Soft Skills You Should Facilitate In Online Training To Enhance Employee Performance
As important as marketing is for your business growth, your success is also heavily dependent on the soft skills of your employees. While hard skills are easily measurable, soft skills aren’t. These skills determine how your employees interact with clients, their capabilities, and so on. The trick is identifying which soft skills employees need to be more productive on the job. Instill these 8 soft skills to enhance employee performance and improve your company’s bottom line.
1. Communication
Communication is vital in every organization whether it is between employees or with clients. You need to make sure that your employees are able to fully communicate, possessing both verbal and written skills. You may have the most talented salesman but if they can’t communicate properly their selling tactics are virtually useless. When designing your training, make sure to focus on little things like the tone that should be used and how to articulate product information, along with the basics, like speaking clearly and using proper language.
2. Adaptability
Each new workday brings new opportunities to grow and develop their talents. However, employees must be able to adapt and rise to the challenge in order to broaden their knowledge and experience. Include simulations that apply a small amount of pressure and test employees’ ability to adapt, as well as put them outside of their comfort zone so that they are prepared for the unexpected.
3. Problem Solving
We all face problems on a daily basis. Some people can handle them head-on, while others tend to avoid them at all costs. In the business world, we look for individuals that can not only face a challenge but also tackle them in a timely manner and learn from the experience. You want employees that have the capability to solve problems on their own rather than always coming to management looking for solutions. The best way to train employees with problem-solving skills is to help develop their critical thinking skills, which is another soft skill. This will allow them to identify challenges and achieve the best possible outcome. Simulations, real-world examples, and branching scenarios are all effective tools to build problem-solving abilities and instantly enhance employee performance.
4. Teamwork
Your organization isn’t a one-man show; you have numerous individuals working towards one common goal. If they don’t work in harmony with one another, chances are your organization isn’t going to thrive. This is where teamwork comes into play. It ensures that the office culture is friendly, and employees help their colleagues rather than work against each other, thereby accomplishing more. Focus on group collaboration activities to encourage synergy among your employees. For example, divide corporate learners into teams and ask them to develop a presentation based on the online training topic. This requires them to explore different viewpoints and delegate tasks based on personal strengths.
5. Lateral Thinking
There’s more than one way to approach a problem. And your employees need to know how to think unconventionally to devise creative solutions to common challenges. Lateral thinking is an essential soft skill for employees in every department. They must be able to use whatever tools and knowledge they have at their disposal to achieve the learning objectives. Think of it as being the corporate world’s answer to MacGyver. Real world activities can expose them to new challenges and organically build their lateral thinking abilities. Group discussions are also beneficial, as different backgrounds and experiences offer different perspectives.
6. Time Management
Employees need to accomplish their goals and complete tasks in a timely manner. Therefore, they must have sufficient time management skills to make the most of every minute that they’re on the payroll clock. Timed online training activities and assessments can help them hone this ability and identify areas for improvement. For example, common errors that slow them down or related skill gaps they need to work on in order to streamline their work process.
7. Conflict Resolution
Even in the most successful of organizations, there is conflict. When you have individuals working together with different personalities, chances are they will clash from time to time. Conflicts aren’t always bad, but your employees must also know how to solve them and move on. The arguments shouldn’t result in animosity towards one another. Thus, conflict resolution skills are crucial. Employees should feel comfortable speaking their minds and voicing their opinions. Especially when it’s for the greater good of the organization. Likewise, they must respect the opinions of others and honor diversity. This helps corporate learners see things from different perspectives and develop empathy, which is all part of the conflict resolution skill set.
8. Leadership
Leadership skills are heavily dependent on an employee’s confidence level. This particular skill may be hard to train because many believe that either you have it or not. However, that doesn’t mean that leadership skills cannot be taught. You can instill confidence in your employees by developing related skills. For example, active listening, communication, and time management. Try to strike a balance between leadership and teamwork so that employees can follow directions and lead the way.
Soft skills are generally overlooked when it’s time to create an online training strategy. They’re the hidden gaps that are more difficult to measure. Most organizations focus on hard skills, such as how to develop employees so that they can increase sales and customer service stats. However, soft skills are equally important, if not more, as they determine how your employees interact and go about their daily work life. Use these 8 tips to foster your in-house talent and enhance employee performance.
Effective communication and teamwork skills are difficult to train without practical application. Read the article 8 Real World Activities That Build Interpersonal Skills In Online Training to discover 8 real-world activities that can help your employees build interpersonal skills in online training.