3 INDEX ABSTRACT 4 INTRODUCTION 5 I Rationale 5 II Objective 5 III Scope of study 5 LITERATURE REVIEW 6 I Overview of soft skills 6 1 Definition 6 2 Basic softs skills 6 II Important roles of soft ski[.]
INDEX ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION I Rationale II Objective III Scope of study LITERATURE REVIEW I Overview of soft skills II III Definition Basic softs skills Important roles of soft skills Analysis Mastering soft skills Lack of soft skills: Women live in violence and poverty 13 How to deal with domestic violence using soft skills 14 During a violent situation 14 In a long term 14 METHODOLOGY 17 I Approaches 17 II Procedure 17 FINDING AND ANALYSIS 19 I Story 19 II Analyse the story 20 III Applied skills in making the video 21 CONCLUSION 24 RECOMMENDATION 25 APPENDIX 26 I Filming procedure 26 II Writing report 26 REFERENCES 27 ABSTRACT Throughout history, women have faced intense discrimination—from a lack of legal rights and very little independence from their husbands, to being thought to have inferior brains In many societies including Vietnam, women have long been viewed as less than fully human Although there have been a number of feminist and gender quality movements that fight for women’s rights, it is important to encourage women to gain knowledge and improve soft skills to achieve a better life However, social media channels have empathized importances of knowedge more than benefits of soft skills This is why there should be more actions to encourage women improving their soft skills, especially skills: Time-Management, Communication, Team-working, and Positive thinking Our group was so lucky to learn these skills above in the Skill Development Class of Mr Hoang Anh Duy, Mrs Pham Thi My Dung and have a great opportunity to apply them into practice by doing a group project: making a reflection video The idea for our video stems from the the fact that women have been encouraged to stand up for themselves, families, and society However, many of them still hesitate to change their lives because they’re lack of knowledge and essential soft skills to start something new Therefore, in our group project, we hope to reflect a part of this social reality to entail a sense of empathy from viewers inspired others whose lives are being dominated by the same problems The content of the video is based on the story “Chiec thuyen ngoai xa” by Nguyen Minh Chau and it will cover main skills: Time Management, Positive thinking, Team-working, and Communication In this report, we would like to present the video which has been handled to finish The following parts will be about Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methodology, Findings and Analysis, Recommendation, Conclusion and Appendix INTRODUCTION I Rationale It is strongly believed that soft skills play an important role in real life In fact, soft skills are so powerful that they can help us create a huge impact on our lives and society, especially for women living in poverty and violence, the ones that are hurt both physically and mentally and can not be free in their own family Sadly, not many women acknowledge this, understand the real effect they bring and apply them flexibly Therefore, inspired by the story “Chiếc thuyền xa” by Nguyễn Minh Châu, our group story revolves around the character “The Woman” of the story and how she changes her life by applying the soft skill Through her journey, we want to remind people, especially women, to be aware of their high self-worth and be courageous to stand up for ourselves, to make the world a better place II Objective Overall, by telling the story of two different lives of one character, “The Woman”, with and without soft skills, our objective is to emphasize the important roles of soft skills and how to apply them Facing obstacles in life is normal and soft skills can be powerful tools to help women become stronger to overcome them and shine bright at the end After watching the video, we hope that we can motivate people, especially girls who are suffering the same situation to start believing in themselves and bravely overcome their troubles, not just for themselves but also for their families and the society III Scope of study Execution time: From May to June 2021 Location: Private house, Foreign Trade University, Trung Kính Garden, West Lake Implementer: 10 members of Group from class Video title: The far-away boat, at the end of the tunnel Language: English Report: 27 pages Video length: 10 minutes seconds LITERATURE REVIEW I Overview of soft skills Definition Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person's relationships with other people In the workplace, soft skills are considered to be a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person's knowledge and occupational skills (Will Kenton, 2021) Soft skills consist of personal attributes, communication skills and abilities, and personality traits which differentiate people with similar hard-skill-set from each other Other names given to soft skills are people skills, interpersonal skills, and social skills Basic softs skills a Communication skills Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills to learn Communication is defined as transferring information to produce greater understanding It can be done vocally (through verbal exchanges), through written media (books, websites, and