Soft Skills Training: Communication and Time Management Report

This report delves into the realm of soft skills, crucial for both personal and professional success. It begins with an introduction, followed by an examination of Learning Outcome 1, which focuses on demonstrating a range of interpersonal and transferable communication skills. The report defines various communication skills such as public speaking, active listening, teamwork, and presentation skills, highlighting their importance and value in the workplace and in building relationships. It then explores verbal and non-verbal communication, providing examples and tips for improvement. The report further addresses Learning Outcome 2, showcasing the application of critical reasoning and thinking in problem-solving scenarios, with an example of planning a training event, specifically an orientation event for students. The report emphasizes the importance of time management skills like organization, prioritization, goal-setting, communication, and delegation. The document concludes with references to the sources used.

I. Introduction
This document is written for soft skill training purposes. It is about the skills an individual needs
to be more successful in life and career. The document is divided into three main parts. The first
part is the Introduction you are reading. The next part is LO1(Learning Outcome 1), which is
about demonstrating a range of interpersonal and transferable communication skills to a
target audience. In the third part, this document will show you about LO2(Learning Outcome
2): Applying critical reasoning and thinking to a range of problem-solving scenarios. After
that, in part fourth, I will tell you how I applied those skills in my life for an example. And the
last part is the References where I point out the source that I have used in this document.
Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate a range of interpersonal and
transferable communication skills to a target audience
P1. Demonstrate, using different communication styles and formats, that you can
effectively design and deliver a training event for a given target audience.
II. Communication skills
1. Definition of communication skills
Communication skills are the ability to give and receive kinds of information. We use
them to communicate with others efficiently in our daily life. With a good set of
communication skills, we can express our thoughts, our feelings, our desires to people in
a clear way.
Some examples of communication skills:
❖ Public speaking: It is the act of a single person performing a speech to many audiences.
It is usually a formal face-to-face speech. Public speaking is sometimes considered an art
of persuasion and a symbol of a great leader. You can use your public speaking skill to
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transmit information, tell a story, motivate people to act as your demand. That is why
public speaking is a powerful skill you will need to lead people as well as prove your
strength, confidence, and talents.
❖ Active listening: Listening is something everyone with fully functioning ears can do, but
not everyone knows the active listening skill. Active listening means fully concentrating
on what is being said by other people to truly understand the meaning of the speaker’s
words, to see his/her thought, feelings about the problems they are talking about. It is a
hard skill not just because we have to concentrate on what the speaker said for a long
time, but we also have to ‘show’ that we are listening to the speaker. However, with
practice, we can develop and master active listening skills.
❖ Teamwork: Teamwork is the collaborative between those who are working on a task
(dictionary). So teamwork is generally understood as the willingness of a group of people
to work together to achieve a common goal.
“Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.”
Unknown.
Teamwork skill is fundamental for teams to work effectively. With teamwork,
teammates can observe and depend on the quality of each other’s work. Overall, it makes
the work’s result better. It also helps each individual participate in the team to improve
themselves by learning from each other. So in the modern days, having teamwork skills is
a must for everyone who wants to be successful in life.
❖ Presentation: We have to be clear on one thing first: presentation skill and public
speaking skill is NOT the same. Presenting involves speaking to a specific objective,
coordinating that speech with a series of images or slides that are designed to reinforce
that objective, and measuring the outcome. The presentation skill allows us to combine
both words and visuals to explain content for the audiences in the easiest way to
understand. Presentation skill is a crucial skill for anyone.
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2. Importance of having strong communication skills
By some examples above, you might see how important communication skills are in our
life. However, to be specific, here are the values of communication skills:
❖ Valued in the workplace: Having a strong set of communication skills will make
your value increase so much in the eyes of your employers and colleagues. It
allows you to listen to others and show interest in what they say, dealing with
problems, work more efficiently, express opinions, or ask questions. In the long
run, it will help you climb the career ladder easier, and get you the respect from
other people.
❖ Creating better relationships: With good communication skills, you will be able to
improve your relationship with your employers, employees, and your personal life
relationships. By listening carefully and offering quality feedback helps people
around you feel heard and understood.
