Soft Skills Training for Team Leaders and Managers

Important: GDPR Email Preferences

As you may already know, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be coming into effect on 25th May 2018. We take your privacy seriously and we are working hard to ensure we comply with the new data protection laws. You can find out more about how we're doing this in our privacy policy on our website.

We want to make sure you continue to receive the latest newsletters, blogs, special offers and more.

As someone who has opted-in to receive our emails in the past, we’d like to give you this opportunity to confirm what you wish to receive:

Just so you know, if you don’t let us know what kinds of emails you want to receive from us, we’ll stop emailing you on the 24th May 2018 - you'll be missing out!

You are of course free to change your mind at any time – just follow the link at the bottom of any of our emails.

Soft skills training for team leaders and managers

Soft skills training is a whole range of specific communication skills one must have if you wish to operate well in an organisation made up of many different personalities.

Soft skills' training is contrasted to "hard skills" which are more technical in nature and may be required by law.

Example of hard skills training:

Lifting and handling training

Example of soft skills training:

The range of specific skills that fall into the category of "soft skills" include:

1. Assertiveness
2. Handling difficult people
3. Listening skills
4. Negotiation skills
5. Managing stress
6. Emotional management
7. Training others

Briefly; let's look closer at each one.

Personal Development Training

Personal Development Training

In order to improve your performance, you may need to develop your personal and professional skills: meaning: skills of communication, planning, prioritisation, motivation and personal confidence. If you want to learn more, then click here for personal development training.

1. Assertiveness

Assertiveness is a form of communication which marks out the happy middle-ground between two undesirable extremes. One on either side. Aggressive / assertive / and passive.

We want to be assertive but NOT aggressive.
We want to be assertive but not passive.

Aggressive is too pushy; Passive is not pushy enough.
Assertive is just right!
Assertiveness is the ability to state:

1. Exactly what you want
2. Why you want it
3. With good voice tones
4. With good body language

This is not always easy. You may need training on this aspect of soft skills.

2. Handling difficult people

Handling difficult people means treating people according to the principles of reason.

As opposed to either:

1. Getting angry with the difficult person
2. Getting upset by the difficult person
3. Running away from the difficult person

Treating people "according to the principles of reason" means treating the person and the issue at stake:

1. Factually
2. Objectively
3. In a timely manner
4. According to the organisational policy

This is not always easy.

You may need training on this aspect of soft skills.

Conflict Management

Conflict Management Training

Conflict is inevitable, because people disagree. Therefore, you must be able to handle conflict situations effectively. You must know how to be assertive, clear and professional (not emotional, upset and angry) whilst in conflict. If you want to learn more on how to achieve this, please click here to see our conflict management training.

3. Listening skills

Listening skills is a rare art that involves the following sub-set skills

1. Focus your mind on the others message
2. Try to find their conclusions i.e. what they think is true
3. Try to find their reasons for their conclusions i.e. Why they think it is true
4. Try to discover how they feel about their conclusions and reasons. Are they happy or not?

Here is a great rule for all those who wish to be a better listener:
Don't guess!
If in doubt -- ask a question.
You may need training on this aspect of soft skills.

4. Negotiation skills

What is negotiation?

Negotiation is a transaction over which both parties have a veto over the final outcome. It requires voluntary consent on both sides. It is a process by which both parties can arrive at a mutually beneficial solution:

1. Negotiation is not "giving in"
2. Negotiation is not "digging in"

Be clear what you want

Write it down. Know too, what you do not want.
In negotiations, say "no" to their first proposal.
Saying yes first time may leave you open to Lose/Win solution.

Once agreed, stick to the agreement

If the other person wants to change the package, the terms must change too.
Use the magic phrase, " Only if you,... then I will..."
Ensure you have a list of your negotiable variables

Avoid trying to "drive a hard bargain" by unnecessarily tough talk

It may be seen as intransigence by the other side.
Take a tough position but keep your style professional and relaxed.
"Tough talk" in the sense of needless aggressiveness is bad business.

5. Managing stress

What is stress?

