Soft skills is an important ability for simple communication with people

You can’t diminish the importance of soft skills because they help maintain good relationships with people. We will tell you how to develop these skills yourself in the article.

Tips for developing soft skills

“I am communicative, flexible-minded, emotionally intelligent, and a quick learner” is the information that applicants fill in the “About Me” section of their resume. It is noteworthy that some employers consider this information as nothing, while others pay special attention to this point and carefully evaluate soft skills at the interview.

According to studies by Harvard University, Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center, 85% of professional success depends on the availability of flexible skills and only 15% on professional knowledge. It is difficult to argue with this, as well as the opinion that developing soft skills requires a lot of effort and regular training. But what if you turn this process into a hobby like play online casino or even chess? This article will remember soft skills and their value and tell you what hobbies will help develop them.

Soft skills – what are they?

In simple words, soft skills are general skills related to a person’s personality traits. They do not refer to professional skills and are not associated with a particular specialty. Unlike hard skills (profession-related skills), soft skills are difficult to measure. For example, it is difficult to determine a person’s communication skills, but it is easy to decide on their proficiency in a foreign language or a program.

Nevertheless, having paraprofessional skills is a must in any activity. A doctor, of course, must have a medical education and be able to diagnose a disease and treat it, but imagine a medical professional who does not know the ethical standards of communication with patients, has no patience, and has no emotional intelligence! It is unlikely that you would want to go to such a specialist, and even if it were necessary, the impression of interacting with him would not be the best.

Or imagine a manager who, despite his excellent knowledge of economics and marketing, has no idea how to achieve effective interpersonal interaction, is not flexible in decision-making and shows emotional instability about his colleagues and partners. For sure, even with a complete set of hard skills, he will not achieve high results in building a business and a team.

Flexible skills help professionals stay competitive in the labor market, quickly adapt to changes in the external and internal environment, find common ground with others, work effectively in a team, think big, and move up the career ladder faster.

Many companies have focused on developing soft skills for a long time because doing business mainly involves teamwork. But, according to experts, some of the soft critical skills of a modern person are the ability to communicate, make decisions, understand the needs and priorities of another person and think critically.

The importance of soft skills in everyday life

Soft skills are essential not only in professional but also in personal life. For example, someone who can express his thoughts correctly and interestingly will always be at the center of attention, and the ability to manage one’s emotions helps one to approach even the most complex issue with a calm mind and stay in a resourceful state. Furthermore, the ability to prioritize, plan and manage time is one of a modern person’s critical skills, allowing you to achieve your goals faster while saving emotional and physical energy.

There are a lot of flexible skills. Their need is determined by social status, profession, and life goals. But there are soft critical skills absolutely everyone needs in today’s world and are unlikely to lose their relevance in the future. Here they are:

• Communication: The ability to transfer information and share knowledge with people helps to establish contacts and perform personal and professional tasks. This skill includes business communication, presentation skills, and public speaking.
• Managing people, projects: Our life consists of small and big projects. Knowing how to set goals, set deadlines, optimize resources, and manage project participants puts people in charge of things and helps them get things done faster.
• Problem-solving: This skill helps one cope with work and personal challenges. Those who courageously take action to remove obstacles in their way are more successful than those who, in uncertain situations, are used to hiding their head in the sand.
• Decision making: the ability to choose the best of what is available, to see the maximum number of options, and analyze them allows you to achieve results faster and get the most out of any situation.
• Emotional intelligence: the ability to manage emotions and understand the motivation and intentions of other people is the basis of effective communication, allows to solve practical problems and make sensible decisions.
• Work in the mode of uncertainty: the events of recent years have shown that in an ambiguous situation, the one which offers flexibility in time, can adjust to the problem, react to what is happening and adapt to changes remains on the horse.
• Self-reflection: the ability to analyze your actions develops awareness and allows you to make informed decisions and understand your needs.
• Learning: the ability to learn new information and apply it in practice will always remain one of the critical skills of a modern person. Change happens every day, and in this mode of life, it is essential to learn theory and turn it into competencies.

There are many options for developing these and other soft skills: you can attend relevant training, take online courses, read thematic literature, or even visit live rooms at online slots in India to improve your speaking skills. But there is another way to please everyone who aims for personal growth without interrupting their favorite business.

Exciting activities for the development of soft skills

Most of us have hobbies in addition to our primary occupation. Perhaps you attended sports sections or art clubs at a young age? Hobbies are mostly perceived as things for the soul, but they can not only recharge your energy or refresh your thoughts after a busy day but also pump up your super-professional skills. Isn’t it bliss to improve yourself with something that pleases you? Let’s take a closer look at what hobbies can help with this.

Sports

Did you know that those who had an active hobby in childhood or adolescence become more successful than others in later life? Researchers conducted a study in which participants were asked which worker they thought showed the most confidence, leadership, time management skills, and self-esteem? Most respondents said these qualities applied to employees who were into basketball or running in their youth.

Playing chess

The game of chess, despite its lack of physical activity, refers to a sport. And it is understandable: the process of playing can last several hours, and the players spend the whole time-solving problems in a state of high emotional stress. But experts believe it is not just a sporting game but a natural form of art because every time chess players enter uncharted territory, they have to generate ideas, make plans, implement them and assess the results.

Acting

Indeed there are those among our readers who enjoy acting on stage and don’t miss an opportunity to perform in front of an audience. But unfortunately, some people think that this hobby – the destiny of natural actors and acting – is a skill necessary only to those who associate their professional life with the theater or cinema.

The ability to play a specific role and keep in public will be helpful to absolutely everyone, regardless of the chosen profession. Acting is not only a talent but also a psychology and self-discovery. A person passionate about acting learns to go beyond his behavior and emotions, to adjust to different situations.