How to develop soft Skills

1. SOFT SKILLS
Become a winner

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. Communication skills
“You can have brilliant ideas,
but if you can't get them
across, your ideas won't get
you anywhere”
Lee lacocca

6. 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 manner
b) Maintain the tempo of your speech and the tone of your voice
c) Have clarity in your thoughts and speech
d) 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
methods
b) Your body language is as important as what you say
b) Maintain eye contact
c) Maintain a correct posture while speaking
d) Your facial expressions mirror your emotions
e) Maintain personal space

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Be a team player
“Coming together is a
beginning. Keeping together
is progress. Working
together is success.” - Henry
Ford

15. 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

16. 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

17. • 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

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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. How to improve your soft skills
There 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

24. 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

25. 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.