Developing Your Soft Skills

Having the technical skills and knowledge to successfully execute our job duties is only one part of being the best we can be in the workplace. In addition to these “hard” skills, we also need “soft” skills. Soft Skills are those skills that allow us to effectively work with others. No matter what our position, organization or industry, we work with people. Taking the time to build effective soft skills can lead to a more efficient, more harmonious, and more productive workplace, as well as to our own overall job happiness and satisfaction. Soft skills encompass both innate personality traits, such as optimism, and abilities that can be practiced, such as empathy. Like all skills, soft skills can be learned. “Forget experience and hard skills — tomorrow’s best talent will need soft skills,” — CIO Magazine (March 27, 2017)

At the end of this course, students will be able to:        1) Discuss how soft skills are important to success in life and in the workplace. 2)Understand five basic soft skills everyone should have. 3) Use soft skills to relate more effectively to others in life and in the workplace. 4) Understand how to use soft skills to communicate, problem-solve, and resolve conflict.