Whether it is in our daily lives or in the workplace, skills are essential, as they guide us in our interpersonal relationships and get the job done. The Muse describes soft skills as those intangible attributes, traits, and qualities that are related to how you operate and engage with other people.
In this article, we will go over some soft skills that we think are important but are often overlooked.
Active communication
Be it verbal or non-verbal, you will always have to communicate with people. This includes listening and responding. The ability to listen, think, and respond is critical to the success of your relationships, both personal and professional. Likewise, being able to read the room and take note of gestures, small movements, and shifts in expression will give you an indication of what is going on in people’s minds.
Attention to detail
Be it through being told something or being mindful and aware of your surroundings, being attentive helps you avoid misunderstandings. Similarly, being attentive enables you to notice patterns and behaviours at work and improves your accuracy, which will make all the difference in your business. Furthermore, with observation and monitoring of what is happening around you, you will improve your decision-making skills.
Delegation
being responsible for other people and having authority over them tests how well of a leader you are. This also means that you yourself have to kind of be an expert and take the ultimate responsibility. Thus, delegating tasks to those you see fit to handle them allows others to be in control.
Influencing
most people are not in a managerial position, being able to influence what people do and how they behave. This is important because you can gain trust by listening to what people want. Influencing has nothing to do with manipulating people into doing what you want them to do.
Mentoring
this tests your ability to work with and lead other people. Often, when you mentor, you are responsible for at least one or two people; thus, you are responsible for the progress they make and ultimately the success of your team.
Presentation
This is the ability to introduce ideas and concepts in an effective way to a diverse group of people. Everyone knows that a good presenter can effortlessly influence people towards whatever they want.
Public speaking
This often depends on one’s confidence to be in front of a group of people. This can also play a role in interviews or networking events. Once you master public speaking and addressing a diverse crowd, you will become unstoppable.
Relationship building
This also involves networking, which involves actively engaging with, building, and maintaining connections with people. This leads to being resourceful, which means knowing who to reach out to get the information you need.
Now, it’s no use listing a bunch of soft skills without giving a way of developing or improving on them. The quickest way to learn any skill is by networking, be it with a coach or someone in your immediate circle. This means identifying someone who possesses the skill you desire, observing them, and seeing how you can start being like that, too.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Charles Caleb Colton
Then, you need to practice. If you wish to improve on your public speaking or mentoring skills, you could as well start with your closest friends. You could offer to make a presentation on any topic you choose and be willing to accept and apply the feedback you receive.
Most of these soft skills are interconnected. Once you listen actively, you are able to pay attention to the details, which also makes you more observant and therefore makes you someone influential because people start to trust you.
