What are soft skills and how to develop them. Complete guide

The trends in the labor market in the future will be determined by two skills – soft skills and critical thinking. Together with the trainers of ART and AT RSM, we have compiled a selection on how to develop “flexible skills”

What is Soft Skills and why is it important

In a simple model of professional competencies, skills are divided into soft skills (flexible) and hard skills (hard).

Soft skills — transprofessional skills that help solve life problems and work with other people.

Regardless of the specialty, you will need at least a few “soft skills”. To be successful at work, you need to be able to get along well with colleagues, clients, managers, and bosses. Soft skills cannot be learned in a training or course, they are laid down in childhood and develop throughout life. Therefore, employers especially value people whose skills are well developed. Soft skills are useful in any area, are formed in childhood and are associated with emotional intelligence.

Hard skills – narrow professional skills that are needed to solve specific problems in everyday work.

For example, for a designer, “hard skills” will be the ability to use graphic editors, and for a carpenter, the ability to handle a jigsaw. Hard skills can be mastered in a few weeks, and their effectiveness can be measured. Hard skills are needed for specific tasks, are formed in the learning process and are based on technical knowledge.

Scientists from Harvard, Stanford, and the Carnegie Foundation found out [1] that “soft skills” account for 85% of a person’s success in a profession, while hard skills make up only 15%.

In 2017, Google conducted an internal study [2] to identify the most productive teams within the company. The researchers found that their best teams were mixed groups of employees with strong “soft skills”. Further research showed that improved communication, empathy, and leadership skills contributed to job success.

Soft and hard skills should complement each other in order to solve problems of varying complexity. For example, it will be useful for a graphic designer to master soft skills: communication, creative thinking, empathy and hard skills: possession of Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, Figma.

What soft skills to develop, where to use and how to upgrade

Together with Anna Apolosova, the federal trainer of the RSM Coaches Association, we compiled a list of 14 important “flexible skills” that will help you not get lost in the future. We tell you what these soft skills are, where they are useful and how to develop them:

1. Communication

Communication is the transfer of information, the exchange of knowledge or information between people. For example, a greeting, a short conversation, or buying goods in a store. Communication helps to establish contacts in order to satisfy human needs, to fulfill life and professional tasks. In the coming decades, people will definitely communicate with each other, so the skill will be relevant regardless of changes in the ways of communication. The communication block includes two important skills:

Business conversation — the ability to correspond and negotiate with colleagues, clients and managers in order to solve problems and achieve goals. As billionaire Warren Buffett said, “Not being able to communicate is like winking at a girl in the dark.”

Presentation and oratory – the ability to speak clearly and clearly, to convey your ideas to other people so that you are understood and remembered.

How to develop. Communicate more with a specific purpose, such as negotiations with a client, presentations or lectures. Join a debate club or sign up for negotiation courses. Arrange discussions and business games with friends or colleagues.

2. Critical thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to take a balanced approach to processing and consuming information. We are constantly in the information flow. It is easy to get lost in it, lose focus or become a victim of manipulation. The skill helps to check information, look for relationships between facts, think rationally, make the right decisions and formulate strong arguments.

How to develop. Develop logic and observation. Try to determine the role models of behavior of colleagues at work. Watch how they react to incoming information. Learn to ask questions. Apply critical thinking techniques to the news. For example, start with simple 5W+H or IMVAIN information validation techniques:

3. Customer focus

Customer focus is the ability to determine the needs and desires of your audience in time in order to satisfy them with maximum benefit. For example, if your customer does not have time to go to the store, you can deliver the goods to his home. The client will see the care and save time, and you will get a loyal customer. The skill helps to compete in the labor market, goods and services. In a country with a developing market economy, this is especially valuable.

How to develop. Analyze your target audience. For example, if you get a job, it will be HR, department heads and directors. Think about what problems they have with applicants, how you can solve them. Study audiences in different areas of your life, help satisfy requests and close the problems of these people.

4. Project management

Projects are everywhere. Making a website, building a house, organizing a trip – all these are projects. Various people gather around the project, for example, the client, assistants, contractors, external forces in the form of the state. The person who manages the projects stands in the middle of the system. It has leverage and connection to all its components. It depends on him how the project will turn out. Business, NGOs and government agencies in our country are moving to project management, so the ability to manage projects becomes necessary for people of all ages.

Tom Wuyetz at the TED talk “Build a tower – create a team” shares the results of research “problem with marshmallows”.

How to develop. Present your current affairs in the form of projects. Set goals, deadlines, milestones. Think about how you can optimize your projects: get more value or save resources. For example, if you are often late for work, prepare clothes and food for the morning in advance or change your route.

5. Teaching and mentoring

The traditional education system is rigid and unwieldy. There is a gap between the competencies that we get at the university and what is required in real work. To quickly grow professionally and adapt to the requirements of the market, you need a mentor or mentor.

A mentor will help you create a training plan and monitor progress. They work with him regularly to see progress and adjust their training. If you become a mentor yourself, you will be able to share skills and knowledge with other people who need this competence. Adapt the team to the task, project or workplace.