❖ In demand by businesses: We all know something about businesses, it is a large
field requiring a lot of, you guessed it, communication. Being an employer or a
businessman/woman will require a lot of communication. You will need it to
bargain, discuss, and lead people to work efficiently.
3. Verbal communication
3.1. Definition of verbal communication
Verbal communication is the use of words to send information to other people. It
consists of both spoken communication and written communication. Verbal
communication is a two-part process, it requires a speaker (or writer) to transmit
the message, and a listener (or reader) to receive and understand the message.
And it is important to keep in mind that effective verbal communication can not
be fully isolated from non-verbal communication.
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3.2. Some example of verbal communication skills
❖ Verbal Communication in a team: Every team needs good communication to be
successful to finish the tasks.
➢ Conveying messages concisely
➢ Encouraging reluctant group members to share input
➢ Explaining a difficult situation without getting angry
➢ Explaining that you need assistance
➢ Paraphrasing to show understanding
➢ Posing probing questions to elicit more detail about specific issues
➢ Receiving criticism without defensiveness
➢ Refraining from speaking too often or interrupting others
➢ Requesting feedback
➢ Stating your needs, wants, or feelings without criticizing or blaming
❖ Verbal Communication with Clients: If your work requires one-to-one meetings
with customers, then having strong verbal communication skills will help.
➢ Anticipating the concerns of others,
➢ Asking for clarification.
➢ Asking open-ended questions to stimulate dialogue.
➢ Calming and agitated customers by recognizing and responding to their
complaints.
➢ Emphasizing the benefits of a product, service, or proposal to persuade an
individual or group.
➢ Noticing non-verbal cues and responding verbally to verify confusion,
defuse anger…
❖ Verbal Communication for Presenter: Presentation requires the context shown in
both words and visual form, that is why verbal communication skills are needed
for a presenter.
➢ Enunciating each word you speak clearly
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➢ Introducing the focus of a topic at the beginning of a presentation or
interaction
➢ Planning communications before delivery
➢ Projecting your voice to fill the room
➢ Providing concrete examples to illustrate points
➢ Restating important points towards the end of a talk
➢ Selecting language appropriate to the audience
➢ Speaking at a moderate pace, not too fast or too slowly
➢ Speaking confidently but with modesty
➢ Summarizing key points made by other speakers
➢ Supporting statements with facts and evidence
➢ Tailoring messages to different audiences
➢ Telling stories to capture an audience
➢ Using humor to engage an audience
4. Non-verbal communication
4.1. Definition of non-verbal communication skills
Non-verbal communication is the method of communicating using actions and
expressions rather than words. This can include some actions like using hand
gestures, body language, facial expression, appearance, and tone of voice, etc.
Although it is not transmitted as much main information as verbal
communication, it can be the strongest form of communication. Non-verbal
communication shows a lot about the attitude of people, their thoughts, their
feelings without using a single word.
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4.2. Some tips for better non-verbal communication skills
❖ Maintaining regular eye contact: While having conversations with others, you
should keep attention in maintaining eye contact with them since the visual sense
is dominant for most people. The way you look at someone can communicate
many things so try not to send the wrong messages. There are many tricks to
make good eye contact. Some of them are 50/70 rule, which means maintaining
eye contact 50% of the time when speaking and 70% when listening. Or the
triangle technique, which means you imagine an inverted triangle connecting their
eyes and mouth then rotate which point of the triangle you are looking at for
every 5 seconds. Furthermore, if you feel uncomfortable looking directly into
someone’s eyes, you can just look at their nose, chin, or mouth.
❖ Positive vocal tone: There is a quote “Tone of voice is how the character of your
business comes through your words, both written and spoken”. Despite its name,
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tone of voice isn’t just about how you speak but includes all the words you use in
writing. By having a positive vocal tone, you can make other people feel
comfortable, which will increase the respect and attention they give to your
speech.
❖ Strong presentation and appearance: When making a presentation or having a
public speaking, you should pay attention to your clothes, grooming, facial
expression, and body language to make people think you are professional and
confident.
