1

SOFT SKILLS TRAINING

SDC training

Feb 4, 2012

Vu Thi Kieu Lien

What does it mean to be a professional?

Maintain professionalism in the work place

Accountability

“Time is money”

Being organized matters

Tools to be more effective at time management / org

Leader- Definition

The role of leaderLeadership

Professionalism

SDCOrganizational and Time Management

SOFT SKILLS OVERVIEW

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 2

3

PROFESIONALISM ( Movie)

What is professionalism? / What does professionalism means to you?

Take a few minutes to write down your thoughts…as definition or description!

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 3

- An occupation requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation. - Conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession

Trustworthy Competent Respectful Act with integrity Considerate Empathetic Leadership

What is professionalism?

Treating others with respect and being

courteous

Being comfortable around people

Making people comfortable around you

Presenting yourself with the kind of polish

that shows you can be taken seriously

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 4

Why all talk about Professionalism?

The disconnection in the expectations between students and business

owners

4 Generations trying to work together ( Gen Veterans, Gen X, Gen Y &

Gen Millenniums)

Making less time for ourselves

Making less time for our appearance

Lacking of formalities & using slang/ abbreviated written & verbal

communications

It is expected!!!

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 5

Why is important to you?

1. How long does it takes for some one to take the opinions from you?

2. How does someone form the opinion about you?

Your communication

Your image

Your competence

Your demeanor

Professionalism is in the eye of the beholder, however, the key points are:

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 6

Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact

with a person or audience

says you CONFIDENT!

It says you are someone

who can be TRUSTED!

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 7

Facial Expressions

8

The Handshake

Ladies first

Firm

Stand up to introduceVu Thi Kieu Lien 9

Clothing

Dress not to impress but to fit in – Distinguish

yourself by your excellent work rather than your

wardrobe

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 10

Personal Conversation

Engage in conversation that is pleasant & free of controversial subjects Ask questions to get to know the person Trying to be witty is less important than being observant and asking

good questions NEVER discuss sex or use curse words no matter how comfortable you

feel with the person AVOID topics:

Politics

Money

Salary & Benefits

11

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 11

Emails

Some basic rules: Title To, cc/ bcc Content/ languages Reply Confirmation

Follow up Thanks you note ( email ) Phone call

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 12

Accountability

No one is perfect, accept responsibility for mistakes as soon as possible Learn from mistakes and be

sure to not repeat them Ask for feedback often What not to do:

Be confrontational Rationalize position and

escalate situation

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 13

Although your job is not easy…

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 14

And your job is stressful…

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 15

And sometimes your job seems impossible…

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 16

It does not excuse you from being unprofessional.

Don’t let reasons become excuses

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 17

How to exhibit Professionalism?

Empathy Positive attitude Teamwork Professional languages Knowledgeable Respectful

Function Confident Hard work & Smart work Emotionally stable Integrity Managing your time

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 18

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”

-Benjamin Franklin

Organizational & Time Management

19

By some estimates, people waste about 2 hours per day Messy desk and cluttered (or no) files Can’t find things Miss appointments, need to reschedule them late and/or unprepared

for meetings Volunteer to do things other people should do Tired/unable to concentrate

Being Organized Matters

20

Starts with the Workspace

21

Why Time Management is Important

Managing your time well makes you successful!

“The Time Famine”

Bad time management = stress

This is life advice

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 22

To Do Quadrant

Important

Not Important

Urgent Not Urgent

1

23 XX

2

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 23

Time Management Techniques Chunking

Break up day into various “time-chunks”: do one thing at a time Achievable goals for each “chunk”

Set up a time to answer emails – don’t constantly check emails Get rid of distractions (Skype, Gchat, facebook, etc) Deadlines: prioritize deadlines and work on most important first

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 24

Microsoft Outlook Calendar

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 25

Outlook

Folders Organize emails Assign tasks to folders

Plan ahead and fill full calendar for a day/week Use different tags for follow-up Do not allow emails to be a distraction Synchronize your outlook to PDA or Cell phones

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 26

Apply 80/20 When Applicable

Put in 80% effort into most important 20%

Could be applied to other aspects of life in addition to business

“80/20 thinking requires, and with practice enables, us to spot the few

really important things that are happening and ignore the mass of unimportant things. It teaches us to see the wood for the trees.

-Vilfredo Pareto

”

Vu Thi Kieu Lien 27

Avoid at All Costs

PROSCRATINATION IS THE

WORST ENEMY FOR ANY

TIME MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM

28Soft skills28

LEADERSHIP ( Movie)

29

30