"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across,
your ideas won't get you anywhere."-Lee Iacocca 1924- (former CEO
of Ford and famous for reviving the Chrysler brand)
In today's world, where the survival of the fittest is the norm, it
has become imperative to sharpen one's technical skills, and more
importantly, one's soft skills. Technical skills can be learnt,
applied and measured to an established degree. But the same cannot
be said of soft skills. Soft skill is a sociological term for an
individual's Emotional Intelligence (EQ). It can be broadly defined
as personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions,
job and career prospects. Whether it involves face to face customer
interaction or even indirect correspondence over telephone or
e-mail, employees adept at soft skills will achieve both individual
as well as organizational success. Hence soft skills is critical to
showcasing one's hard skills; both can be considered to be two
sides of the same coin - one without the other has no impact.
Soft skill training has numerous dimensions. Some modules, amongst
others which are highly sought after, have been mentioned
below:
1. Communication Skills Training:
Communication is a dynamic process through which thoughts and
feelings are conveyed. Effective communication is an essential
component of organizational success whether it is at the
interpersonal, inter group, intra group or external levels. It
facilitates learning and knowledge sharing which is essential to
the healthy growth and culture sustenance of your
organization.
The Learning Process:
People in organizations typically spend over 75% of their time in
inter personal communication; thus is it is no surprise to find
that poor communication is at the root of a large number of
organisational problems. There exist a number of barriers to
effective communication that arise out of the utilisation of
improper language, non verbal cues and feedback. In the present age
of globalisation, insufficient understanding of cultural
differences can also result in critical judgmental errors in the
communication process.
We understand that in today's tough competitive business world,
lucid and effective communication is very important. MMM Training
Solutions help to provide professionals with practical and
constructive advice on methods of effective communication.
2. Team Building skills:
Team building skills are critical for managerial effectiveness.
Better understanding of team work can make an employee more
effective. There exists a strong synergy amongst members who have
the ability to build on their collective strengths. It is important
to contribute as a focused team. Success occurs when a team can
accomplish and scale greater heights to a greater degree than an
individual can. The stages involved in team building are:
1. Clarification of team goals
2. Identification of issues which inhibit the team from reaching
their goals
3. Addressing of those issues, removing of inhibitors and enabling
the goals to be achieved
MMM Training Solutions emphasizes on developing skills in
individuals to be effective team members. We deliver training for
managers on how to create a successful team and for staff on how to
be part of one.
3. Time management:
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." -
Michael Altshuler ( Psychotherapist and Clinical social
worker)
The significance of proper time management lies not just in meeting
deadlines. It indicates professionalism, focus, reliability and
consistency to clientele. Hence it is of utmost importance to
develop potential in this area. Successful people use time
management to achieve excellent results. The key is to realise that
one cannot possibly do everything that there is to do. Many people
spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little
because they do not concentrate on the right things. Instead, one
has to decide how to spend the limited amount of time one has each
day. At the heart of the subject is a simple but obvious focus -
one has to concentrate on results, not on being busy. Since time
management helps in completing more work with relatively lesser
effort, stress is considerably reduced.
MMM Training Solutions provides your staff with practical advice
and tips on how to effectively manage their time in a practically
and tactful manner; at the same time adhering to the quality
standards that your organization upholds.
4. Presentation skills:
"I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am
speaking. But I strongly object when they start shaking them to
make sure they are still going." -Lord Birkett (1883-1962)
In her book, "Presentation Skills (2nd edition- University Press)",
author Suzy Siddons writes that a good presentation contains many
of the same constituents as a good restaurant meal. The
participants should be hungry. The chef should be at least
competent, if not inspired. The menu should be tempting,
understandable and offer a range of choices to all the diners. The
ingredients should be the best possible. The service should be
impeccable. The ambience should be comfortable and attractive.
There should be no nasty after- effects.
Today, presentation skills are required at every level. For
effective presentations, it is necessary to research the audience
and understand their needs. Structuring presentations to establish
rapport, maintain interest and to end an impact is a skill that can
be developed through meticulous practise.
The art of presentation is two dimensional- speaking and listening.
It is equally important to be a good listener. The significance of
effective listening is well delivered in the quote, "it is the
province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to
listen."
Studies conducted have shown that the greatest fear human beings
face is the fear of public speaking. At MMM Training Solutions, we
train your staff to present their ideas in a manner that is clear,
concise, interesting and persuasive.
In the face of the ongoing economic downturn, cutting back on soft
skill training and focusing on technical skills is not the best
option. At this hour, it has become even more imperative to narrow
the existing gap between desired and actual level of soft skills of
the employees. This would lead to effective communication that
directly increases work performance as there is an enhancement in
the effectiveness of communication.
Your employees learn by solving real time challenges within the
work environment. Successful soft skill training helps participants
unlock their inner leader, and sets into motion a positive and
congenial atmosphere that encourages constant learning through self
initiative. This in turn helps retain talent by giving your
organization the extra edge and hence builds a competitive
advantage.
There is an adage in business: "People rise because of their hard
skills and fall because of (the lack of) soft skills". Soft skill
training aims at nurturing and shaping attitudes, no matter what
the individual nature. It manages the interactions between every
employee within the workplace. Hence it enhances efficiency and
minimises the attrition rate.
Soft Skill training enables your employees to function effectively
in the global marketplace among numerous and various business
cultures. It enhances the core competence and confidence of an
individual. NASSCOM forecasts that this can narrow the wide gap
existent between the talent supply and technical demand.
Since acquiring soft skills is far more challenging than ‘hard'
skills, imparting of the same is often outsourced. This enables
organizations to hire experts who are aware of the current global
trends and practices. However one time training on soft skills
cannot impact an organization for life. For long time sustenance,
training needs to be on its growth plan in order to maximize human
capital. This helps in talent retention and knowledge sharing
within the work place.
MMM Training Solutions brings to your organization great expertise
and modular solutions. We help employees, your valuable assets, in
dealing with change, effectively functioning within a team, and
performing at their highest potential in order to reach
excellence.
You can find more articles at www.mmmts.com. MMM Training Solutions
conducts soft skills training and executive coaching anywhere in
the world. We guarantee the effectiveness of our training. You may
reprint this article by requesting permission from:
[email protected]
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2006/12/foreign-labour-policy-income-disparity-in-singapore/
Excerpt: Thirdly, our
education system needs to emphasis more on soft skills, e.g.
personality traits and interpersonal skills. Singapore has to
transform its education systems so as to prepare workers for the
jobs that will exist in the higher-income countries. Basically,
that requires preparing workers for personal services jobs rather
than impersonal services and manufacturing. Creativity and
imagination skills will be highly valued, and people skills will be
more valuable than computer skills.