4 ways to develop your employees' soft skills

Approximate reading time: 2m 31s

Moreover, the efficiency and productivity of collectives depend on them. These skills are difficult to measure, as no one can quantify how well an employee interacts with colleagues or how well they lead a team. But that doesn't mean specialized training can't be created for them. What are the soft skills you should pay attention to? 

Teamwork

No matter what position an employee holds or what their duties are, they need to be able to work well with their colleagues. He or she must be able and willing to take initiative and complete the tasks assigned to him or her. Otherwise, this person will not have a positive impact on the productivity of the team and may even be detrimental to the organization.

Communication skills

Your employees must be able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and accurately. This applies to both written and verbal communication. Think about it - can they describe in an email the main points of their implemented strategy? Can they properly address their concerns and questions during the morning operative?

Time management

This soft skill focuses on meeting deadlines, completing specific tasks and setting priorities. Do your employees manage their workday well or are they constantly distracted by other things? When given a task, can they identify the steps they need to take to complete it and how long it takes them to complete it?

Critical thinking

Your employees need to be able to gather information and know how to use it to achieve the desired end result. For example, if an employee is given a list of statistics, can they use that information to make an informed decision or do they have trouble processing the information? Do they have the skills to use the given information in the best possible way and apply it in real-world settings?

Adaptability

By adaptability we mean flexibility and the ability to develop independently. Employees should be able to identify their own weaknesses, try to correct them, develop their personal skills. They must be willing to learn and adapt constantly.

Problem solving

Employees who can solve problems see the problem from different angles and use their knowledge and skills to solve it. Can your employees resolve conflicts and overcome challenges they encounter in their daily work lives? Can they use out-of-the-box thinking and come up with a new approach to solve an old problem?

Tips for improving soft skills using distance learning

Use interactive scenarios

Your distance learning scenario should provide for interactions, be engaging and offer learners the opportunity to explore real-life situations but without the risk of real-world consequences. They should be given an example of applying soft skills in a real situation. For example, if you are trying to develop teamwork skills, come up with a scenario that involves several different characters and different possible decisions that the learner needs to make in order to lead these characters well. This way your employees can understand the impact of their actions on others.

Set measurable goals

It is true that it is difficult to measure the soft skills of your employees. But you can set specific goals that can be measured. For example, a 20% increase in customer satisfaction. That way, you'll be able to track your learners' progress much more easily.

One training for one skill

It's best to have one training focus on developing just one skill. That way, employees will learn it better and faster. For this, you can use a variety of online tools and exercises so that people can explore the skill from different perspectives and in different applications.

Link training to real-life examples

Your employees won't feel motivated to participate in training if they're not sure they'll be able to apply their knowledge in real life. Therefore, you should use examples from practice. Your distance learning scenario should contain examples and simulations that give a clear idea of how and where employees will be able to use what they have learned.

Soft skills are skills for life and if you give learners the opportunity to develop them, the results for your organisation will be very good.

Source: http://elearningindustry.com/4-tips-develop-soft-skill-courses-for-corporate-elearning.