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
1

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.
2

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.
3

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
4

➢ 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.
5

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,
6

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.
7

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.
8

❖ 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
9

❖ 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
10

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
11

8 11.45 - 11.50 Mini-game
9 11.50 - 12.00 MC declares finish the event Asking for photos with
guests
Day 1 - Afternoon
No. Time Activity Note
1 13.00 - 13.30 Gathering management team to prepare the hall Checking for
equipment, personnel,
making check-in tables
2 13.30 - 14.30 Gathering students in C1’s hall Guests will arrive at
14.15
3 14.30 - 14.45 Warming up and introduce
4 14.45 - 15.00 Dancing performance
12

5 15.00 - 17.00 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. Pham Quoc Minh
Business administration
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dat
Logistic:
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Van Bach
Marketing
Speaker: Mrs. Tran Thi My Hanh
Finance
Speaker: Mr. Hoang Quoc Dung
6 17.00 - 17.15 Piano performance
7 17.15 - 17.45 Q/A section MC will ask for each
speaker in a related
field to answer
student’s questions
8 17.45 - 17.50 Mini-game
13

9 17.50 - 18.00 MC declares finish the event Asking for photos with
guests
Day 2 - 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
4 8.45 - 9.00 Singing performance
Dancing performance
5 9.00 - 11.00 Introducing the
future careers
Information technology
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Quyet Thang
Preparation: Screen,
slide show, and video
14

(about 20 minutes
per section)
Law
Speaker: Mr. Le Van Chien
Business administration
Speaker: Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Mi
Logistic:
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Van Bach
Marketing
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Huy Khai
Finance
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Huy Khai
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
8 11.45 - 11.50 Mini-game
9 11.50 - 12.00 MC declares finish the event Asking for photos with
guests
15

Day 2 - Afternoon
No. Time Activity Note
1 13.00 - 13.30 Gathering management team to prepare the hall Checking for
equipment, personnel,
making check-in tables
2 13.30 - 14.30 Gathering students in C1’s hall Guests will arrive at
14.15
3 14.30 - 14.45 Warming up and introduce
4 14.45 - 15.00 Singing performance
Dancing performance
5 15.00 - 17.00 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. Pham Quoc Minh
Business administration
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Hoang Dat
16

Logistic:
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Van Bach
Marketing
Speaker: Mrs. Nguyen Tuyet Ha
Finance
Speaker: Mrs. Nguyen Tuyet Ha
6 17.00 - 17.15 Dancing performance
7 17.15 - 17.45 Q/A section MC will ask for each
speaker in a related
field to answer
student’s questions
8 17.45 - 17.50 Mini-game
9 17.50 - 18.00 MC declares finish the event Asking for photos with
guests
3.7. Estimate budget
No. Item Amount Cost (VND) Note
1 Hiring an MC 2 days 11.000.000
17

2 Buying water 3 package 300.000
3 Hiring costumes 14 people / 2 days 3.500.000
4 Mini-game’s prizes 20 items 250.000
5 Flower and gifts for guests
and teachers
27 people 5.000.000
6 Banners 5 150.000
Learning Outcome 2: Apply critical reasoning and thinking to a range of problem-solving
scenarios.
P3: Demonstrate the use of different problem-solving techniques in the design and
delivery of an event.
IV. Problem-solving
1. Definition of problem-solving
Problem-solving is the process of solving a problem by defining it, identifying the causes,
and finding solutions for that problem. Because we always have some kind of problem in
life, so having problem-solving is very important.
2. Importance of having the problem-solving ability
❖ Problem-solving skills help you determine why an issue is happening and how to resolve
that issue.
❖ It's one of the key skills that employers seek in job applicants.
18

❖ Problem-solving starts with identifying the issue, coming up with solutions,
implementing those solutions, and evaluating their effectiveness.
❖ Since this is a skill that's important to most employers, put them front and center on your
resume, cover letter, and in interviews.
3. How Problem-solving skills work (by thebalancecareers.com)
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/problem-solving-skills-with-examples-
2063764#:~:text=Key%20Takeaways-,Problem%2Dsolving%20skills%20help%20you
%20determine%20why%20an%20issue%20is,solutions%2C%20and%20evaluating
%20their%20effectiveness.
3.1. Analyze Contributing Factors
To solve a problem, you must find out what caused it. This requires you to gather
and evaluate data, isolate possible contributing circumstances, and pinpoint what
needs to be addressed for a resolution.
To do this, you'll use skills like:
❖ Data gathering
❖ Data analysis
❖ Fact-finding
❖ Historical analysis
3.2. Generate Interventions
Once you’ve determined the cause, brainstorm possible solutions. Sometimes this
involves teamwork since two (or more) minds are often better than one. A single
strategy is rarely the obvious route to solving a complex problem; devising a set
of alternatives helps you cover your bases and reduces your risk of exposure
should the first strategy you implement fail.
This involves skills like:
19

