Updated June 2, 2023
Martin Luther King Junior right said, “Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics.” These are the 11Cs that make your personality “Character, charisma, conscience, conviction, courage, communication, compassion, commitment, consistency, consideration, and contribution” of this man who is Mahatma Gandhi.
You can “shake the world, ” as Mahatma Gandhi did! You can shake the whole world by adopting these Cs in your personality, which constitutes soft skills – a soft and emotional side of your personality. The softness and humbleness in you are the most special endowments that create an incredible impression of yourself in your world- whether within your family and friends or in the corporate world. Soft skills have certain mysterious elements, sometimes so virtualized but often misinterpreted and misquoted, with their notions and codes that become typical of a particular organization.
You can shine in your area of operations with your hard work, but to make a difference and win the hearts of others is a combination of your soft skills + technical skills.
Here are the Different Dimensions of Soft skills
Soft Skills is an emotional and touchy feeling:
Soft skills are not technical jargon; it is neither a way you speak nor a way you show your command over the language. It combines all these traits and other qualities that are difficult to interpret but makes a crucial part of your whole persona, reflecting the person you are.
Soft Skills are your Social Graces:
These are the manners, etiquettes, and cultural norms you adopt and adhere to in your operational area. How you behave and speak in a social and corporate circle reveals the person you are and how well you can adapt to your social and corporate processes. It also includes your business etiquette, which is now in demand in the corporate world.
Soft Skills builds Team Spirit:
You adopt the skills of working in a corporation or in collaboration with others in a team which is a true team spirit, and share the burden with your colleagues and dividing the problems, issues, or grief is its true essence.
Soft Skills are your Business Etiquettes:
Behaving and adhering to the corporative norms and protocols achieves effective communication. It helps build relationships and establish emotional connections with the people around you and with whom you work.
Soft Skills are the ways you negotiate:
You adopt combined conversation skills, Attitude, and personality to be a good and successful negotiator. Show yourself as a creative, honest planner and communicator to influence and achieve what you desire.
These are the five holy grails of a persona, which show who you are and how by adopting the same with intensity and passion, you can win the discussions, negotiations, and potential clients to your stride and, of course, even your boss. Gopalaswamy Ramesh suggested three dimensions to Soft Skills, which he named “ACE – Attitude, Communication, and Etiquette”. By Attitude, he meant having the right frame of mind and your willingness to interact with people, and it also involves adjusting yourself to the environment. Communication is your ability to convey your message in a way that reaches your audience and induces them to take necessary action. At the same time, etiquette is your behavior per conventional norms and protocols typical of a particular organization.
(Source: “The Ace Of Soft Skills: Attitude, Communication And Etiquette For Success” by Gopalaswamy Ramesh)
There have been a couple of discussions on whether we can build our soft skills. Some say these are ingrained in our nature, while intellectuals say These qualities achieve through our character development and soft skills training. These skills are part of our personality, but when we are out of our homes, we have to hone Attitude, Communication, And Etiquette as the predominant part of what’s so typical corporate Now companies and organizations are undergoing training programs to groom their employees with these skills. After getting groomed in ACE, I came across many people who have created an impressive mark in their area of operations. Though they don’t have enough skills, their etiquette and mannerism have won people’s hearts. Training in these skills can press you beyond your conventional area to make you act, see and believe differently and confidently.
Benefits of Soft Skills Training
You can gain admire, respect, and trust from your colleagues and partners:
It is all about being polite in actions, manners, and conversation within your corporate circle and outside and winning people’s hearts. By respecting others, you would achieve double respect in your area of operations. Once it is done, you have won half the race.
Build Communication skills:
Training in soft skills helps you acquire good communication skills, which means you can now convey your message perfectly well, listen to people and interact with them. It is very easy to obtain degrees, qualifications, and technicalities, but the most difficult is gaining communication skills, which come with good training and experience. Good communication skills help build rapport and fruitfully spread the company’s message. Effective communication also means acquiring skills in the following:
- Nonverbal communication,
- Attentive Listening
- Managing stress
- Recognizing emotions
- Ability to impress
- Acquiring confidence
Effective communication helps establish an emotional and friendly connection with others, develop team spirit, and assist in problem-solving and decision making. Above all, you can better convey your messages without confusion, conflict, or mistrust. However, it takes constant effort and training to gain the style and tone to attain the required conversational skills. Still, the more you practice, the more spontaneous and effective your conversation can become.
