Dear Mr. Kocher,
I totally agree with the response listening to all parties involved and creating an open forum provides you with listening and and constructive ways of dissolving issues within the class. Making the decision to sit down with the student and questions their ability to explain the material is also a great way to encourage and show your soft skills.
Sincerely,
Ms. Ginell Agnew
Personally I think that people skills play a major factor in the success of a class as a whole. Knowing your own feeling you begin to develop empathy for students that are going through situations. Teaching them how to rectify their own dilemmas are a sign a maturity and growth within that particular element of class.
I feel that all soft skills are important. To be able to talk to students and your co-workers is always important. If you do not have the appropriate soft skills, especially listening and feedback, you would not be a good instructor. It is good for our students to see that the instructors at least empathetic with them.
shelly,
Incorporating them into class is a great exercise. How do you identify them? In other words after you role model them do you then explain?
Philip Campbell
The most important soft skills for individuals to have include getting along well with others, dependability, and a good work ethic. Having a good attitude and being able to handle emotions are important as well. Soft skills include many components. Having employess with good soft skills will help to ensure that workplaces are successful and productive.
I incorporate soft skills in every class that I teach. I think it is very important to stress soft skills to students. It helps contribute to their success in the workplace.
Jeff,
Good point, as it is one that can be easily forgotten. Accessibility is always important to the students.
Philip Campbell
I think that being available to the student not just in the class room is a very important soft skill. A lot of students have problems and few will talk about them in front of their friends. Making yourself accessable to the students other than in the class room gives them a chance to talk to you in a more relaxed, friendly environment.
I believe customer service is a very important soft skill. I determines the relationship you have with your students. This can be positive or negative, which influences their class expectations
Rita,
True statement, and thanks for sharing. Attitude can be controlled and determined. It is amazing how easy it is to sway from positive to negative, but much harder to swing from negative to positive.
Philip Campbell
The ability to manage one's mood and behavior appropriately. All my students think I'm always so cheerful and steady because I have no problems! I tell them absolutely not--no one is exempt from the worries and stresses life gives, including me--but I also tell them that one can choose one's attitude.
Hi Jo Anne, I totally agree that integrity and dependability are keys to success in the workplace. I would also argue that attitude is equally as important and is almost intertwined with the two. It seems that the people with poor attitudes always compromise some aspect of their job and are never willing to do anything above their job duties. Additionally having a poor attitude can be read through body language and even if they are the type of person who keeps to them self that attitude can be felt and is certainly not motivation others around them.
There are several soft skills that would be easy to argue are the most important but certainly integrity must be at the top. When we think of having or teaching with integrity in the classroom several descriptors come to mind such as being professional, honest, and principled and fair. If we expect students to believe and respect the information and feedback we supply in the classroom than we must be able to display that we have integrity. Otherwise they will have no reason to come to our classes or trust the information that is made available.
In the culinary world we need to motivate BUT Listening is key. There is so much "LIFE" going on in their live...jobs,rent, spouses, ex-spouses, kids, transportation, parents, etc that excellent instructors will take the time to be a good listener. Sometimes,just taking the time to hear what they need to get off their chest, floods them with releif and they are motivated to go on.
At the end of the day, when emotions are at their peak, it can be extemely difficult to manage people's feelings. This is when soft skills come into play and you not only have to manage their reactions, but also your own. This class is a good reminder of who we are in our role, but also what is expected of us.
Kami,
Knowing that we do not relate to something might be a soft skill in itself. If you recognize that you cannot relate to someone being late, without someone telling you, then that is a soft skill. It is the same for those people who go and find work to do rather than waiting for people to give them work to do.
Philip Campbell
That saying "it should be common sense" was a really hard concept for me to change in my train of thought coming in to a school thats primary student population was that of soci-economic and behavior modification demographic. But i have learned that a postive attitude and good listening skills has helped me reach and relate to my students. Teaching them "common sense" for a future work enviroment in addition to the curriculum has made a world wind of difference in my studdnt's success.
I think that the ability to understand others is a very important soft skill. I am not too sure I agree with relating to students, because i think that there are so many things I cannot relate to a student with. I do not relate to the concept of being late, so how can I relate to a student who is always late? I think that applying different types of understanding and ability to listen to a person is much more effective.
The person we are conveying our message to and the importance of the information.
Bruce,
What are some things we need to consider when conveying messages?
Philip Campbell
Listening and the ability to convey a message to different types of people.