❖ Brainstorming
❖ Creative thinking
❖ Prediction
❖ Forecasting
❖ Project design
❖ Project planning
3.3. Evaluate Solutions
Depending on the nature of the problem and your chain of command, evaluating
the best solutions may be performed by assigned teams, team leads or forwarded
to corporate decision-makers. Whoever makes the decision must evaluate
potential costs, required resources, and possible barriers to successful solution
implementation.
This requires several skills, including:
❖ Analysis
❖ Discussion
❖ Corroboration
❖ Teamwork
❖ Test development
❖ Mediation
❖ Prioritizing
3.4. Implement a Plan
Once a course of action has been decided, it must be implemented along with
benchmarks that can quickly and accurately determine whether it’s working. Plan
implementation also involves letting personnel know about changes in standard
operating procedures.
20

This requires skills like:
❖ Project management
❖ Project implementation
❖ Collaboration
❖ Time management
❖ Benchmark development
3.5. Assess the Solution's Effectiveness
Once a solution is implemented, the best problem-solvers have systems in place to
evaluate if and how quickly it's working. This way, they know as soon as possible
whether the issue has been resolved or whether they’ll have to change their
response to the problem mid-stream.
This requires:
❖ Communication
❖ Data analysis
❖ Surveys
❖ Customer feedback
❖ Follow-through
❖ Troubleshooting
4. Example of using problem-solving in orientation event for
student
21

Activity Problem Solutions
Fire Checking the fire hydrant,
fire alarm system of the
building before the event
start
Calling for firefighter when
the situation occurs
Someone suddenly has a
health problem
Preparing the first aid kit
Gathering students and
guests
Lacking seat Priority guests
Making sure to have some
extra seat when needed
Guests come late Starting the event if there
are not so many guests
missing
Calling for the missing
guest if he/she still not
arrive 15 minutes after the
event started
Students lost Sending the team’s
members to go to find the
students who lost
Placing banners in easy-to-
spot places
22

Entertaining
performances
Technical problems Having the technical team
ready for any problems
Speakers present about
career
Student noisy Asking MC to ask the
students to be quiet
Students have question Speakers will ask them to
wait for the Q/A section
later
Mini-games Lack of engagement MC will try to improve
people mood
Q/A question Lack of question Preparing a list of questions
about each field
Too many questions Extending the event
durations for about 15
minutes
Asking the student to wait
for an answer online on the
school’s Facebook page or
website
P4. Demonstrate critical reasoning has been applied to a given solution.
23

V. Critical reasoning
1. Definition of critical reasoning
Critical reasoning is the ability to analyze questions and evaluate ideas and solutions. It
involves three important components of reasoning: thinking for yourself, informed
reasoning, critical self-reflection.
2. Importance of Critical reasoning (Source: uopeople.edu.com)
https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/why-is-critical-thinking-
important/
❖ Critical Thinking Is Universal: Critical thinking is a domain-general thinking skill.
What does this mean? It means that no matter what path or profession you pursue, these
skills will always be relevant and will always be beneficial to your success. They are not
specific to any field.
❖ Crucial For The Economy: Our future depends on technology, information, and
innovation. Critical thinking is needed for our fast-growing economies, to solve problems
as quickly and as effectively as possible.
❖ Improves Language & Presentation Skills: To best express ourselves, we need to know
how to think clearly and systematically — meaning practice critical thinking! Critical
thinking also means knowing how to break down texts, and in turn, improve our ability to
comprehend.
❖ Promotes Creativity: By practicing critical thinking, we are allowing ourselves not only
to solve problems but also come up with new and creative ideas to do so. Critical
thinking allows us to analyze these ideas and adjust them accordingly.
❖ Important For Self-Reflection: Without critical thinking, how can we live a meaningful
life? We need this skill to self-reflect and justify our ways of life and opinions. Critical
thinking provides us with the tools to evaluate ourselves in the way that we need to.
“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those
10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the
way that will work.”
Thomas Edison.
24

3. Example of applying Critical reasoning
Let’s take an example in the solution for the problem “the guest(s) comes late”. In the
above section, we have found two ways to handle that situation: wait for 15 minutes and
start the event anyway, but is that the best way to fix it?
Well, let’s take a deeper look into it. First, the missing guest(s) could be an important
person of this event, maybe he/she is a speaker or a VIP. So if we start the event without
them, they may feel being disrespected. Hence, the event can not be missing any speaker.
So, starting the event without the late-arriving guest(s) is not a good solution. We should
wait for them and call them after 15 minutes to ask if there are any unwanted problems
happened. But we can let other people wait for the missing guest(s) as well, they will feel
frustrated and bored. Let’s brainstorm for a moment here, and we might see the solution.
A good solution here might be telling the MC to start a mini-game or start some
entertaining performances. And to make that happens, we will need some extra mini-
games and performances ready to show to the audiences. In conclusion, we just use our
critical thinking ability to find better solutions for a problem, and as you could see,
critical reasoning is a very important skill to have to be successful
Here is a diagram about the thinking steps we just did:
25

VI. Appendix
VII. References
26

27