Very Soft

February 17th, 2010

Very Soft

The Impact Of Soft Skill Training

"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: pramila.mathew@mmmts.com

About the Author

MMMTS’ primarily focuses on Training and Development. Our soft skill training programs encompass a wide range of skills that most organizations find an integral and necessary part of everyday business

the rice is already boilt and it came out very soft. What should i do?

My boyfriend is coming over for dinner so i need an answer quick. I asked my cousin to put a little water in the pot but she was taking too long so i did it myself. She did not know that and went ahead and add more water. Now the rice is cooked but very soft. What should i do?

Cook some more rice really quickly. 2 cups of water to one cup of rice. Bring the water to a boil, add the rice. Cover and then turn down to low. 20 minutes later you will have perfect rice. Just keep everything else warm and your boyfriend occupied and you'll be fine. You can't fix the rice though, it sounds like it's mushy because it absorbed too much water. It's throw away rice at this point. Either start over, or eliminate it from your menu. No biggie either way.

Air France Embraer 190 very soft & smooth landing