Soft skills training critical for job success, says local trainer
SOFT skills are personal attributes, personality traits, inherent social cues and communication abilities needed for job success. Most importantly, soft skills affect a person’s relationships with others as they are emotions or insights needed for reading others. Since most jobs require employees to effectively engage with others, being able to interact well with others is important in any situation. Moreover, soft skills are transferable, so they can be applied at any job setting. Therefore, having soft skills enables people to become more resilient and adaptable to job demands. Soft skills that are fundamental to career achievement include effective communication, business writing and public speaking.
Effective communication skills
According to Richard Albert Gontusan, principal consultant of Synergy Training Services PLT, job seekers must exhibit effective communication skills which recruiters and hiring managers want to see in their resume and cover letter. “They should highlight these skills and demonstrate them during the job interview to make a favourable first impression. By continuing to develop the skills after being hired, they will impress the employer, teammates and clients,” he continued.
“Effective listening is pertinent for job success and being an active listener is one of the best ways to become a good communicator. Active listeners can better understand what others are trying to convey to respond appropriately. They also find it easier to comprehend what they are being asked to do. Therefore, job seekers should strive to develop and practise active listening which requires paying complete attention to what the other person is saying, asking clarifying questions and rephrasing what the other person has said to ensure understanding,” Gontusan explained.
“Another aspect of effective communication is nonverbal communication, including eye contact, gestures and tone which augment the message one is trying to convey. Job seekers or employees should adopt a relaxed, open stance with arms open and legs relaxed, besides a friendly tone to appear approachable and encourage others to speak openly,” Gontusan elaborated.
“Eye contact is particularly vital for effective communication; therefore, job seekers or employees should look at the person in the eyes to indicate they are focused on the conversation. Nevertheless, they should do it in a natural way, rather than staring at the person and causing discomfort. In addition, individuals should pay attention to other people’s nonverbal signals while communicating since such signals reflect a person’s thoughts and feelings; for instance, a person who avoids eye contact might be concealing the truth,” he commented.
“Besides eye contact, clarity and concision are prime components of effective communication. Good verbal communicators say just enough, refraining from talking too much or too little. Hence, individuals should strive to convey their message as succinctly as possible, conveying clearly and directly what they want. Whether communicating with someone in person, on the phone or via email, one should avoid rambling to ensure the other person will stay in tune or feel certain what is required,” he continued.
“Friendliness is another key factor of effective communication. Individuals can break the ice through a friendly tone, a personal question or simply a smile to encourage others to engage in open and honest communication. They should be pleasant and courteous in all workplace communication, including face-to-face and written communication. Whenever possible, people should personalise their emails to colleagues or employees to make the recipient feel more appreciated,” Gontusan suggested.
“Besides friendliness, people should exhibit confidence in their interpersonal communication with others because it allows them to show they believe in what they are saying and will follow through. Ways to exude confidence can be as simple as making eye contact or using a firm but friendly tone without sounding arrogant or aggressive,” he stated.
“Empathy and open-mindedness are required for effective communication; therefore, individuals should use such simple phrases as ‘I understand where you are coming from’ to indicate that they have been focusing on the other person and respect his or her views. This is important even when the person disagrees with an employer, colleague or employee. Additionally, effective communicators usually join any conversation with a flexible, open mind. They strive to listen to, and understand, the other person’s point of view, rather than trying to get their own message across. Willingness to engage in a dialogue allows people to have more honest, productive communication even with those whom they do not see eye to eye,” he reiterated.
“Central for effective communication is the ability to provide and receive feedback; therefore, employers should continuously provide employees with constructive feedback through email, phone calls or weekly status updates. Praise is another form of feedback; saying a simple ‘good job’ or ‘thank you’ to an employee can be highly motivating. Considering given feedback and striving to implement it to enable people to perform better,” he remarked.
“Choosing the right medium is an indispensable communication skill; for instance, such serious issues as promotion, layoffs, resignation and salary changes are best done in person, while emailing is effective to communicate with busy people, including one’s manager, colleagues and clients. Thoughtful means of communication are appreciated and are more likely to elicit positive responses,” Gontusan said.
Effective business writing skills
Effective business writing is an important soft skill as it enables people to adequately share ideas or promote sales. “Defining the purpose is the first step of effective business writing. People should not just sit down and start writing right away; however, they should examine what they are writing with an appropriate reason. Defining the purpose provides a better understanding of what to write and how to write it,” said Gontusan.
“Using clear and concise language is an important aspect of effective business writing; hence, people should avoid fluff that takes up space. They should not use more words when they can say something in one because less is definitely more when it comes to business communication. People must also ensure their ideas are clear to the recipient,” he stated.
“When writing business letters, people must write for their audience, so they should keep their readers in mind as they write. They should consider their readers’ prior knowledge to determine what terminology to use. When writing to a specific person or group, people should personalise the document by considering their interests and attitudes,” he remarked.
