Soft Skill

Soft Skills That Is Important For University Students. Introduction. â€Å"Soft skills refer to the cluster of personality traits social graces, facility with language, personal habit, friendliness and optimism that mark people to verifying degrees. Soft skills complement hard skills, which are the requirement of job† (Wikipedia, 2007). Communicating, conflict management, human relations, making presentations, negotiating, team building and other such ability defined in terms of expected outcomes and not as a specific method or technique such as statistical analysis.Soft skills have its own dimension and it is based on one`s perceptual attitude. Mostly how he or she shows interest in things around him or her and reacts to that. No premature thoughts should occupy the mind and it should be flow freely from the cognitive reactions. This is a given from God. Course on human relations and dealing effectively with subordinate’s are often included. The soft skills might inclu de maintain eye contact when speaking with the people. Soft skills can`t really be taught as a course on its own. One picks up leaderships qualities.Soft skills have more to do with who we are than what we know. As such, soft skills encompass the character traits that decide how well one interacts with others, and are usually a definite part of one's personality. Whereas hard skills can be learned and perfected over time, soft skills are more difficult to acquire and change. Soft skills often relates to the abilities such as communication, team work and leadership skill. What I would typically include as parts of the soft skills package include good manners as well as a positive and pleasant disposition.Many students, who are not aware of the importance of leadership skills in his career, would prefer to be the â€Å"followers† when getting involved in co-curricular activities both in and out of school. Some are natural leaders, some are not, and they don`t know â€Å"the ho w†, perhaps â€Å"lacks of confidence† to lead, or could be due to â€Å"lack of interests† in giving ideas and brainstorming activities. However, if the students must do a practical assignment that will determine his marks, that will also test his leaderships, human interaction skills, then the students will be more â€Å"alert† of the importance of â€Å"soft skills†.Soft skills can be taught and learnt as well. However, at the end of the day it is the student who decides whether he/she will practice what was preached. The lack of soft skills in student in Malaysia is due to a combination of factors. What is more difficult is some of these factors are bigger for some students. It does start with our education system that make pitiful attempt to address the issue. What is difficult about soft skills is that it developing it work differently for different people and hence a mas-education system is ill-suited to address the worst of the problem.Examp le of the soft skills that’s important for university student. There are three examples of the soft skills: 1. Communication skills The first important soft skills is, good in communication skills. Effective of communication skills can be some of the most important skills we can learn. Communication is involvers both listening and speaking. The person in a good communication must have an open mind and idea to make people like to easy to understand. Influence a negotiating skill.Good negotiating skills are inherent these skills must be learned and practice in a verity situation. Listen carefully to the arguments and clarify the issue and also plan for the alternative outcome. Good communication skills. Good communication skills are having effective communication and communication will certainly increase the opportunities to find in a university. The communication skills may include body language. Do not shy away from the person whom you are speaking.Be sure to maintain a relax ed, but not slouching posture, regardless whether you are on speaking or listening. Make an eye contact and be aware what your body is saying. Body language can says so much more than a mouthful of words, and open stance with arm relaxed at your sides tells everyone around you that you are approachable and open to hear what they have to say. Communication is successful only when both the sender and receiver understand the same information. â€Å"Good communication skills are what separate the distinguished, from the good, from the indifferent teacher.The distinguished teacher delivers the message with enthusiasm, ensures that it is understood, and has it remembered; the good teacher delivers the message with enthusiasm and ensures that it is understood; while the indifferent teacher merely delivers the message† (Zemke R, Raines C, Filipcak B, 2000) 2. Critical thinking The second important soft skills are the good critical thinking. For the university student, it`s required e vidence and follow the evidence leads. Critical thinking is more concern with finding and explanation that being apparent confusion and asking question. It also makes people understand logical connection.Critical thinking should not be confused with being argument. â€Å"This research has direct implications for undergraduates and curriculum builders in tertiary education. The study sets out to discover respondents’ perceptions of their own abilities in critical thinking strategies and their perceptions on the importance of these strategies in their future employments† (Shah, N. Z. 2007). 