How to develop. Think about what competencies you need to upgrade, how to do it more efficiently. Make a yearly learning plan for yourself. Follow it, record the results. When you learn to manage your learning, invite colleagues or friends to become their mentor for a while. This is how you develop the skill and help other people.

6. Non-violent communication

Non-violent communication (NVC) is a method to clearly, understandably and accurately convey information to the interlocutor and achieve your goal. In non-violent communication, you communicate an observation to the interlocutor, supported by his fact, talk about your need and formulate a request. So you will not harm people, satisfy your needs, identify violent communication in your address and stop it in time. The skill helps to negotiate in collective meetings, personal communication with colleagues and relatives. The main thing is not to overdo it with softness, uncertainty of expressions, which is fraught with a loss of authority and trust in you.

Marshall Rosenberg, author of a basic book on NVC, suggests that each of the four components of nonviolent communication should be articulated. Without judgments, judgments and shifting of responsibility.

How to develop. Learn to understand yourself and treat people with empathy. Use the non-violent communication technique with friends to practice it safely. Attend NVC meetings and trainings where people learn to communicate without violence. Also, read our article on how to apply NVC in your life.

7. Decision making

Decision making is the ability to consciously choose the best solution from possible options. This skill helps you quickly and efficiently achieve your goals. For example, if you were offered two interesting vacancies, but you don’t know which one to choose, you can miss both.

How to develop. To develop decision-making skills, you need to learn to see the maximum number of options, correctly prioritize each situation and choose the best possible. If there are difficulties at work, contact the manager with a solution, not a problem.

8. Problem solving

If something goes wrong, you can complain or take action. Problem solving skills help you cope with difficulties at work and in life. The more you pump it, the more difficult situations you will be able to handle. Problem solving is similar to project management and decision making – you overcome challenges to achieve goals and get results.

Economist Navi Raju shares three principles for creating more with less.

How to develop. List a few major problems in your life and come up with 20-30 solutions to each. Set a deadline and try to implement each of them within that time. If you can’t solve a problem, come up with new ways to deal with it. Remember that the main thing in a problem is to find a solution.

9. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand the emotions, motivation, intentions of oneself and other people and manage it all. The skill helps to solve practical problems, make decisions and build communication with other people. For example, if during your presentation you see that the audience is tired, take a break.

How to develop. To pump emotional intelligence, you need to develop empathy towards yourself and other people. Observe your own emotions and the emotions of others. Think about what they are connected with and how they affect others. Try to control yourself and make better decisions based on your observations.

10. Knowledge management and learning

Learnability is the ability to learn new information and apply it in life to solve everyday problems. Knowledge creates skills, and skills create skills. It is important not to collect concepts and theories, but to put them into practice, turning them into full-fledged competencies. Knowledge management helps you select the right sources of information, sort it, and manage your learning plan.

How to develop. Make a learning plan, filter the information you need, select the knowledge you want to put into practice. Theories and concepts of learning are important to live, try on yourself and analyze. For example, if you learned about the time management matrix, try it out in real life.

11. Working in the mode of uncertainty

The modern world is described by the abbreviation VUCA. This is a world of instability (volatility), uncertainty (uncertainty), complexity (complexity) and ambiguity (ambiguity), and we will have to live in it. Working in the mode of uncertainty is the ability to quickly respond to changes in the conditions of the task, make decisions, manage projects and own resources. To compete in the market and be in demand, you need flexibility and the ability to quickly adapt to changes. For example, the skill of working in the mode of uncertainty includes stress management.

Stress management – managing the state and behavior of one’s own and other people during periods of physical and psychological stress: tight deadlines, force majeure, heavy loads.

How to develop. You need to develop independence. Come up with ways out of various difficult situations, try approaches that have not been used before. Try new tools: Telegram, online learning formats, remote work. Follow the trends and new technologies, choose what suits you. Start your own business or start a blog. Think over the ways of its development in different circumstances: when everything is going well, in a crisis, when there are many competitors or there is no desire to deal with it.

12. Lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is the ability to eliminate waste of any kind, find bottlenecks and improve the process of creating something. The skill helps to save the resources of a particular person or an entire production. For example, if you correctly calculate your workload, you don’t burn out, so you manage to do more and better. The skill is necessary for entrepreneurs who are associated with small, medium or large production.

How to develop. Organize your own space: desktop, computer, apartment. In lean manufacturing there is 5S technology – removal of unnecessary, self-organization, cleanliness, standardization of processes, improvement of order. Start with it – put things in order in the cabinets, create your own system for storing and sorting things, garbage and information.

Sort letters and files on your computer and phone, make your space convenient. The better your systems are, the better you will develop the skill. Plan your tasks through kanban or a scrum board.

13. Ecological thinking

Ecological thinking is the ability to consciously relate to ongoing events without harm to yourself and others. Ecological thinking implies responsibility for one’s actions and a positive attitude towards the world. The skill helps to get involved in your work and get satisfaction from the result. For example, if the project deadlines are shifted, you do not panic, but are looking for a solution to the problem. Overcome difficulties faster and strive to finish the work with high quality.

How to develop. Develop a proactive mindset instead of a reactive one. For example, if you are rude in a queue, you do not respond rudely, but first think and decide: is it worth it to be rude in response. If this does not make anyone feel better, then it is not worth answering.

