SOFT SKILLS

Soft skills are the intangibles that you use every day to accomplish tasks. Communication skills,
leadership skills, and teamwork are some common skills that employers screen for when
interviewing job applicants. To put it simply, improving your soft skills increases your chances of
being hired and keeping your job.
Table of Contents
1. Which Soft Skills do you obtain?
List of Soft Skills and questions to ask yourself to determine if you have them
2. How Can I Improve My Soft Skills?
Speaking- worksheet to improve your speaking skills
Listening- worksheet to improve your listening skills
Writing- worksheet to improve your writing skills
Leadership- worksheet to improve your leadership skills
Teamwork- worksheet to improve your teamwork skills
3. Answer Key
Answers to activities
Which Soft Skills Do I Obtain?
1. Strong Work Ethic
Are you motivated and dedicated to getting the job done, no matter what? Will you be
conscientious and do your best work?
2. Positive Attitude
Are you optimistic and upbeat? Will you generate good energy and good will?
3. Good Communication Skills
Are you both verbally articulate and a good listener? Can you make your case and express your
needs in a way that builds bridges with colleagues, customers and vendors?
4. Time Management Abilities
Do you know how to prioritize tasks and work on a number of different projects at once? Will
you use your time on the job wisely?
5. Problem-Solving Skills
Are you resourceful and able to creatively solve problems that will inevitably arise? Will you take
ownership of problems or leave them for someone else?
6. Acting as a Team Player
Will you work well in groups and teams? Will you be cooperative and take a leadership role
when appropriate?

7. Self-Confidence
Do you truly believe you can do the job? Will you project a sense of calm and inspire confidence
in others? Will you have the courage to ask questions that need to be asked and to freely
contribute your ideas?
8. Ability to Accept and Learn From Criticism
Will you be able to handle criticism? Are you coach-able and open to learning and growing as a
person and as a professional?
9. Flexibility/Adaptability
Are you able to adapt to new situations and challenges? Will you embrace change and be open
to new ideas?
10. Working Well Under Pressure
Can you handle the stress that accompanies deadlines and crises? Will you be able to do your
best work and come through in a pinch?

How Can I Improve My Soft Skills?

*There are many ways to improve your soft skills; here are some ideas:
Speaking- A great way to improve your speaking skills is to volunteer to give group
presentations. Start small (within your team), then graduate to larger presentations. Another
great way to enhance your speaking and presenting skills is to join Toastmasters International,
which is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills.
They are located worldwide, so you should have an easy time locating a local chapter.
1. While giving a speech, which of the following should you avoid doing?
a. Making eye contact with every audience member
b. Constantly walking from one part of the room to the other
c. Saying um whenever you pause
2. Where is the Toastmasters nearest to you?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. When giving a speech, you want to keep your audiences attention, how can you tell they are
losing interest?
a. Their eyes start to wander around the room
b. They start fidgeting
c. They yawn, take a nap or place with their cell phone
4. What makes a speech great?
a. Humor
b. A speaker with a non-monotone voice
c. A speaker who speaks to audience members as though they are the only ones in the room
d. A speaker who talks about topics the listeners can relate to
5. When would you use public speaking in a work place? ______________________________

Listening-To improve your listening skills, pay attention to the speakers words and actions.
You can learn a lot from body language. Allow the speaker to finish before responding or
judging what they have said. Take notes and review them with the speaker to ensure you
received the message as it was intended. Providing feedback allows you to mentally process
everything you heard.
1. Why do employers want to hire good listeners?
a. Good listeners follow the managers instructions
b. Good listeners take their coworkers ideas into consideration
c. Good listeners are easy to work with because they know when to listen and when to speak
2. Which of the following best demonstrates good listening skills?
a. A manager asks her employee to complete a task and the employee responds, I am sorry,
what do you want me to do?
b. A manager asks a room full of workers to complete a task and one of the workers says, I will
do so as soon as possible.
c. A lady asks her coworker to help her take out the trash. Her coworker responds, I do not
have time to help you clean the bathroom.
3.What are you going to do to improve YOUR listening skills?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Writing- To improve your writing skills, take the time to proofread what you have written. Small
mistakes can often be corrected with a quick review. Utilize the built in spell check and grammar
functions found in many productivity software applications. Other tips to improve your written
communication skills include having another person proof read documents, submitting white
papers to professional publications, and reviewing grammar rules online. A good place for this is
Daily Writing Tips.
1. What is a relevant way to practice improving your writing skills?
a. Writing in your journal monthly
b. Spend all of your time learning about what it takes to be a good writer
c. Spend some time learning about how to write well and spend some time practicing these
learned skills
2. Why do employers want to hire good writers?
a. Good writers are effective communicators
b. Good writers pay attention to detail
c. Good writers can solve complex problems
d. Good writers have good judgment and make good decisions

3. How is writing important in your chosen field of

work?_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Leadership- To improve your leadership skills, begin with reading a few books or online articles
about leadership. You can also consider taking a course at a local community college or as part
of an MBA program. Once you have some leadership principles ingrained, you need to practice,
practice, practice. Observe leaders in your workplace, volunteer to lead small groups and team
efforts, and take on additional duties if necessary. Finally, do not confuse leadership with
authority. You do not have to be the high man on the totem pole to be a leader.
1. Which of the following is an effective way for a leader to convey a message?
a. Mr. Embleton, please put those boxes in the storage room.
b. Mrs. Gutierrez, you are good at organizing. Would you mind helping me organize those
boxes in the storage room?
c. Mr. Willsmonson, organize those boxes.
2. How can you effectively use leadership in a workplace?
a. Help guide fellow coworkers to work together on a common goal
b. Tell your fellow coworkers what should be expected of them and how they can reach those
expectations
c. Inform your coworkers of why you make a good leader and why they should trust you
3. How will you begin to use leadership in your life?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Teamwork- To improve your value as a team member, consider how your actions affect other
people who are working on a related task. Do your actions help them or hinder them? Another
great way to become a better team member in the workplace is to participate in group sporting
events and other social activities.
1. What are some ways in your life that you demonstrate teamwork?
_______________________________________________________
2. Which of the following is the most effective demonstration of teamwork?
a. Everyone works on the same project but reports individually to the manager.

b. Everyone works individually on a project then meets once a week to collaborate with their
coworkers to ensure that they are meeting project goals.
c. Everyone works on a project in pairs and then reports as a pair to the project manager.
3. How do you think you could further develop your teamwork skills in your
education/work/personal goals?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key:
Speaking- 1. b and c
2. answers may vary
3. all of the above
4. all of the above
5. answers may vary
Listening- 1. all of the above
2. b
3. answers may vary
Writing- 1. c
2. all of the above
3. answers may vary
Leadership- 1. b
2. a
3. answers may vary
Teamwork- 1. answers may vary
2. b
3. answers may vary