magazines), visually (using graphs, charts, and maps) or non-verbally (body language, gestures, pitch of voice, and tone) Good communication skills constitute the ability to not only speak confidently but also good presentation skills and the ability to listen and empathize whenever necessary Communication skills become a hard-skill when we talk about customer service jobs For other jobs, this category is a great soft skill and includes: Speaking Skills Presentation Skills Negotiation Skills Nonverbal communication skills Listening and empathizing Persuasion Public Speaking Storytelling Written Communication, etc b Leadership skills Leadership skill set is among the most sought-after skill set by employers Hiring managers look for candidates who have good potential to grow Such candidates are self-reliant, can work with the team seamlessly, and even put efforts to make the team and their efforts better According to the idea of transformational leadership, an effective leader is a person who does the following: ● Creates an inspiring vision of the future ● Motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision ● Manages delivery of the vision ● Coaches and builds a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision Leadership is one of the hard-skills employers look for when hiring c-level or other high ranking executives However, it is also a very important soft skill for other positions and includes: ● Team Management ● Conflict Management & Resolution ● Decision Making ● Drafting Delegation Strategies ● Drafting Motivation Strategies, etc c Positive thinking Positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude of expecting good and favorable results, and not getting discouraged when plans not proceed as expected It means trying over again and not accepting defeat Positive thinking looks for solutions, whereas negative thinking dwells on the problems and obstacles A person with a positive mindset would encourage and motivate people, and try to motivate them and make them feel good Positive thinking doesn’t mean you ignore reality or make light of problems It simply means you approach the good and the bad in life with the expectation that things will go well d Teamwork Teamwork is the process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal Teamwork means that people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback, despite any personal conflict between individuals (Business Dictionary) Team has a common goal or purpose where team members can develop effective, mutual relationships to achieve team goals Teamwork relies upon individuals working together in a cooperative environment to achieve common team goals through sharing knowledge and skills (P Harris and K.Harris) Six key attributes of successful teamwork: ● Commitment to team success ● Interdependence ● Interpersonal skills ● Open communication ● Appropriate team composition ● Commitment to team leadership and accountability e Time Management Time management skills include a variety of skills that will help you manage your time well Some of the most important time management skills include: ● Organization ● Prioritization ● Goal-setting ● Communication ● Planning ● Delegation ● Stress management Time management skills are essential because few, if any, of us ever have enough time to everything that is asked of us, or that we want to In this era of limitless work and limited time, hiring managers always prefer employees who work efficiently and know how to use time wisely Almost every employer prefers his employees to have time management skills as it not only saves them money but also increases the productivity of the organization II Important roles of soft skills Analysis Most interactions with people need some level of soft skills At an organization you may be negotiating to win a replacement contract, presenting your new plan to colleagues, networking for a new job, and then on We tend to use soft skills everyday at work and developing these soft skills can assist you win a lot of business and accelerate your career progression On the other hand, an absence of soppy skills can limit your potential, or maybe be the downfall of your business By developing sturdy leadership, teamwork, and communication abilities, you'll be able to run more projects smoothly, deliver results that please everyone, and even completely influence your personal life by rising however you move with others The reason soft skills are in such demand is because they are highly transferable skills that can be applied to numerous situations in a number of different roles We often find candidates who have the most success in job applications (and interviews) are the ones who are able to provide previous examples of where they used their soft skills and then relate that to the question being asked by the interviewer Mastering soft skills a Communication skills 1.1 ABC: Accuracy Brevity Clairity 1.2 7Cs (5Cs): According to the 7Cs, communication needs to be: Clear Concise Concrete Correct Coherent Complete Courteous b Leadership skills No one said that being a leader is easy In fact, it can be quite a challenge even for the smartest and most-accomplished among us While some make leadership look easy, few people are actually natural leaders Somewhere along the way, they learned the skills of great leadership Skills Every Great Leader Must