“A conversational tone and active voice are preferred when writing for business, especially when one is communicating with clients. Using a conversational tone helps readers engage with what they are reading and connect with the writer; hence, the writing should have a personal touch rather than robotic. Using the active voice strengthens the writer’s credibility and empowers the ideas; in contrast, the passive voice not only uses more words to convey the same thing, but also weakens the statements,” he justified.
“Effective business writing is characterised by appropriate organisation and word choice. People should determine the order of their ideas and with business writing, they should give the most important information first because readers tend to decide whether or not to continue after reading the first paragraph. Besides good organisation, people should carefully choose their words and avoid using jargon and buzzwords. They must also consider their audience’s demographics to determine the reading difficulty level of their message,” he said.
“Facts over opinion is the rule of the thumb in business writing. People can only build their credibility by adhering to the facts with statistics, data and benefits of their products or services. They should avoid hyperbole or exaggeration to promote something, but stick to the facts while still making their writing interesting and compelling,” said Gontusan.
“Effective business writing requires people to adapt for different platforms. Business writing platforms include articles, blogs, social media posts and video scripts. People who are planning to write for these different platforms need to learn the techniques needed for each one,” he advised.
“Good grammar and punctuation are essential criteria for effective business writing. People should never publish, print, post, or email any document until they have proofread it. They should ensure their writing is error-free before releasing it to their customers, clients or investors. Since good grammar and punctuation will create a favourable impression and enhance one’s credibility, it is crucial for writers to ask someone to edit their work,” he said.
Public speaking
Public speaking is a salient soft skill for job seekers and employees as it enables them to gain greater visibility by delivering effective presentations. An efficient form of communication, public speaking is an excellent way to reach everyone in a reliable manner. Further, it enlivens the message, allowing speakers to convey to their listeners what it all means and why it matters to them.
“Effective public speakers are able to dynamically project their message on people’s radar screens, making others understand why they should listen,” commenced Gontusan.
Job seekers and employees should acquire public speaking skills as it enhances their confidence.
“Being able to speak in front of colleagues or complete strangers is a powerful means to gain greater confidence. Many people even find they actually enjoy public speaking after a few rounds,” he said.
“Nervousness in public speaking is normal; however, people can rehearse their speech to overcome it. While they may experience pounding hearts or trembling hands, people should not associate such a condition with poor performance. Being anxious can be positive as the adrenaline rush will make speakers become more alert and ready to perform their best. Nevertheless, speakers should go over their notes many times to become wellversed with the content. They can also videotape themselves or get someone to critique their performance,” suggested Gontusan.
“Speakers should analyse their audience since their speech is to inform or persuade the listeners. They should consider whom the message is intended for and obtain adequate information about their listeners. Overall, audience analysis enables speakers to determine their word choice, information level, organisational pattern and motivational statement,” he remarked.
“To attain their purpose, speakers should effectively organise their material.
They should create the framework for their speech by specifying the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea and main points. Additionally, they must grab the audience’s attention within the first 30 seconds by using humour or an anecdote,” he reiterated.
“Speakers should watch for their audience’s feedback to adjust their speech.
They must gauge the audience’s reactions and remain flexible to maintain their attention and interest. Besides, they should let their personality come through by being themselves; listeners tend to trust the speaker more if they perceive him or her as an authentic person,” Gontusan said.
“In most situations, speakers should adopt the extemporaneous approach by using a brief outline to jog their memory and keep them on task. To establish better interpersonal connection, speakers must maintain eye contact with the audience, while focusing on their message. Additionally, they should use appropriate audiovisual aids to clarify their content or capture their audience’s attention,” he explained.
“Since most people are tired of hearing a speech that starts with “Today, I’m going to talk to you about …,” speakers should begin with a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote or concise quotation. They should also conclude their speech with a summary and a dynamic statement that their audience will remember,” concluded Gontusan.
Advantages of engaging local trainers
As principal trainer at Synergy, Gontusan teaches clients how to master the fundamentals of effective communication, business writing and public speaking. Synergy emphasises several key strategies for communicating deliberately and diplomatically in the real world and has trained numerous professional groups since its establishment in 2016.
According to Gontusan, local trainers are more effective for several reasons.
“They are easily accessible via social media and telephoning. They can arrange a training venue that is closer to the clients’ workplace that in turn helps save time and cost. They also charge less because they do not have to travel far to meet their clients. Most importantly, local trainers have first-hand knowledge of the local culture and workplace values and attitudes. They have greater empathy towards fellow citizens, thus allowing them to provide training services that are socially and culturally more appropriate,” he justified.
Holding a Masters in Economics from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, USA, Gontusan is a member of Toastmasters International based in California, USA. Besides winning many local and international speech contests, he has been twice awarded the Distinguished Toastmaster Award, the highest award offered by Toastmasters International.