Stress is: A mental and physiological reaction to the work and environmental pressures and the mental meanings given to them.
Learn about the General Adaptation Syndrome
Hans Selye was the first person to study stress physiology. He was the first to identify this principle, which is true for everyone:
"You can work hard, or you can work long. But nobody can work flat-out for long periods without paying a painful price".

If the intensity of the stressor is high, then the duration and / or frequency of the stressors must decrease. If the intensity is low then the duration and frequency may increase accordingly.

Anyone who frequently exposes themselves to high intensity stress, for extended periods, eventually meets the inevitable consequence: Burnout and loss of productivity.

All managers therefore, should learn to balance the intensity, duration and frequency of work stress, such that the team remains permanently in the Adaptation phase: Leading to an increase in productivity.

Are you suffering with G.A.S.?
Don't guess!
If in doubt -- You may need training on this aspect of soft skills.

6. Emotional management

What is emotional management?

Emotional Management is the art of controlling the focus of your mind and the physical state of your body, so as to create optimum emotional responses appropriate to the circumstances that face you.
How can you create feelings of enthusiasm, strength, and self-confidence?

Answer:
Learn emotional management techniques

These techniques include:

Take control of the focus of your conversation:

1. Don't allow fears to dominate your mind (thoughts of a bad future)
2. Don't let anger dominate your mind (thoughts of a bad past event)
3. Focus your mind onto the solutions to, not the causes of, your problems

Question:

What are the negative consequences of FAILING to manage your emotional state?

If you don't take control of your emotions they will cause to:

1. Say the wrong things
2. Eat / drink the wrong things
3. Make bad decisions
4. Avoid doing the right things

You have heard the advice "always follow your feelings"
This is not good advice!

Here is better advice:
"Follow your -mind not your mood"

"Your mind should take precedence over your mood!"
"Your brain should take precedence over gut!"

Mind over mood! Therefore:

• If you think you should - then you must - even if you don't want to!
• If you think you should send her an apology - then you must - even if you don't want to!
• If you think you should not - then you must not - even if you really want to
• If you think you should not eat the cake - then you must NOT eat the cake - even if you really want to.

Mind over mood is the best way forward.
Why?
Because many of your desires and fears are "primitive instincts" and therefore are not a reliable guides to intelligent action.

For best results
Use your neo-cortex not your cave instincts.

Aristotle, the founder of logic said it like this:
"Anyone can become angry - that is easy,
but to be angry with the right person
at the right time,
and for the right purpose
and in the right way -

That is not within everyone's power
And that is not easy".

You may need training on this aspect of soft skills.

For more information about Corporate Coach Group Soft Skills Training Courses

FREE Training Needs Analysis

FREE Training Needs Analysis!

In order to get the best from your training, you need to discover your relative strengths and weaknesses. Take our FREE training needs analysis questionnaire now and get a report in less than five minutes!

Blogs by Email

Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!

Your Comments

Further Reading in General Development

• After Brexit Vote: What is the plan now?
  What's the plan for the economy when we leave the EU?
  Read Article >
• How to gain more confidence as a new manager
  How to gain more confidence as a manager Are you just starting out in the role of leader or manager? If yes, then you would probably agree that it is sometimes difficult to feel as confident as you would like to feel. You may lack confidence because your situation is new...
  Read Article >
• Aristotle Blog
  Aristotle Blog This is the third blog in a series. We are covering the three biggest names in philosophy; Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Everyone knows the names Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. These are the three lions of philosophy. Their names are known the world over. But, unless you have made them...
  Read Article >
• Sales training with NLP
  Sales training with NLP How sales people mess up too many sales opportunities that they should have won We have noticed a common error committed by too many sales people, especially those operating in the service sector. We want to tell you what the sales error is, so that you don...
  Read Article >
• New skills for new managers
  New Skills for New Managers New managers often need some support to learn new skills. The new skills they need are certain PEOPLE SKILLS relating to managing the performance of people. New managers are often promoted primarily on the strength of their technical ability and knowledge. The new manager is usually...
  Read Article >