Be environmentally friendly with the resources you use at home: separate waste collection, turn off the water when brushing your teeth, buy less plastic or recycle your clothes.

14. Self-reflection

Self-reflection is an independent analysis of one’s actions, behavior, and activities. It helps to evaluate your actions, realize them and decide what to do next. For example, if you’re having trouble getting along with co-workers, self-reflection can help you find communication errors on your part. This skill develops mindfulness – you will make better decisions if you know yourself and understand your needs.

At each stage of training, you need to consciously set goals. The skill of goal-setting helps to formulate and achieve them. In a separate article, we described in detail how to work with goals for your training and present it in the form of a project:

How to develop. Observe yourself: note the details of behavior and actions. Try keeping a diary – write down your impressions of the day, insights and analysis of your behavior there. Every day, write down the people you are grateful for in your life.

How to understand what soft skills I personally need?

To understand what soft skills you need:

Is it difficult to develop soft skills?

To form a skill, you need to acquire knowledge and work it out in practice. Knowledge is information that we receive and remember for ourselves. There are many sources of knowledge: books, articles, lectures, personal communication, advice from a mentor. Let’s take driving a car as an example. The study of the structure of the car, the rules of the road and the theory of driving is knowledge.

The application of knowledge in practice, the first and not yet worked out experience is skill. The skill will be driving around the city or training ground. This is what we get rights with, the skill is not yet formed.

The skill will be formed when the skill reaches automatism – we will learn to perform the task equally well, without losing quality, regardless of changes in external conditions. Confident driving regardless of the weather, emergency situations and other external factors is a skill.

Each “soft” skill has its own levels and development criteria. The more you practice, the better your skills develop. The main thing is to get feedback and analyze your experience, otherwise you will stand still.

How to understand at what level of development soft skills

Assessment methods help to assess the level of development of skills and competencies. Adult learning expert, ART trainer Inna Popova suggests defining what a competence consists of and choosing a scale of its development level. Each competence is described through a set of indicators in which it manifests itself.

A good example of a detailed description of competencies by levels is shown in the book “Know or be able” [3]. Here the authors present the 6K model, supplementing the 4K model with self-confidence and overcoming the failures of “confidence”, work with information and erudition “content”. Each competency is broken down into four levels in detail.

Let’s take communication skills as an example. The first level of communication is the manifestation of emotions, typical of children and some managers under stress. The second level is well illustrated by the dialogue from Pulp Fiction. The heroine of Uma Thurman – Mia Wallace asks the hero of John Travolta – Vincent Vega: “Are you listening? Or are you just waiting to talk? Vega replies, “I’m waiting to be able to speak, but I’m trying to listen.”

At the third level, a full-fledged dialogue is built, the ability to listen to the other side appears. Here communication assumes that we at least take into account the mindset of the listener. At the fourth level of communication, we are able to “see” the hidden subtext.

The authors of the book, Roberta Golinkoff and Katie Hirsch-Pasek, provide indicators of the manifestation of each competence in children, adults, in a business environment.

Youthpass. At the end of the training, participants are often awarded certificates. Youthpass uses certificates to evaluate the results of non-formal education in the Erasmus+ program. One part of the certificate confirms participation in the project. The second helps the participant determine how his eight core competencies [4] have changed as a result of the educational event. The trainer creates a space for reflection, thereby helping the participant to independently assess their competencies.

Eight key competencies that help you compete and quickly adapt to changes in the global world. In the European Union, this is an officially recognized model. (Photo: European Commission)

Open badges, Mozilla и badgecraft. In 2010, Mozilla introduced educational badges, indicators of achievement, skill, or quality. They are used for motivation, setting educational goals or a virtual summary of competencies. On the badge indicate the organization that issued it, “competence assessors” and the achievements of the person.

In the system of formal education, the teacher assesses the competence of students. In non-formal education, badges can be issued by anyone: the course organizer, a classmate, an expert, a colleague, and the participant himself. The badge system creates a special educational environment and helps in alternative learning channels.

Appraiser. The International Guild of Youth Coaches has developed the Appraiser platform to assess the competencies of community members. Each competency of the coach was broken down into indicators, which he defines as strengths or growth areas. For example, learning includes development through feedback, the ability to assess one’s own competencies and find resources for one’s learning. The sum of indicators of strengths and areas of growth gives the level of competence as a whole.

Next, the 360 ​​method is connected – based on the results of joint work at an educational event, the trainer’s own assessment is compared with the assessment of team members and participants. After introspection and feedback, coaches draw up their development plan.

Cities for learning. The competency assessment is completed with a new development plan. A good example of a project that allows you to make such plans is the Cities of Learning Interactive Opportunity Map.

The map of Vilnius shows events that you can join. Everyone has a separate card with a description of the event and organizational moments. You can participate in any event or create your own

You look for places on the map that suit your interests and goals, make an educational route – playlists. Acquired competencies can be confirmed with digital badges.

Develop soft skills, evaluate your progress and make study plans. Emphasize well-developed competencies in resumes and cover letters to get an interesting high-paying job.