Being a Good Listener is a Soft Skill →

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“Be a good listener,” Dale Carnegie advised in his 1936 classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. “Ask questions the other person will enjoy answering.”

Rather than pushing your point of view when it is very different, the other person uses a curious approach to communication. An example would be meeting the other end of view with a question like: “I never thought of that point of view. What is it that leads you to that conclusion.”

Six things needed to be a good listener

• #1 Your thoughts have not drifted, and you are in the here & now.

• #2 Distractions don't get in the way of what the person is saying

• #3 You're excited and curious to hear what is said

• #4 You're sincere and open-minded about the questions and haven’t prejudged the anticipated answers

• #5 Your hearing, sight, and other senses are working

• #6 You ask the right questions.

“Hearing Aids Matter”

What are Soft Skills and Why are they Important? →

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Soft skills are often thought of as productive personality traits that empower individuals to influence one’s relationships in social, emotional, and even spiritual ways. Soft skills is an umbrella term for three vital functional elements: people skills, social skills, and personal career attributes. These skills are best understood as different aspects of a person’s effectiveness and influence.

“People Skills” are patterns of behavior and interactions. It is an umbrella term for skills under three related abilities: personal effectiveness, interaction, and intercession skills.

Social skills are interaction skills, including social graces, communication abilities, language skills, personal habits, cognitive or emotional empathy, time management, teamwork, and leadership traits.

“Soft Skills” is another umbrella term for three vital functional elements: people skills, social skills, and personal effectiveness.

Intercession skills are like interaction skills, but they specifically apply to situations where the people involved have interests or perspectives at odds with each other. Resolving these differences requires empathy, patience, and the ability to negotiate a solution that all parties can accept.

By working on personal effectiveness, employees get a better understanding of their talents. They learn to use these optimally. They also see which skills they lack and need to develop to achieve their goals.

Soft skills are essential because they are not restricted to a specific field and can be used in every aspect of people’s lives. Soft skills make people flexible in a world that keeps changing.

In today’s world, soft skills are a significant differentiator for employability and success in life. Still, a 2019 Society for Human Resource Management survey found that three-quarters of employers have difficulty finding graduates with the soft skills their companies need.

Work Ethics is an important Soft Skill →

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Some work for food, shelter, or safety, which is their primary focus & they can stay focused on tasks for as long as necessary to get them done.

Focus is equally as important as persistence when it comes to working ethics. Focusing will allow you to finish tasks more efficiently while avoiding distractions. Work Ethics is an important “Soft Skill.”

A person with a strong work ethic may be referred to as tenacious, which for the most part, is a positive aspect of work ethic and could also be considered a soft skill. If someone calls you determined, you're probably the kind of person who never gives up and never stops trying: someone who does whatever is required to accomplish a goal.

Or on the other hand, you may be stubborn.

3 Types of Empathy →

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Empathy involves sharing the other person's emotions creating the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Developing empathy is crucial for establishing relationships and behaving compassionately. It is a soft skill enabling someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.

These are cognitive, emotional, and compassionate empathy, and this page explains what each type of heart means.

It also explains how and why it is possible to demonstrate one or more of the three types of empathy yet still come across as uncaring.

Which is more important Soft or Hard Skills? →

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In the customer age, soft skills have become more critical than ever. Problem-solving, delegating, motivating, and team building are much easier if you have good soft skills. Knowing how to get along with people and having a positive attitude is crucial for success.

Soft skills will make your hard skills more valuable. Hard skills are teachable and often technical, such as economic analysis, strategic planning, or design. Soft skills fall in the interpersonal realm and include listening, team-building, and leadership development. They are taught less than cultivated. More about soft skills at Connected Events Matter Career Development Section under Soft Skills.

There is an ongoing debate about the importance of soft and hard skills, both necessary and complementary.

Even so, some things bug us, and it is unclear whether it is a soft skill that will solve it or maybe just a hammer.

Some Technology might be consider so basic that their use might be thought of as a Soft Skill →

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Soft skills are interpersonal or people skills that can be used in any job. These skills relate to how you work and interact with others, including communication, teamwork, and adaptability. IT soft skills may include interpersonal, problem-solving, organization, and teamwork skills.

Most of the technology we encounter at work is essential. The more accessible technology is and the more a person is expected to be able to use the technology, the more it might be labeled a soft skill. For example, using Social Media, office email, and even a virtual software platform is considered technology and soft skills.

Learning the basics in these cases is often considered necessary for anyone working at a particular business. These activities sometimes require a little extra work to learn, but you don’t want to be the only one in the room who doesn’t know how to use the technology because if you don’t have the skill, you immediately stand out as expendable. The least qualified person is not who you want to be.

Taking the time to learn puts you in a much stronger position. You may be able to help others, and then you become one of the most needed people in the room. You may stand out as someone who did a little extra preparation.

Soft Skills are the traits, characteristics, habits, and skills needed to survive and thrive in the modern work world.