As a school we are always encouraged to discuss the importance of soft skills especially in a professional setting. The difficulty comes about because some students have to be made aware of what soft skills are and how they can affect our personal and professional lives. I make a point in each class to bring up situations where soft skills can either improve or create a problem. The most difficult soft skill to teach to students is the important skill of maintaining your composure and listen before responding. The student may realize the importance of this skill after awhile but actually putting it into practice is where I see the challenge.
Being a good listener and empathy are right up there. Many of my students communicate in a loud, aggressive manner and I suspect that they have learned that this is the only way to do so.
Stacy,
Very true. Often they get the message too often that they cannot do something. So we are not only trying to teach them skills, but also self-esteem. That is a hard hill to climb.
Philip Campbell
The most difficult skill I find for the age group I teach is respect not only for others but for themselves.
I feel that teaching someone how to accept criticism is very difficult. Mainly because I myself have a difficult time accepting criticism. Probably because I'm a chef and teach culinary. How do I start to help myself and my students???
Today, it seems to be personal responsibility. The new generation of learners seems to have a built-in excuse for failure. Thay could not/cannot accomplish this or that due to something completely out of their control, but would like their instructor to forgive and pass them through anyway. This is not something that will translate well to workplace success.
Students seem to see to many things in black and white, and often as a personal offense. Things happen all the time that have absolutely nothing to do with them personally, but still effects them. For example, policy changes or power outages. They take personal offense, and we have to teach them to breath, and let it role off their back. Life isn't fair, and they just don't want to accept that.
I have lost count of how many times I have told a student "it's not about you." I tell them they need to understand that things are going to happen that they don't like, and they have to be flexible enough to move on.
Mood and how they show it through their body language and tone of voice. When my students get frustrated, we all feel them taking it out on the people around them. I struggle every quarter with teaching them to be professional and not let others see their emotions. It is tough, but essential in their future field.
With that, graditude for fellow students. Help the individual who struggles.
I think that the most difficult skill by far to teach to students is being empahtetic towards others. In this day and age with the way the world and economy are it is very hard for some people to understand that you may have problems, which is understandable, but others may have bigger problems. In my classroom we are collecting coats for kids and young teens. Everyone was asked to bring in just one slightly used or new coat. One of my students was very upset by this. She stated that her family is not in the best of financial shape as are many others. She wanted to know "just who is going to help me out, when I need it?" I told her that these coats were being collected to give to the families that lost everything in the September floods and I told her to put herself in their place. But all the discussion of puttng yourself in someone else's place just fell on deaf ears. So, I beleive that empathy has to be taught from when you are very young, by parents who DO care or caring and nurturing day care providers. At the adult age it is very hard to change the beliefs and values that we have been taught and grown up with, and besides alot of people are afraid, afraid of empathetic change.
Ben,
Absolutely about teaching ambition. It is hard to teach and the best way is to be an example to the students.
Ambition can't be taught. You have to want it to be truly motivated to go get it. You can succeed without ambition but you likely won't be happy with your success. Doing what you love and loving what you do, starts off by deciding what your ambitious about. That can't be taught it is only felt by he/she who has it.
I believe it's not just in getting students to treat each other the way they'd like to be treated themselves, but in reciprocating a level of consideration and respect. We can accomplish so much more as a cooperative team than we can as ruthless, angsty loners.
I find being a teamplayer is hard in the classroom. An example I see alot that is another form of a soft skill is the attendance. If the students are to work together, such as on a project, and someone does not show up,I feel you can not be a teamplayer also.You can't have one without the other.
Pamela,
What tasks or activities can we do in class or outside of class to help teach these skills?
I agree with this statement! The newest generation we are seeing lacks this important skill and trying to make them aware of what it means and how to accomplish it can be challenging.
How to be positive when looking at situations and not being defeated by the I can't, this is too hard attitude
Empathy. It is difficult for some people to realize that everyone doesn't have the same background and experience that they do.
I think the hardest things to teach students is objectivity. In order to diffuse an possible explosive situation one need diplomacy and objectivity. Once a student can learn to see the issues for what they are and not look at the individual who may have discussed the issue, then the student can learn to difuse situations themselves.
Common things like Please and Thank you.
