OUR FOCUS IS YOU!
Soft Skills:
We Know
Our Students Need Them,
But How Do We Teach Them?
Mary Sommers
Executive Sales Representative
mary.sommers@cengage.com
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Soft Skills & This Generation…

Gen Y learners (most of our students):
 Are busy multi-taskers; media-oriented
 Used to working on teams
 Remain close to parents who raised them to think they are “stars”
and “special”
 Optimistic & confident; want to be rich and famous
 Are achievement-oriented; need structure and feedback
 Will negotiate anything
 Lack diplomacy
 Bring an “entertainment attitude” to school
 Get bored quickly if it’s not FUN
 Don’t think of computers & devices as “technology”
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Why “Generation Y”…
•
I've always wondered about this myself. Now I know........
- The Silent generation, people born before 1946.
- The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and
1959.
- Generation X , people born between 1960 and 1979.
- Generation Y, people born between 1980 and 1995.
Why do we call the last one Generation Y? I did not know,
but a caricaturist explains it eloquently ..Learn something
new!
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Generation Y
Censured
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What are Soft Skills?
•
Moss and Tilly termed these subjective requisites
as “soft skills,” which are defined as skills,
abilities, and traits that pertain to personality,
attitude, and behavior rather than to formal or
technical knowledge”
(Moss and Tilly 2001, p. 44).
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What are “Soft Skills” to you?
 Oral
and written communication
 Teamwork/collaboration
 Work
ethic/self-motivation/dependability/honesty
 Critical-thinking/questioning/problem-solving
 Risk-taking
 Flexibility/adaptability
 Leadership/influencing
 Ability
to work under pressure
 Creativity/innovation/resourceful
 Organizational/time
 Attention
management
to detail
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What Industry Says…
•
Technical skill ALONE does not make someone
competitive in the job market
– In fact, computer literacy skills are assumed!
•
Today’s workers demonstrate GAPS in:
– Communication skills
– Team/interpersonal skills
– Problem solving
– Quantitative reasoning
– Business process knowledge
– Project management
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What Employers Say…
Attributes Most Desirable in New Employees…
 Ability
 Oral
to work productively on a diverse team
& written communication skill
 Ability
to think critically and analytically
 Resourcefulness
in solving problems
 Ability
to locate, organize & evaluate information from multiple
sources
 Creativity
& innovative spirit
 Ability
to understand and communicate quantitatively
 Sense
of integrity and ethics
 Understanding
of global cultures and values
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Employers also…

Expect colleges & universities to prepare students in these areas
 63% say we are not doing our job
 87% rate this preparedness as critical to the United States
remaining competitive in the global economy
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What Recent Graduates Say…

Provide balance between general knowledge and major-specific skills
(72%)
 Many end up in fields not closely related to major

They AGREE with Employers!
 Critical to success are:
 Teamwork skills
 Critical-thinking skills
 Oral & written communication skills
 Yet majority don’t think college prepared them well (51%)
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Which would you hire?
What if she added another
certification? Now would you hire
her?
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
There are different approaches
•
Teach soft skills as a piece of your core subject
(integrated throughout)
• Teach soft skills as a separate component of your
core subject
– Teach one unit of “soft skills”
– Then teach a few units of core subject
•
Teach soft skills as an equal “piece of the pie”
– Capstone, Assessment, Senior Project, etc.
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Think about this…
•
You could have great technical skills, but if you
cannot communicate those skills, what good are
they?
•
Aren’t Soft Skills more like…
Life Skills?
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Soft Skills At Work
•Concise problem-based video “field trips”
show realistic workplace issues that require
students to find a solution.
•Accompanying printed casebook provides a
conceptual framework for solution
development—students choose which tools to
use instead of being shown and told what to
do.
•Broken into five sections: Career Building,
Cyber “You,” Teamwork, Technical and
Writing skills, and Presentation Skills. Each
section is accompanied by a video which is
approximately 10 minutes long.
•All videos include closed captioning for
students unable to access the audio element.
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Soft Skills At Work
•
Chapter 1: Career Preparation (Video: The Interview)
•
Chapter 2: Your Online Persona (Video: Interview
Follow-Up)
•
Chapter 3: Written and Verbal Communication Skills
(Video: Useful Software Skills)
•
Chapter 4: Team Dynamics & Generational
Differences (Video: Team Dynamics)
•
Chapter 5: Effective Presentations (Video: The Big
Presentation)
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Soft Skills for a Digital Workplace
•Give your students a 360 degree
education and a career advantage
•Students become more marketable
to employers
• Signature two-page spread format
•Robust Online companion site
Hands-on activities, scenarios,
projects, problems, games,
read, listen and quizzes
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What is the content of these products?
•
Written Communication
– Email and Memos
– Secrets of Clear Writing
– Developing Reports and Proposals
– Writing For Employment
– Writing Professional Letters
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What is the content of these products?
•
Verbal Communication
– Basics of Communication
– Working With Customers
– Developing Professional Telephone Skills
– Improving Informal Communication
– Making Formal Presentations
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
What is the content of these products?
•
Problem Solving and Decision Making
– Identifying and Defining the Problem
– Solving the Problem
– Thinking Critically
– Group Decision Making and Problem Solving
– Decision and Support Tools
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Reproducible Binder … spring 2010
Written Communication
Verbal Communication
Problem Solving and Decision
Making
Teamwork
Professionalism
Includes 30-pack student access
codes (additional codes can be
purchased, as needed)
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Status of Career Cluster Implementation
•
States are implementing career clusters in their
curriculum in order to receive Perkins Funding.
• The Dept of Educations 16 Career Clusters
recommends a sequence of courses for each
cluster.
• Status of Career Clusters Implementation
Across the Nation
• http://www.careerclusters.org/resources/institute
s/cci2005/ImplementationAcrosstheNation.pdf
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Quick Skills iMPACT
Interactive Text CD (Quick Skills)
•
The Customer Service section provides foundations for effectively working with others. Covering
areas such as forming good relationships, soothing unhappy customers and using the telephone as
a customer service tool.
•
The Decision Making and Problem Solving section covers topics such as thinking outside the
box, team decision making and creating positive change in the workplace, Decision Making and
Problem Solving will build upon the user's basic knowledge allowing them to feel more confident in
this area.
•
The Speaking and Presenting section provides foundations for improving presentations. Covering
such topics as knowing your audience, overcoming stage fright and creating visual aids.
•
The Teamwork section covers such topics as the nature of teamwork, techniques for effective
listening and speaking and developing trust among your teammates.
•
The What Your Employer Expects section provides solid information on what employers are
looking for from their employees. Topics covered include accepting responsibility, being a team
player and providing service to both the internal and external customer.
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Quick Skills iMPACT
Interactive Text CD
•
9780538449359 DEMO CD
• Quick Skills iMPACT Interactive Text CD Package
• 9780538449328 (0538449322); $34.75
• The CD package provides a convenient
electronic format that is easy to use. It includes
forms that can be completed electronically and
emailed to the instructor or printed. Students
also have access to Powerpoint slides and flash
files.
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
Trish Bobst
trish.bobst@cengage.com
Author: Jeff Butterfield
Soft Skills for a Digital Workplace
Author: Beverly Amer
Soft Skills at Work: Technology for Career Success
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western
http://www.cengage.com/school/teamup/
Course Technology ▪ Delmar ▪ South-Western