Master: ● Put power in the hands of the people doing the work ● Encourage individual responsibility for product and quality ● Create clarity of roles ● Share leadership ● Build horizontal teamwork ● Learn to listen, and to talk ● Seek consensus ● Dedicate passionately to your mission c Teamwork Teamwork takes work People have different points of views, skills, and histories Therefore, when bringing groups together, there is bound to be some tension at times ideas for how to improve teamwork: Know Your Goal Clarify Your Roles Positive Mindset Manage Time Efficiently Share Enthusiasm Exercise Together Establish Team Rules And Purpose 10 Do Not Complain Do Not Fight Over Credit d Time Management An Urgent Important Matrix is a simple but effective tool for prioritizing your to-do list based on the level of urgency and importance of each task It’s is sometimes referred to as the ‘Eisenhower Matrix’ or ‘Eisenhower Decision Matrix’ and is one of the easiest time management strategies to implement Important and Urgent There are two distinct types of urgent and important activities: ones that you could not have foreseen, and others that you've left until the last minute If you have a lot of urgent and important activities, identify which of these you could have foreseen, and think about how you could schedule similar activities ahead of time, so that they don't become urgent Important but Not Urgent These are the activities that help you achieve your personal and professional goals, and complete important work 11 You need to make sure that you have plenty of time to these things properly, so that they not become urgent Moreover, it is essential to leave enough time in your schedule to deal with unforeseen problems Not Important but Urgent Urgent but not important tasks are things that prevent you from achieving your goals You should ask yourself whether you can reschedule or delegate them A common source of such activities is other people Sometimes it's appropriate to say "no" to people politely, or to encourage them to solve the problem themselves Not Important and Not Urgent These activities are neither important for achieving your long-term goals nor urgent They are essentially distracting you from doing things that matter Therefore, you should avoid them if possible e Positive thinking The 3C Modules consist of Commitment – Control and Challenge is another way to keep a bright look on life Commitment means setting a positive commitment to yourself, for education, for work or anything else and it enthusiastically and charm These commitments and causes you care for, give you a reason to keep fighting, and to not give up when faced with adversity Control – keep your mind focused on the important, be honest with yourself and keep your mind toward positive thinking Instead of spending time worrying about things that you cannot change or control, you should put your efforts where you can have the most impact and end up feeling empowered and confident You might Challenge yourself to be better, view difficult situations and setbacks as challenges; not as paralyzing events It is necessary to accept that change is an element of life, and approach these problems with an open mind and a willingness to learn from failures Instead of obstacles, setbacks then become opportunities for personal growth 12 Lack of soft skills: Women live in violence and poverty a Why lacking soft skills can make women suffer from domestic violence According to a new study from the University of Arizona, those who struggle in social situations may be at greater risk for mental and physical health problems The study is based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of 775 people, aged 18 to 91, who were asked to respond online to questions designed to measure social skills, stress, loneliness, and mental and physical health Social skills refer to the communication skills that allow people to interact effectively and appropriately with others Study participants who had deficits in those skills reported more stress, more loneliness, and poorer overall mental and physical health b Women become over-dependent on their husband Over-dependent means excessively dependent on another for support or assistance Within the context of a marriage, over-dependence is a state in which one spouse’s self-worth is excessively bound to the actions and attentions of their partner To be more specific, for example, communication is the basis for a healthy marriage It’s how you and your spouse connect, share your thoughts and views, and settle disputes When women not have this skill, they not know how to express their thoughts, feelings and opinions Therefore, they tend to feel lonely, stressed and far away from their husbands As a consequence, women are tied with partner feelings, attention They’re always apologizing because their partner gets upset by the little things they said or did and wives’ thoughts and opinions are not valued in the marriage Their husbands frequently overpowers their attempts to express themselves This has a negative effect on their marriage and causes family violence c Women become self-doubt about their talents Women feel that the only way they define themselves is through their partner because of their self-assuredness They become a shadow of their former self as they get swallowed up in the relationship Gradually, they