What are soft skills & why are they in demand? How can you improve your own skills? What does critical thinking mean for the future of work?

1. Yet critical for performance, culture & the future of work.

2. Soft Skills
 Reflect unique strengths
 Knowledge; character; social
skills, and a sense of agency
 Identify and solve problems
 Ask interesting questions
 Work collaboratively
 Work with purpose
Hard (Technical) Skills
 Degree/qualification
 Training & experience in
particular software
 Quantitative research &
reporting
 Languages
 Follow specifications,
directions

3. Combinations of:
• People skills
• Social skills
• Communication skills
• Character traits
• Attitudes
• Emotional intelligence

4. 1. Communication
2. Courtesy
3. Flexibility (adaptability)
4. Integrity
5. Interpersonal
6. Positive attitude
7. Professionalism
8. Responsibility
9. Team Work
10. Work ethic

5. Top 10 Soft Skills
1. Communication
2. Courtesy
3. Flexibility
4. Integrity
5. Interpersonal
6. Positive attitude
7. Professionalism
8. Responsibility
9. Team Work
10. Work ethic
 Completing high quality work
 Collaborating with x-functional groups
 Making presentations, representing the Org.
 Persuading and negotiating
 Taking direction and feedback
 Handling rapidly-changing environments
 Working with diverse people & management

6. When technical skills
can be automated,
the future of work
will shift from
following
instructions to
critical thinking:
recognising,
analysing and
solving problems.

7.  Reflection
 Journal - what areas do you need to improve
in?
 Be mindful of actions and interactions.
 Awareness
 Ask friends and family for feedback.
 Start noticing how others act & react.
 Practice
 These are not technical skills which can be
learned in a set time period.
 Find ways to leave your comfort zone to
practice and then reflect (journal) on what you
felt & learned
(This is the hard bit)

8.  Read, read, read!
 Not business articles – read fiction, histories, philosophy & comics
 If you’re a job seeker, highlight your soft skills in applications
 If you’re recruiting, make sure you consider soft skills in applicants
 Watch Brene Brown’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability
 Watch Ken Robinson’s TED talk on Education Killing Creativity
 Read some more!

9. Want to connect?
https://au.linkedin.com/in/edoxey