3. Good listening skills The third important in soft skills is good listening skills. When you are really listening, you demonstrate your interest in what being said and you show your respect for the individual saying it.Leaderships skills. Leader want teams to get better, but often don`t set specific goal annual improvement. Listening is an essential part of communication and it is d ifferent from hearing. Being a good and patient listener helps not only solve many problems at university or home, but also to see the world through the eyes of others, thereby opening understanding and enhancing the capacity for empathy. How to be a good listener? Place yourself in the other person`s shoes. It is often too easy to wonder about how what the other persons is telling you is impacting you. Active listening is not about inward thinking.Instead you must look at the problem from the other person`s perspective and effectively try to see his or her point of view. Stop talking and try to be silent. Likewise, many think that empathy means sharing with the listener similar experiences that the listener has had. Both can be helpful, put a side your own needs and went for the other person to talk at their own pace. Remove distractions. Good listener means willing to turn off the television, close the door or stop reading the mail. Give the speaker your full attention and let the m know they are getting your full attention.Give no sign you are ready to respond during conversation, wait 2 seconds after the person finish speaking to make sure they have finished their thought. Watch your own emotions. If what they are saying creates an emotional response in you, be extra carefully, with attention to the intent and full meaning of their words. Make a comments, answered questions. When their stop or pauses, you can be a good listener by making comments. When people are angry, they usually want to be heard and understood. What they don`t want in return in critism, patronizing comment, denial of their feelings or attacks on their position or personality.One of the reasons why some university are not well in good listener is because they do not listen. Listening skills start with paying attention. Not interested to hear other people problems. People who just keep on blabbing or practice take listening are thinking I’m smarter then you and I know what you`re g oing to tell me, so let make this really efficient for both of them. I won`t have to listen and we can get to really important part of the conversation, that`s why some student are become a bad listener. â€Å"This study aimed to assess whether effective listening was associated with leadership emergence in a small group situation.Findings showed that these two attributes where positively related suggesting that emergent leaders may possess good listening skills† (Johnson S. D. and Belcher C. ). Why soft skill is so importance. The soft skills are importance for the university student is easy to understand the subject. A student must develop specific generic skills like reading, writing, speaking, listening and presentation positive attitude, etiquette and manners. They must learn to manage themselves understand their strengths and weakness. With the soft skill student and tutor are close and easy to communicate and take an explanation.Many fields are becoming ever increasing ly competitive. Clearing a job interview requires much more then academic and an impressive resume. Many a times we come across people who fail to make to the top in spite processing the best of technical knowledge. Soft skill are shaping human being`s personality. The people who are good in soft skills like a role model to the colleagues. They were like to share and close to this person. Soft skills are qualities like making a friend easily, being punctual or being able to both hard. Reduce gap between tutor and student.A tutor helping students to improves their soft skills. Soft skills in that sense are just technical skills. We need to practice them to keep them sharp. Demonstrate effective classroom leadership skills, communicate professionally with student and provide opportunities’ for them to improve in areas they work. It truly is a win-win for both tutor and student. Soft skill can make them to be leaderships. Being equipped with leadership skills allow you to be gro omed for bigger roles in times to come. In the present role, you could be seen as an employee with potential and be given more importance task to perform. There is persuasive evidence that cooperative teams achieve at higher levels of thought and retain information longer than students who work quietly as individuals. The shared learning gives students an opportunity to engage in discussion, take responsibility for their own learning, and thus become critical thinkers† (Totten, Sills, Digby, & Russ, 1991). Why some university students are not well equipped in soft skill. Why communication skills are not well equipped in soft skill is because some of students write well, but they are not able to express themselves orally.They are not confidence on communication in English and very limited vocabulary. While conversing in English with someone give importance to the massage and do not be occupied with grammatical accuracy. If they are much worried about grammar and pronunciations errors, they will not develop fluency kill the language without fear. Some people are comfortable speaking among themselves and do not compare with other people. No one was born with all the language skills required for effective communication. They must confident and trust themselves that they can do it. This is in fact the first and foremost primary step to being good communicator.Given here are some of the barriers that occur in communicating effectively. Understanding these barriers will help one comprehend examples of communicating skills. Some are having problems with their body language and difficult to maintain eye contact whenever you are in conversation with someone, keep the majority of your focus on the other person. If have a difficulty knowing exactly how to make eye contact, you can benefit from practicing in front of the mirror or with other person. But if eye contact and body language is been your bad habit to share intently into the eyes of people without looking a way.You have been making your conversation partners very uncomfortable. The fact is that one needs to constantly work towards developing effective communication skills. And primarily they need to overcome the barriers to effective communication. And this can be done when they are aware of the barriers and shortcomings. Critical thinking skills give students the ability to not only understand what they have read or been shown but also to build upon that knowledge without incremental guidance. Critical thinking teaches students that knowledge is fluid and