What are soft skills, and how to develop them?

Soft skills are the talents that individuals acquire in their professional environment. These skills can be interpersonal or personal traits like teamwork, communication, creativity, adaptability, critical thinking, and much more. Currently, businesses are all about creating cooperation between human resources, and soft skill development is indispensable for professional growth.

Why are soft skills important?

Soft skills are so essential for employers. According to a survey by LinkedIn in 2018, around 57% of senior leaders think that soft skills are even more critical than hard skills. Effective communication during stressful situations, encouraging struggling team members, and collaborating efficiently with the team to meet a deadline are a few examples of soft skills that are highly significant for any organisation. 

Understanding the concept of important soft skills, and how you can develop them through online distance learning will not only strengthen your resume but also boost your confidence. As a result, soft skill development will give you an edge over your competitors, and also help you in changing job roles or moving to a better position.

Some important soft skills

• Creativity: A professional requires a creative mindset, especially for solving problems and finding the best possible solutions. Since most industries and businesses are constantly transforming, you must be able to adapt your approach accordingly. Creativity helps both the employee and the company to stay ahead in the competition.
• Communication: Effective communication is based on the capability of the employees to convey their thoughts and ideas productively to others. If you can speak clearly and politely, along with listening empathetically to what your colleagues or clients want to say, you will achieve better results. Successful communication includes verbal, non-verbal, and writing skills with an understanding of attentive listening. 
• Emotional intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability of employees not only to understand and control their own emotions but also to empathize with the emotions of those around them. Harnessing your emotions whilst understanding others’ feelings lead to more productive and harmonious relationships. This soft skill is critical in high-pressure roles that involve negotiation and the need to understand the perspective of others by staying calm.
• Critical thinking: With critical thinking, you can analyze your potential choices and opt for the best route. It also gives you the sense if something is not right, so that you may probe further and act wisely.
• Adaptability: The ability of employees to adapt according to the situations and show a positive attitude to any changes indeed ensure a successful career.
• Collaboration: Whether you are an individual entrepreneur or a people’s manager, you need to work with others during meetings, cross-functional projects, and brainstorming within your company. An optimistic, can-do attitude is essential to ascertain team harmony, which means you must be able to run an effective meeting, be open to new creative ideas, and work reverently with others.

How to develop these soft skills?

Soft Skills have become the need of the hour and are known as the most important skills to attain success in professional, personal, and social lives. Acclaimed leaders, business gurus, and even top politicians believe that the shortage of soft skills must be addressed instantly. Enrolling in online management courses in India at a reputed college is one of the best ways to develop soft skills and become industry-ready.

The employees rich in soft skills are like a new car engine working at high efficiency. However, like the car engine, soft skills also diminish with time if unattended. With an online distance learning course from Manipal University Jaipur, you can certainly leverage the soft skills for workplace success. For more information on soft skill development and online degree courses.