Soft skills, like the ability to communicate and work together, are some of the most sought-after employee skills. In fact, 92% of recruiters say soft skills are critical tools they look for in their applicants. Unfortunately, soft skills don't come naturally to everyone. Activity-based soft skills training gives you the opportunity to instill these desirable qualities in new hires.
The question is, what skills should you develop and why? More importantly, what are some soft skills training activities you can use to help employees?
Don't worry, we've got the answers you need. Keep reading to learn how you can make your training sessions more engaging while developing crucial soft skills.
Attributes of Soft Skills
Most skills produce tangible results. Videography, for example, produces video content. You can tell right away by looking at the video if you've produced quality work.
You can't measure soft skills with such ease because they deal more with personalities. They focus on interpersonal interactions and communication.
Examples of soft skills include:
- Positivity
- Active Listening
- Good Communication
- Teamwork
- Adaptability
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Integrity
Soft skills permeate everyday existence and many people don't even realize it.
When you write your resume or interview for a job, you have to use soft skills to position yourself as an exceptionally qualified candidate. Soft skills help you communicate complex ideas to others. They even come into action when you learn something new.
For a better understanding of what soft skills are, take a look at this article from Indeed.
Activities to Teach Soft Skills
Activities keep people involved in the subject matter and encourage them to take ownership of their learning. Activity-based soft skills training engages employees and teaches them how to literally interact with each other; not just on paper.
Using activities to improve soft skills is an excellent way to create good habits and weed out bad ones. It also gives people the opportunity to practice the new skills they've learned.
Exercises That Help Imagine Success
Activities that let people imagine success helps them visualize what success looks like. An exercise to accomplish this goal is for participants to think of positive past experiences and what made them a success. Examples include:
- A customer service call that made them feel good.
- A presentation that was well delivered.
- An experience at a restaurant with an attentive server.
- A sales pitch that made them want to buy.
Split people into groups of three or four to discuss their encounters. They can write them down, roleplay them, or prepare a presentation for the rest of the class.
Learners may also consider negative experiences and why they weren’t positive ones. This helps them identify the positive qualities in people they interact with to make better experiences.
Activities like this help people adopt a positive mindset, which is key to developing strong, soft skills.
Interpersonal Communication Games
Games that focus on communication teach people how to actively listen. Listening is a critical soft skill to develop because it teaches people to do more than just hear what others say.
Learning how to use active listening has many benefits:
- Develops an Understanding of Perception. Different words have different meanings to different people. When you actively listen, you're able to pick up on what others really mean.
- Builds Rapport. When you use active listening, people take notice and appreciate you for it. This helps you develop a connection that wouldn't otherwise be possible.
- Ability to Follow Instructions. Active listening gives people a better understanding of directions. They're able to complete tasks with better accuracy and efficiency.
Activity to Improve Active Listening
To show the importance of active listening, try this activity:
- Split your class into two groups.
- Ask Group A to keep their seats and have Group B leave the room.
- Instruct Group A to develop a short presentation about something they're passionate about.
- Tell Group B to listen to the first 30 seconds of the presentation, but stop listening after that.
- Have a discussion about how Group A felt when Group B stopped paying attention.
Group A will most likely feel frustration that Group B wasn't listening. Use this as a foundation to build active listing skills.
Team Games for Soft Skills Training
In any environment where you work with others, it's important to foster a sense of team.
Teamwork helps to create an environment in which creativity can thrive. Team members brainstorm, share alternative viewpoints, and sell solutions.
When people work together, they combine their strengths. This leads to higher levels of efficiency and quality.
Relying on others is difficult, but with teamwork, you can build trust and establish strong relationships. People who feel like they're part of a team tend to work safer because they trust others to help them out.
Activity to build Teamwork
Escape room challenges are an excellent way to build teamwork skills. Team members must work together to solve puzzles, find clues, and escape within a time limit. You can make your own escape room puzzles or you can visit a company that specializes in escape room games.
Tasks That Encourage Adaptability
According to Success.com, adaptability is two-fold. To be adaptable, you must be both flexible and versatile.
Flexibility means having a positive attitude towards change. Versatility refers to your ability to make that change happen. Teams who are adaptable are better equipped to solve problems.
Shrinking Vessel Activity
The last activity-based soft skills training game to consider is the shrinking vessel activity, which inspires adaptability and problem-solving.
- Encircle a group of people with a rope or string
- Shrink the space inside the rope over the course of 10 to 15 minutes
- Encourage everyone to stay inside the circle as the boundary shrinks.
Successful completion of this task requires participants to adapt to the situation and work together to find a solution.
Unbox Your Employees’ Potential
Unboxed Training & Technology offers modern soft skill training solutions for your company. You can use our training materials on a stand-alone basis or combine them to achieve impressive results. Choose the solution that’s right for you, or give our team a call at (888) 723-9770.
Employee Training develops a customized curriculum that breaks everything down for your trainees.
Spoke® LMS is a mobile learning management system that makes learning fun and engaging.
Hub360 Sales Enablement is a sales training and product delivery platform that helps every salesperson ramp up their sales.
Coach encourages on-going employee transformation through measurable development feedback.
Unbox your employees’ potential today by contacting the team that works with you!
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