How can you develop soft skills in learners?

Over the last 10 years of conducting soft skills training, what has proven most effective is initiating by raising awareness of one's current state and the consequences of remaining in that state, including its impact on other outcomes and, more often than not, personal well-being. Once individuals fully comprehend the behaviors that are lacking and how their current behaviors fail to fulfill their intended purposes, the next step is to take small actions, such as practicing a single behavior differently for 1-2 weeks. For instance, if they are working on active listening, they could practice repeating what they hear verbatim for a week before adding more practice to it.

Create a trusting environment through honest, mutual respect. Until this is achieved genuine learning and personal reflection cannot take place.

Storytelling workshops are dynamic learning environments that enhance learners' communication skills. Through narrative creation and delivery, participants develop the ability to articulate ideas effectively, captivate audiences, and convey complex concepts. These workshops foster creativity, improve public speaking, and promote a deeper understanding of how storytelling can be a powerful tool for communication, making information memorable and engaging.

Softskills leben von der Unternehmenskultur, hier soll Vorbild geschaffen und gelebt werden. Meiner Erfahrung nach muss sichergestellt werden, dass die Schulungsinhalte praxisnah sind und direkte Anwendungsmöglichkeiten im Arbeitsalltag der Teilnehmenden bieten. Dies erhöht die Relevanz, Akzeptanz und somit Effektivität der Schulungen.

Active learning really nudges learners to take a hands-on, practical approach, and I've noticed they're just more into it and absorb things better. It's all about getting folks to work together, think critically, and solve problems, which helps them get a real grip on the challenges specific to their industry. Plus, it makes them more flexible, resilient, and ready to handle whatever changes come their way in their professional fields. It's not just about learning facts; it's about gearing up for the real-world twists and turns.

My favorite quote that I use in training is "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn". One of the successful active learning activities that I usually do in my Communication Skills course is that I choose one participant and I ask him to come forward to the stage. Let's call him "Joker". I ask the Joker to stand facing the whole class. I put in front of him the flip chart. I display a picture on the big screen, and I ask all the attendees to express to the Joker what they are seeing, and the Joker has to draw it. At the end, the Joker turns his flip chart and shows his final image to the class. Here comes the hilarious part. Usually, there is a difference between the 2 images because of the miscommunication.

Allowing students to take part in experiential learning through simulations are important to help them get immersed and experience/ experiment in a safe environment.

I had a wonderful experience teaching entrepreneurship to high school students. We created a mini company, and in parallel with the theoretical content, they worked on building the company: business plan, market research, product development. From there, negotiation with suppliers, production, quality control and sales... lots of sales. It was a great opportunity to teach teenagers how to experience entrepreneurship.

Here's something I've learned as a sales coach: mastering soft skills is all about active learning. You can't just absorb these skills from a book or a lecture. It's about getting your hands dirty, so to speak. Role plays, simulations, and games aren't just fun - they're essential tools that bring these skills to life. Projects and peer coaching? They're not just exercises; they're real-world practice grounds. And let's not forget the power of online platforms for collaboration and feedback. This approach creates a space where learners can safely experiment, stumble, and ultimately succeed. Remember, in the world of soft skills, doing is the new learning.

Following my previous answer, and after the game finishes, I start by providing feedback and point the mistakes that were communicated between the attendees and the joker. As an example, the attendees express without giving exact details. For example, they say "Draw a big circle with 2 circles inside". My comment would be "How big is the circle? Because a big circle for you, may be a small circle for me. Moreover, where should the 2 circles inside be? Should they be next to each other, or on top of each other". These small details will make the whole difference in soft skills courses. After, I ask the attendees to repeat the game, but this time, they should provide additional details. From experience, this game is very effective.

I'm a big fan of feedback—it's a crucial aspect of the learning journey. While the formal methods are effective and provide measurable results, the more casual, indirect feedback does wonders too. It's the encouragement and gentle nudge toward reaching the learning goals that truly elevate learners and make them better at what they do.

Feedback is so important. I think oftentimes feedback has a negative connotation. But feedback, if received with an open mind and an attitude that you want to improve.

