Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance, employability and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which tend to be specific to a certain type of task or activity, soft skills are broadly applicable. Soft skills contrary to technical skills pinpoint on those elements of training that require changes in behavior and thinking.These skills include aptitudes in areas such as emotional Intelligence, communication, leadership ability, etiquette, decision making, self-motivation, self-discipline, etc. Soft Skills are the need of the hour every organization is slowly opting for, and this realization is indirectly leading to growth and productivity.
Soft skills are intrapersonal and interpersonal skills that establish a person's ability to adaptin any project team or a company. It is a bunch of personality behavior, that mark people to varying degrees. It is the way a person carries himself, his social etiquette, language, perception, habits, friendliness, interaction, positive approach, leadership qualities, and decision making abilities that creates an aura about him which attracts people that proves beneficial for every business organization.
Soft skills, as you can tell; the very opposite of hard skills. Hard skills are technical skills, while soft skills are the ones that require training in personal behavior and also one's thought processes. In short, hard skills (because of your educational qualifications) will help you get an interview, but it is the presence of soft skills which are going to help you get a job. Organizations today are realizing the importance in helping their employees develop soft skills, not just at the fresher-level but also at managerial and supervisor levels of the company; to better deal with clients as well as team members.
A lot people have access to hard skills (technical or domain knowledge). But do they have that something special in them that inspires and motivates the people around them? Do they have the ability to communicate clearly and effectively?
It is true that your IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is fixed from birth. But your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), your IPQ (Influence and Persuasion Quotient), your MQ (Motivation Quotient), etc.can be improved. It is true that in this tough corporate world your IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is not the only thing that matters but your EQ (Emotional Quotient), your IPQ (Influence and Persuasion Quotient), your MQ (Motivation Quotient), etc. should be noticeably improved. In today's world EQ is more desirable than IQ. EQ comprises of various traits, however, the most important of all is the ability to communicate effectively with others.
Soft Skills have become indispensable to any organization since most of these business houses are a democratic setup where every individual has his own set of emotions and unique behavior. Hence organizations that are on the path of continuous learning today recognize that the soft skills training of their employees play an important role in maintaining relationships with their customers and developing a successful business. Moreover it shows that an organization is greatly interested in the professional development of their employees.Professionals who give emphasis on soft skills will be far ahead of their peers.Soft skills can make a big contribution to profitability, even in industries considered highly technical.
Soft skills trainings empower business relationships through enhanced interpersonal communication skills and enhance the communication skills that leverage subtle distinctions that make the difference between an ordinary employee and an exceptionally effective professional. It helps to build trust and commitment. Soft skills trainings ensure building good impression and impact to gain professional development. Service will be treated as a value-adding activity and there will be enhancement in agreeableness and co-operation among the team members. Employees will be able to resolve workplace conflict and build a common understanding and framework for working through challenging conflict situations.
Trainings on Soft skills will help to harness the skills, enhance intellectual growth, explore creativity and self-fulfillment. People will be able to effectively manage stress and will consider life a challenge rather than a series of irritations. Soft skills trainings teach us to feel that we have control over our lives, even in the face of setbacks. Soft skills trainings will help prioritize the work and schedule time accordingly. People will be able to manage time and resources effectively. Soft skills trainings are necessary in order to make significant contribution to company's image or bottom line and to make lives easier by consistently providing exceptional customer service. It will help acquiring the most sort after skills like building rapport and showing empathy, handling customer complaints and managing customer expectations.