CLASS: Strengthen Your People Skills in the Workplace

Community of Learning for Administrative Support Staff (CLASS): Part 2 Strengthening your people skills in the workplace

Presenter: Sophya Johnson

October 19, 2016

Objectives

Look at different types of terrible people skills

Identify your people skills strengths and weaknesses

Tips on how to improve your people skills

Strengthening Your People Skills in the Workplace  It’s a simple fact that support staff who know how to work well with people are much more likely to succeed than the ones who don’t.  During this powerful session, we’ll share proven and practical tips and techniques for strengthening your own interpersonal communication skills.  When you return to the office, you’ll be floored by how your working relationships improve immediately, along with your personal effectiveness.

Activity 12. Elements of Teamwork – An Inventory of Skills  Part of being a good team member is learning how to understand your personal strengths (what you have to offer) AND where you might need to draw assistance from others.  Listed on this sheet are 10 of the characteristics that make a productive team member.  Rate your level of confidence in each skill (HONESTLY) – and then devise a plan for how you can improve some of the areas you think might need a “jump start.”

7 Signs You Have Terrible People Skills http://www.salary.com/7-signs-you-have-terrible-people-skills/slide/10/

Skills: Hard vs Soft Hard Skills:

•As your career progresses one of your goals is to ensure that your "hard" skills -- tangible, teachable skills and abilities that allow you to perform your job -- are up to snuff. But in your effort to hone your hard skills, don't ignore your "soft" skills.

Soft Skills

•Soft skills, sometimes called "people skills" or "emotional intelligence," are less tangible qualities that determine how you manage your own behavior, as well as interact with and get along with others.

•While soft skills are more difficult to measure than hard skills, they are just as important when it comes to job prospects and advancement.

1. Lack of Networking/Self-Promotion Skills How do people know how great you are?

Encourage people to be in your network by attending the right industry events, reaching out to the right individuals, and engaging them in interesting conversation that brands you as an expert.

Learn how to subtly, yet effectively, promote your work results, knowledge, and skills by keeping in touch with people who have influence. When you begin to influence people who have influence, you have set yourself up to succeed.

2. Inability to Coach, Mentor & Guide Those who are willing to help others succeed are seen people who ultimately affect an organization's bottom line.

Spend some time recognizing the expertise and excellence in others, and help them hone and develop those skills as well as acquire new skills to increase competency.

Helping others through constructive criticism, feedback, and guidance will not only help others further their careers, it will also help you further yours

3. Can't Deal with Office Politics/Politicians Don't think you can escape them.

There’s a Sabotaging Sam, Complaining Cathy, and Passive-Aggressive Pete in just about every office.

Whether you get sucked into their drama or remain above the fray is up to you.

An ability to both get along with and get the most out of difficult personalities, as well as a gift for avoiding inevitable office politics, will stand you in good stead.

4. You're a Quitter If your energy flags during challenging times or during difficult projects, or if you have a habit of being impatient and giving up, the proof will be in the pudding: goals simply won’t be met.

When promoting employees, organizations look for individuals who have persevered during tough times, encouraged others to be their best, and have helped to motivate and drive co-workers and colleagues.

If you have a habit of giving up when the going gets tough, don’t expect to go too far.

5. Poor Communication Skills Are you considered a good listener?

Can you articulate your own thoughts and ideas in a way that others understand and appreciate?

Good communication skills -- and that means on both the giving and the receiving side -- are necessary to develop the strong interpersonal skills that are so integral to an organization's success.

A study done by Rice University showed that communication occupies up to 90 percent of a typical manager's day, so it makes sense that poor communication would be a total career killer.

6. Lack of Self-Confidence It's normal to feel challenged as you make the larger transitions throughout your career.

But it's one thing to feel nervous, quite another to let them see you sweat.

If you don't have belief in yourself, you can be sure that no one else will.

Figure out what's causing your lack of confidence -- lack of training or experience, for example -- and address it head on.

Start by pretending you believe in yourself.

Sooner or later, you'll convince yourself you do. And once that happens, others will be convinced as well.

7. Emotion Overload Are you quick to anger, or easily frustrated?

If you can't control your emotions and keep a cool head when the going gets tough, you'll be perceived as a hothead who can't think clearly.

According to the Penn Behavioral Health Corporate Services, emotional outbursts are threatening to co-workers and colleagues, and can result in low productivity.

Learn how to cool it, or expect to cool your heels on the bottom rungs of the ladder.

Take a Long Look in the Mirror  How do you stack up? Give yourself an honest assessment.  If you're committing one of the above seven deadly sins, you're killing your career!  Start paying more attention to the soft skills that are necessary for you to get ahead.

 As your emotional intelligence grows, so will your job prospects!

Four tips for improving your people skills http://www.reliableplant.com/read/26406/four-tips-people-skills

 Human resources professionals and headhunters classify skills into two categories, hard skills and soft skills. “Hard” skills are easier to define because they apply to a specific function –  Soft skills, on the other hand, embrace all the interpersonal relationships vital to selling a company’s products or services.  To improve people skills: Four Tips

1. Learn to conduct productive conversations.  Comfortable people skills open the door for easygoing conversation, says Agno.  Excellent rapport between people is built through conversation.  Initially, conversation may be hard to start.  That’s why it’s important not to think about the structure of a conversation, says Agno. “Be open to conversations that you are unprepared for.  Focus on the interests of the other person rather than your own.

 And look for opportunities to ask non-threatening questions.”

2. Read body language  Successful salespeople have learned how to get a reading on people based upon their facial expressions, gestures, posture and eye contact.  Once they read the body signals in others, they can apply it to themselves.  A relaxed expression and constant eye contact communicate a sense of selfconfidence and poise that relax the person you’re dealing with, making it easier to sell a product or rally support for a position.

3. Seek feedback and criticism.  It takes time and hard work to build strong people skills.  Learning can only take place if you’re constantly seeking feedback and criticism.  Open yourself up to the notion of lifelong learning and bettering yourself.

4. Master listening.  Masterful communicators have learned that building a comfortable rapport is finding the divine balance between speaking and listening.  Most people are too intent on speaking.  They don’t realize that the only way to get a true reading on another person is to listen to what they have to say. It sounds obvious.  But listening often involves learning how to be silent and waiting for the other person to express his viewpoint.  Silence often opens the door to active, fruitful conversation. In time, you’ll learn to be an empathetic listener.

Activity 12: Elements of Teamwork – An Inventory of Skills  Part of being a good team member is learning how to understand your personal strengths (what you have to offer) AND where you might need to draw assistance from others.  “What does it take from each person on a team to make a team really work?”

SKILL #1:

•ARE YOU RELIABLE

SKILL #2:

•ARE YOU AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR

SKILL #3:

•ARE YOU AN ACTIVE LISTENER

SKILL #4:

•DO YOU PARTICIPATE

SKILL #5:

•DO YOU SHARE OPENLY AND WILLINGLY

SKILL #6:

•DO YOU COOPERATIVE

SKILL #7:

•ARE YOU FLEXIBLE

SKILL #8:

•ARE YOU COMMITTED

SKILL #9:

•ARE YOU A PROBLEM SOLVER

SKILL #10:

•ARE YOU RESPECTFUL

Summary of Strategies Connect with people Learn good listening skills Learn pacing in conversation Study and use body language Learn to recognize and manage stress

That’s Not My Job!

Q&A  Questions  Comments  Concerns