❖ Displaying engaging facial expressions: By displaying engaging facial
expressions, you can show to other people your interest in them as well as show
your thoughts, attitude, and feelings without a single word.
❖ Using hand gestures to express feelings: Hand gesture is also an important part of
body non-verbal communication. It can help you describe what you are talking
about
P2. Demonstrate how I have used effective time management skills in planning an
event
III. Time management skills
1. Definition of time management skills
Time management skills are skills that help you to manage your time well to prepare for
plans or to be productive.
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2. Importance of time management skills (Source: Indeed.com
(https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/time-
management-skills ))
❖ Organization: Staying organized can help you maintain a clear picture of what
you need to complete and when. Being well-organized might mean maintaining
an up-to-date calendar, being able to locate certain documents easily, having a
tidy environment, and taking detailed, diligent notes.
❖ Prioritization: Assessing each of your responsibilities for priority is key in being a
good time manager. There are many ways to prioritize what you need to
accomplish. You might decide to complete fast, simple items followed by longer,
more involved ones. Alternatively, you might prioritize your tasks starting with
the most time-sensitive, or a combination of both.
❖ Goal-setting: Setting goals is the first step to becoming a good time manager.
Goal-setting allows you to clearly understand your end goal and what exactly you
need to prioritize to accomplish it. Setting both short and long-term goals can lead
to success in your career.
❖ Communication: Developing strong communication skills can allow you to make
your plans and goals clear to people you work with. It also allows you to delegate,
which lets you focus on completing the most important, relevant tasks that align
with your goals.
❖ Planning: A fundamental part of time management is planning. Being efficient in
planning out your day, meetings, and how you will accomplish things will help
you stick to your schedule.
❖ Delegation: Being a good time manager means only completing work that will
help you and your company accomplish goals. While this skill is most often done
by managers, you can also practice delegating tasks if you are managing a project.
While it can often be difficult to say “no” when someone asks you to do
something at work, it is important to practice having boundaries to manage your
time well and ultimately accomplish your goals.
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❖ With time management skills above, maybe you understood that to start work,
managing your time is very important, especially nowadays. Because they help
you structure your work in a way that allows you to accomplish goals. For
example, if your goal is to get a job, you need time to update your resume, search
for openings, apply, research companies, and prepare for interviews. Setting aside
specific amounts of time per day will help you complete the necessary steps to
getting a job.
3. Example of planning a training event (Orientation event for
students)
3.1. Personnel
❖ Tran Dang Ninh (Leader)
❖ Trieu Quoc Dat
❖ Ngo Van Duc
❖ Lai Quang Khai
❖ Dinh Huy Hoang
❖ Mai Duc Chinh
❖ Chu Thien Phi.
3.2. Goals of the training event
❖ Creating a great exchange environment
❖ Providing needed information for students
❖ Helping students to understand their possible future career
3.3. Participants
❖ Management team
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❖ Students
❖ Teachers
❖ Master of the Ceremony
❖ Guests and speakers
3.4. Time duration: 2 days
3.5. Location
The hall in room 201 in C1 building, Hanoi University of Science and
Technology
3.6. Plan
Day 1 - Morning
No. Time Activity Note
1 7.00 - 7.30 Gathering management team to prepare the hall Checking for
equipment, personnel,
making check-in tables
2 7.30 - 8.30 Gathering students in C1’s hall Guests will arrive at
8.15
3 8.30 - 8.45 Warming up and introduce
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4 8.45 - 9.00 Singing performance
Dancing performance
5 9.00 - 11.00 Introducing the
future careers
(about 20 minutes
per section)
Information technology
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Quyet Thang
Preparation: Screen,
slide show, and video
Law
Speaker: Mr. Le Tien Dat
Business administration
Speaker: Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Mi
Logistic:
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Van Bach
Marketing
Speaker: Mrs. Nguyen Tuyet Ha
Finance
Speaker: Mrs. Nguyen Tuyet Ha
6 11.00 - 11.15 Dancing performance
7 11.15 - 11.45 Q/A section MC will ask for each
speaker in a related
field to answer
student’s questions
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