1. Critical/Innovative Thinking In order to successfully overcome life's challenges and obstacles, one should free himself of the traditional ways of thinking and adopt a new and creative way of thinking. Employing such novel methods would help a person to reach ones goals in a unique manner with minimum effort. To enhance creativity while departing from traditional thinking, some activities can be done. Albert Einstein quote: “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” I n order to solve a problem, out of the box thinking and wider thinking is needed

54. Individual Activity 1. Critical/Innovative Thinking Activity 1 : 9 dot problem

55. 1. Critical/Innovative Thinking Activity 2 . What happens twice in a week, once in a year, but never in a day? Answer is ‘E’ The 9 Dot Problem Solved

56. Facing problems are part and parcel of our daily life. But there are instances where people have attempted suicide due to their inability to handle problems successfully. Therefore, it has become vital to learn the skill of problem management as a soft skill. The way we think about a problem can have a major impact on the kinds of solutions we conceive 2. Problem Solving Skills

57. Activity: The story of the banana vendor (Individual Exercise) One day a banana seller crossed a 50m river and arrived at an island to get bananas for his business. Next he came to the bank of the river with 2 bunches of bananas of 50 bananas each. The banana seller asked the boatman to transport the 2 bunches of bananas to the other side of the river. The boatman says that the transport fee to take one bunch of banana for 01 meter is 01 banana. The seller agrees to this condition. The seller does not violate the contract but also saves some bananas for himself. 2. Problem Solving

58. Question: 1. How many bananas are left to the seller after crossing the river? 2. How many bananas are left, if any? 3. Explain the way by which the transport fee is paid to the boatman? Learning: To solve the above problem follow the steps below. Identifying the problem correctly Finding out the reasons for the problem Identifying all the possible alternatives to solve the problem Selecting the best solution out of many alternatives Executing the solution and evaluation The five-fold way given above can be utilized to solve the day to day challenges and problems too. 2. Problem Solving

59. Problem- Cause-Effect- Feelings-Possible Solution When problems occur, they sometimes make us feel bad. Emotions arise that can lead to us feeling angry, sad, or frustrated. This affects our peace with others. Analyze problems and challenges in terms of causes, effects and feelings. Look at this analogy: for instance, there is no smoke without fire . This means something or someone (the fire) must be the cause of the effect we see (the smoke). Once the fire is burning, there are effects. We feel happy or not. In the same way, situations that make us angry can lead us to be abusive or violent, even if it’s just with our words. It is therefore important to determine the causes of problems to avoid emotions that are negative. 2. Problem Solving

60. Reflect on the example given below by reading what follows. The aim is to put the problem into perspective, and to link the problem with its causes and its effects: Cause-Effect Problem Example. Problem: Tell a secret you promised to not tell. Cause: You break your promise. Effect: Your friend does not want to be your friend anymore. Feelings arising : Sadness, embarrassment, guilt. Possible Solution: Saying that you are sorry and making up to your friend 2. Problem Solving

61. A leader can be identified as a person who motivates and guides the people who are striving to achieve a common goal in the family, society or workplace/ an organization. The unfortunate situation of today is that most people are waiting for a person to guide them because they have failed to identify the leadership qualities within him/ her. Even if one gets the leadership opportunity it is more challenging to maintain it. Therefore, leadership is a soft skill that needs to be developed. 3. Leadership Skills

62. Developing Your Leadership Style There are many different models of leadership styles. One of the best-known models is Daniel Goleman’s Six Leadership Styles Coercive: Coercive leaders demand immediate obedience. In a single phrase, this style is ‘Do what I tell you ’. Pace-Setting: Pace-setting leaders expect excellence and self-direction. This style can be summed up as ‘ Do as I do, now’ . The Pace-setter very much leads by example. Authoritative: Authoritative leaders move people towards a vision. This style is probably best summed up as ‘ Come with me’ . Authoritative leaders are act as a change catalyst by drawing people into the vision and engaging them with the future. We all have a default style, the one that we find easiest to use, but the best leaders can use any of Goleman’s Six Styles, and move between them easily 2. Leadership Skills

63. Affiliative: An Affiliative leader values and creates emotional bonds and harmony. Affiliative leaders believe that ‘ People come first ’ Democratic: Democratic leaders build consensus through participation. Democratic leaders are constantly asking ‘What do you think? Coaching: Coaching leaders develop people. The phrase that sums up this leadership style is ‘Try it’ 3. Leadership Skills

64. Six Steps to Developing your Leadership Styles Step 1: Identify your Default Leadership Style Step 2: Identify and Develop your Strengths Step 3: Work on your Weaknesses Step 4 : Draw on Others- the best leaders create other leaders, not followers. Step 5: Do Something Different Step 6: Hold Up A Mirror-seek feedback 3. Leadership Skills