won’t feel confident about any decision they need to make and continuously seek your partner’s approval for anything Truthfully, that’s not really consulting; it’s asking for permission and giving the partner complete control over or manipulation 13 Because of a lack of soft skills such as positive thinking or critical thinking, when you don’t have self-love, and your life is dominated by self-doubt, you begin to put everyone else and their needs ahead of your own And that’s what you are: selfless, as in being without a sense of self You feel so little value as a person that you regard yourself as unworthy of love and happiness III How to deal with domestic violence using soft skills During a violent situation Victims cannot always avoid violence To increase safety, it is important to plan what action to take during a violent situation What should women do? ● Keep a cool head Stay calm Look carefully at the surroundings Avoid arguments in room without an access to the outside or in rooms where ịnury is more likely such as the bathroom, the kitchen or on the stairs ● When you can sense the fight is coming, quickly tell the children to go to other room, then close it, or tell the children to stay at others’ house for a while ● Quickly navigate ways to exit quickly Remember to bring your purse and car keys with yourself ● Quickly call the police or local domestic violence program In a long term In fact, there are many reasons that cause domestic violence and poverty in a family In this situation, we only look at the side of the women, as this is our main topic We suggest some solutions that women can apply in real life related to soft skills to prevent or protect themselves from those situations in the long term Women become independent According to the definition, an independent woman is a woman who pays her own bills, buys her own things, and does not allow a man to affect her stability or self-confidence Real independence means being able to take care of yourself, both emotionally and physically 14 We suggest some solutions for women to become independent in the family ● Becoming emotionally independent Knowing and loving yourself is the first step towards being capable of independence Pay attention to your moods Be aware of what makes you happy and what is unsatisfying ● Have positive thinking With a positive mindset, we can be confident and come up with thousands of new ideas which can change our lives Practicing meditation, breathing exercises, and gratitude journaling can help you learn more about yourself while becoming a more positive person ● Taking charge of your finances Being financially independent will help you be able to make your own decision about what you want for you and your children Increase your income, start investing and create a careful budget planning are some methods to start ● Be confident A key component in being an independent woman is being confident with who you are Part of that entails being true to yourself Figure out your own strengths and interests and focus on those ● Face your fears Maybe there is a specific fear that keeps you from being independent You are not alone, and there are steps you can take to overcome your fears Try exposure therapy and seek professional help Women became self-aware about their talents Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection By becoming self-awareness, women can be more proactive and encourage positive self-development (Sutton, 2016) It also leads to better decision making (Ridley, Schutz, Glanz, & Weinstein, 1992), and make us better at our jobs, better communicators We suggest some solutions to enhance self-awareness: ● Pay attention to our thoughts and reactions: when paying attention to our thoughts, we can realise the reason why we become unaware about ourselves and our talent When successfully finding the root cause of the problem, it is easier to change our mindset 15 ● Read and learn new things everyday Educating ourselves everyday helps us feel more confident about our value It will prevent us from being let down by others We become stronger over time and are capable of protecting ourselves in any situation ● Journal Journaling is one of those times where we can let it all out The more we write, the more comes out Our mind starts to relax and the ideas begin to flow It is when you can fully understand yourself and see your potential As you become more self-aware, the real you shines through and you will like what you see This is called becoming our best self As we become our best self we see our relationship with ourselves and others improve , 16 METHODOLOGY In response to the literature review, which requires the need for additional research on the importance of soft skills in daily life, this case study attempts to contribute to previous studies by bringing further clarity in understanding the complex factors influencing women in modern life In this study, we used qualitative research methods, which means obtaining information and knowledge through actions, communication and some problem-solving I Approaches The way we approached the topic was making a video clip about a conflict between a woman and her husband, and also the incredible change of the woman afterward; both the filming process and the story gave the authors tremendous knowledge about the problem and solution We decided to choose this topic