Feedback is everything, so long as it is constructive. This is a crucial part of any training and assessment process. Since soft skills have many interpretations, we should look to legislative standards of skills such as basic use of language, numeracy in the context of the workplace, dress codes, driving etiquette, consideration for others, shaking hands and greeting. These are skills. A final note. Using a computer is not a soft skill - there are courses and measurable outcomes within clear frameworks. As a tech with years of experience, turning a computer on is not the same as tying shoelaces.

New skill development needs is practice and feedback and time to build the skills. Continuous positive feedback, self reflection while practicing offer an employee to course correct.

After we are done with this game, I ask the attendees to do a group exercise and brainstorm ideas on how we can apply the same concepts learned in our job, and how we can enhance our communication from the mistakes that we have went through. Most of the answers from the attendees are that "we should be more specific when communicating with our clients". Another answer would be "Our clients expect us to understand them with minor information shared. Now, after the game, we understood how to take additional information from our clients so we avoid miscommunications"

The question I find most beneficial is, "What will you apply? How? When?" And then ask people to share their commitments in small groups. When we speak our commitments out loud, there's a greater chance of following through. It takes the reflection into action.

After providing feedback to the learners, give them time to reflect on the feedback. You can ask them to come up with strategies on how to improve on those soft skills.

Al final de una actividad sobre una habilidad es importante que el alumno sea forzado a pensar y entender qué acaba de suceder y con qué se queda del ejercicio, porque solo de esa manera será posible obtener retroalimentación y en todo caso evaluar si el aprendizaje está llegando a cada persona de la manera correcta. Hay que entender también que cada persona es un mundo, cada quien aprenderá desde su oportunidad y es válida cada reflexión, escuchar a los demás también abre la perspectiva de cómo hacer las cosas o entender lo que se acaba de aprender en conjunto.

After 1 week from the end of the training course, I do a physical visit to the client's premises, and I visit the employees of the same department that have attended the course with me. I observe them while they are doing their work, and I start taking notes to make sure that they are applying the concepts that they have learned, in our training course, on our daily work. In case there are new scenarios, I make sure to apply little adjustments accordingly. At the end, I try to take one of the tasks assigned to one of the employees, and I show him how it's done in real life in a correct way, and then I let him do it himself. In this way, I make sure that he is a role model for other employees too.

I participate in selection processes for teachers and always ask for a copy of the teaching evaluation. With this feedback I can evaluate my performance and create improvement actions, as the objective is to increasingly improve my work.

I strongly believe that follow up is vital for ensuring successful understanding and implementation of concepts taught to the learners. If learners are aware and habitual of being a part of follow up rituals, they would actively participate in the regular learning process and will also be able to track their own learning curve. Self reflections can be made through this initiative.

Following up with learners provides an opportunity to reinforce soft skills development. Regular feedback sessions allow educators to acknowledge progress, provide constructive criticism, and offer guidance on refining interpersonal skills. This iterative process promotes self-awareness and continuous improvement, reinforcing the importance of soft skills in various contexts. Additionally, personalized follow-ups can address individual challenges, enhancing the overall effectiveness of soft skills development initiatives.

In an AI world, Soft Skills are even more critical than ever. Developing Soft Skills (What we rebranded to Power Skills) takes intention, awareness and conscious action. Power Skills are often those skills on autopilot, communication, active listening, openness, conflict resolution and what EVERY ONE of these needs is a purposeful slowdown during situations. In fast-paced environments, it can feel easier to run over someone's thoughts, half-listen and focus on other things, and dictate instead of ideate, the cadence of the way you work has to change. It is like anything, training takes time upfront to save time long-term, make the commitment up front to slow down and take conscious active steps to build Power Skills in yourself and others.

Feedback techniques after a workshop vary depending on goals, but a common effective method is a feedback survey or form, allowing anonymous input to encourage honesty. Follow-up meetings can also help to discuss key takeaways and improvements.

Effective development of soft skills should begin with evaluating each participant's current proficiency in these skills, but use this as an opportunity to discover what other skills or approaches the participant may be able to apply to the situation. Each of us are unique individuals, and while we may consider skills and skillsets with convenient and general labels, this may lead us to overlook the ways that existing traits and skills can be leveraged in non-traditional methods. When an individual is given the opportunity to demonstrate how those traits can help them to succeed, they become more invested in the process.