Develop Your SOFT SKILLS

TO BE successful in a particular job or businesses, you have to focus on developing your soft skills.

Acquiring good soft skills is the key ingredient for anyone wanting to achieve great success in business and in life. Below are some tips on how to improve your soft skills.

STEPS

1 Develop good communication skills.

Learning to communicate effectively is a lifelong process. By communicating well, you are ensuring the other person understands you and you understand them. It is a skill that plays an important aspect in our life, to establish a good relationship with others.

Picture 1: HH Practice communicate with Generation Library Information Society (GenLIS) in Special Project Meeting

2 Make eye contact.

Whether you are speaking or listening, looking into the eyes of the person you are speaking to, makes the interaction more successful. Eye contact conveys interest and encourages your partner to be interested in you in return. Body language can say so much more than a mouthful of words. An open stance with arms relaxed at your sides tells everyone around that you are approachable and open to hearing what they have to say. Arms crossed and shoulders hunched, on the other hand, suggests disinterest in conversation or unwillingness to communicate.

Picture 2: HH being Master Ceremony at National Library for Yuna (artist) and Faculty Information Management Lecturer (Pn. A'dilla Mustaffa) slot

3 Speak with clarity and purpose.

The purpose of your communication should be clear from the beginning. An appropriate tone and volume can inform listeners you mean what you say, you have thought about what you are saying, and what you are saying is worth hearing.

4 Develop your writing skills.

Proofread your emails, letters, and notes. Learn correct spelling and word usage.

Vary your sentence structures. Be concise instead of elaborate.

5 Listen intently.

Not only should one be able to speak effectively, one must listen to the other person’s words and engage in communication on what the other person is speaking about. Listening requires focus and self-discipline.

We listen for many different reasons: to understand instructions, to empathize with another individual, or to judge whether a plan is good or not.

6 Ask questions.

Good questioning can ensure your understanding in a conversation. Make your questions open-ended, or come out with questions that require more than a one-word response. Take notes when appropriate. This shows that the subject matter is important to you. Practice taking notes in team meetings or staff training sessions. Do not interrupt other people. Respect them by letting them finish saying what they are saying. Pay attention to the other person’s body language. Observe their posture, tone of voice, eye contact (or lack thereof), gestures, and facial expressions.

7 Build relationships.

Interpersonal skills are important in the workplace, especially since so many organizations are designed around teams and departments. Seek to build friendship with peers, supervisors, clients, and business partners. Network with people inside and outside your organization. Ask people about their jobs. Share a bit about what you do. Note connections and ways you can potentially help each other. Exchange contact information and be sure to follow up with them.

Picture 3: HH build relationship with secondary school students from Dato' Hishamuddin's Special Programs

8 Take initiative.

Demonstrate responsibility and enthusiasm at your job by striving to go the extra mile. Do tasks without being asked by someone else. Look around, see what needs to be done, and do it. If a co-worker has a large project and you have some time on your hands, volunteer to help. Seek more challenging work. Strive to develop your technical skills and learn more about your organization.

Credit to 1Klassifieds team