builds upon itself.It is not simply rote memorization or the ability to absorb lessons unquestioningly. Critical thinking is thinking that assesses itself. To the extent that students need us to tell them how well they are doing, they are not thinking critically. Didactic instruction makes students overly dependent on the tutor. Because of the importance of self-assessment to critical thinking, it is important to bring it into the st ructural design of the course and not just leave it to episodic tactics. Virtually every day, for example, students should be giving (to other students) and receiving (from other students) feedback on the quality of their work.They should be regularly using intellectual standards in an explicit way. This should be designed into instruction as a regular feature of it. Why team working skill also not equipped in university is because conversations can be misconstrued and others in a team may slack off more than expected. Some leave things to the last minute and don't make proper use of team members when not meeting face to face. Explain their own ideas. All the group members agree on what needs to be done and by whom and able to give their own ideas by sharing with the team member.The problem will solve by helping from group discussion. Some people don’t have internet at home so can’t communicate very well when have to do assignments. Some students do not wish to coopera te and not everyone has an internet connection of the same speed and the same level of access making it not so desirable for use or collaboration on what it seems to be designed for. Teamwork is defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as â€Å"a joint action by a group of people, in which each person subordinates his or her individual interests and opinions to the unity and efficiency of the group. This does not mean that the individual is no longer important; however, it does mean that effective and efficient teamwork goes beyond individual accomplishments. The most effective teamwork is produced when all the individuals involved harmonize their contributions and work towards a common goal. Express their feeling. Good team member also have a sense of humour and know how to have fun. Listen carefully to others. There is a time and a time to listen and the time to listen come twice as often find us so concerned about what they here to say.While providing and requesting feedback is vital to team success, most avoid doing so because it feels uncomfortable or embarrassing. However, successful companies capitalize on the opportunity to examine those contributions that will make the team more effective, by creating a culture of conversation. Why some university students are not well with the teamwork skill is because some of the student is not confident by themselves and some of student impresses their self-negative feedback without being too offended to continue.Also some of the attitude of student is poor, and there are not professional in applying soft skills in their life as a student. Suggestion. I suggest that for future graduates, and government bodies is to improve their teaching about soft skills. Opinion expressed by the student indicate that the team project helps to improves their communication and negotiation skills among the student to developed soft skills based on formal and informal activities at the university level. And their also have to activ e in the seminar and conference to make the soft skills is more effective.Tutor also should show their soft skills to the student to be role model to them. I also like to purpose for university and others were most impressed by the ability of our graduates to adapt themselves to any work situation, their ability to communicate clearly, their ability to solve problems, to work in groups and to contribute effectively and meaningfully to their work situations. In addition to the knowledge gained by students in their course of study, equally important is the University’s role in producing innovators.Those with whom we consulted spoke of the greater opportunities afforded to students who have opportunities to participate in research. A connection needs to be made between work experiences, appropriate work behaviour, and student learning. Work-based learning offers young people meaningful hands-on learning opportunities by connecting classroom learning with work experience. This ki nd of learning opportunity can help a young person make better career decisions, select more appropriate courses of study, and develop job skills relevant to future employment.Conclusion. A carefully designed and well planned education system is critical to developing such human capital. Thus, institutions of higher learning play a very important role in producing human capital that is highly knowledgeable and skilful and can meet the demands and expectations of society. The teaching and learning processes in institutions of higher learning must be capable in providing such knowledge and skills to future graduates. Most university students spend half of their academic life living in university residences on campus.As such, institutions of higher learning should use this golden opportunity to develop their soft skills. And we must do all these things in collaboration with government, the community, other institutions and the world at large. The University must continue to pursue new partnerships to ensure that our students have the exposure and opportunities they need to succeed. Reference. Johnson S. D. and Belcher C. , Small Group Research, 29 (4), Pages 452-471, August 1998, IDS 108DU, ISSN 1046-4964 Shah, N. Z. (2007).Final year students’ perceptions on their critical thinking strategies and the importance of these strategies in future employment. Retrieved September 23, 2009, from http://h08. cgpublisher. com/proposals/65/index_html Totten, S. , Sills, T. , Digby, A. , & Russ, P. (1991). Cooperative learning: A guide to research. New York: Garland. Zemke R, Raines C, Filipcak B. Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in your Workplace. New York: AMACOM, 2000. http://www. ndt-ed. org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Teamwork. htm