Enhance Interpersonal capabilities:
As it is important to develop better communication, it is equally important to interact professionally and learn to support each other. Soft skills impart these capabilities, enabling us to establish ourselves in a team and improve workplace interaction.
Improve problem solving and increase creativity:
The attribute of soft skills helps you take up many challenges, solve complex problems and increase your performance level. It also helps built emotional quotient, a much-required quality in the stiff competitive world; the right training increases employee productivity and helps achieve objectives and goals. Creativity is a natural attribute, but it, too, has to be perfected and sharpened, which can be done successfully with acquired soft skills. The increase in creativity means improving your performance and your climb on a corporate ladder.
Helps in Forming Lateral Thinking:
Building the power of lateral thinking means you can now make many critical decisions and help your organization progress professionally. It would increase your organization’s importance and make your management realize your potential. Challenges will await you in whichever field you are operating or working in.
You can be a key Influencer:
Soft skills can help you become a key influencer in the shortest possible time. You can easily influence others with your problem-solving strategies as a great communicator and a good personality. Adorning the virtues of the corporate norms guarantees your success in any of your corporate endeavors and operational activities.
Whether you are in a field job or a desk job, whether you are a sales executive, administrator, or technical genius, soft skills are the attires you need to adorn yourself with to achieve what you want.
Learn to Manage Time and Work to full capacity under pressure:
Time management helps you properly plan and organize your daily schedule and achieve your targets. The skills gained can also build your confidence to accept challenges and work in any environment and circumstances.
Increase in profit:
Finally, your contribution to your organization, mannerism, and attributes will achieve your company’s targeted profit and success.
We have grasped how important these Soft skills are in our lives, but how to acquire these skills is a bit tricky; let us see how we can do so.
You must have heard a famous quote.
“As you emphasize your life, you must localize and define it, you cannot do everything.” (Philips Brooks).
The same is true of your personality; it is a natural trait you evolved into over a long period and cannot change in a matter of days, and you can hope to develop and acquire all the skills instantly. You have to take step by step approach to do the same.
Step 1: You need to understand the weakest point in how you speak, talk, or behave which causes hindrances in your work. It could be your stammering while speaking in public or your short tempered nature, lack of concentration… etc. Remember, no man is all perfect, but the ones who recognize their weaknesses, work on the same, and try to improve them are successful. So prioritize what part of nature you need to improve first and start working on the same.
Step 2: Share your concern with your friends, as they would be the first person to motivate you, help you realize your weaknesses, and guide you to improve.
Step 3: Observe the way famous personalities speak, converse, and walk, whether he is your boss or a senior in your office. If you observe and learn to listen, you will know many things that might help you.
Step 4: Take a few minutes of your busy schedule to read the books you love. Reading builds vocabulary, makes you proficient in your language, and increases your knowledge. So people will know you as a good communicator, a knowledgeable person- An apt person to work with.
Step 5: You should be able to work for hours at a stretch and in any circumstances or condition. Stamina also involves your ability and agility to work under pressure and meet managerial expectations. This you can develop through daily meditation and yoga for half an hour.
Step 6: Learn the cultural norms of the state or region where you have been positioned. Learning a culture other than yours help you establish close connection and relationship with the local people. You will understand their requirements and needs well, supporting you in making the right decisions and strategies.
Step 7: Learn to cope and manage adversities. It is difficult, but once you are through and gain experience, you can overcome any adverse situations.
Step 8: Develop in yourself the ability to embrace change. With the technological shift and your nature and behavior, you must learn new skills. Try out a new place to shop or have a coffee at a new coffee shop, or take a new mode of traveling or a new route to reach your work area. Bringing newness and freshness in your life will also bring newness and confidence to your work.
Step 9: Feel free but adopt the direct approach in conversation, and to develop it start practicing. Speak in front of the mirror for a few minutes and record it to listen to your voice later. Jot down your mistakes and how much you stammer while speaking. Make it a daily practice; soon, you will improve your conversation and speaking skills, and you may start seeing yourself as a great orator or a conversationalist.
Step 10: Learn to be polite. Adopt speaking politely and respectfully even with your juniors to gain their trust, respect, and confidence.
These are just a few ways to gain soft skills, but there are many other ways to help you, and soon you will see you have developed the soft skills. You must have confidence in yourself, create a never-stop attitude, and attire politeness in your voice.