because it is a very common problem for many people nowadays, especially women Our idea was based on a story named “Chiec thuyen ngoai xa" that we all studied before The information was summarized in real life as well as on television broadcasts Based on the data collected, a script was written and turned into a video where our members played the characters Role playing is a technique that allows participants to explore realistic situations by interacting with other people in a managed way in order to develop experience and trial different strategies in a supported environment In this way, we could have our first-hand experience in the situation and propose realistic and possible solutions Role playing can also prepare ourselves for situations that occur in real life, offering the actors a glimpse of the scenarios they may encounter II Procedure In the process of completing the video and reporting, all members of the group gave their own opinions and were really motivated in participating in the video The report was divided among members of the group to research from various qualitative sources After finishing their parts,they put them into a docs and our leader placed the information in order The report was made after the video, so that it could be included in the research’s findings and analysis Due to the ongoing seriousness of Covid-19 pandemic, the video clip was filmed in very few locations: a private home of a member and a playground near there Only members who live 17 in Hanoi can appear in the video clip, but after the camera, all members participated as director, writer and editor It was a very hot day but the participants tried to film in the corridor as filming is more suitable in an outer setting Environment impacts how one communicates both verbally and nonverbally In an attempt to diminish any external, negative variables, the members endeavored to locate suitable settings for the filming After the filming, the editors immediately edited the footage and started recording for the clip The video clip took only days to film and was considered by the group members as fast as possible The actors tried hard to learn the script by heart before filming, so our scene was very smooth Moreover, the filming process went on so fast because there were no communication obstacles between us It was very lucky that the scene was filled with laughs and cheers The part we found the most difficult was the cameraman's angles to film Although none of us are professional in this field, we took turns and put our best forward After all, the video clip was made successfully and we are very proud of our product 18 FINDING AND ANALYSIS Our filming process lasted weeks, weeks for creating a movie script, days for preparations, days of filming and days for videotaping All the members in our team were very determined to accomplish the work However, we have to face many difficulties during the filming process First, the teammates live far away from each other: there are members who have to travel more than 15 kilometers to the filming locations Moreover, we have to work in the Covid-19 pandemic so that we not only film the video but also need to guarantee the physical health of each member in the team Besides, disagreements are inevitable when you are working with different people such as we have different thoughts about the content or the speech of the characters At the end of the day, we had such a quality time with each other that we couldn’t forget We not only finish our filming plan but we also strengthen the bonds with the teammates Most importantly, each member had a chance to reflect and apply what we’d learnt in Soft Skills Development class into practice throughout the process of making this video Our video is about a story based on a Vietnamese well-known famous literary work ”Chiec Thuyen Ngoai Xa” , but we remade its scenario in a modern style I Story The story began with a strong man beating an ugly woman brutally The Woman neither fighted back nor asked for help Nearby, a young photographer named Phung suddenly saw this strange scene and ran to intervene Then, Phung persuaded the woman to tell her story to him During the conversation, Phung and his friend Dau explained to the woman that her husband’s behavior was unacceptable and advised her to divorce However, the woman thought that no matter what, she always needed someone to depend on When she returned home, the woman felt sorry for herself when she was stuck in a violent marriage from her husband, and that was what happened in 1983 In 2021, after the conversation with Phung and Dau, the woman hesitated at first and didn't immediately agree On the way home, the woman thought back to her school days, when she dreamed of enriching her hometown and living a happy life Suddenly, the loudspeaker sounded about a story of Mrs Nguyen Thi Oc’s life, a successful entrepreneur with intelligence and a huge effort Mrs Oc used to be a housewife in a small boat, but she took chances to export 19 seafood from her hometown to developed countries and she succeeded The story of Mrs Oc inspired The Woman She came to see Phung and Dau to ask for their help with the desire to be able to change herself for the better and save a toxic marriage They introduced her to the Skills Development Lecture of Dr Hoang Anh Duy at Foreign Trade University After completing the Skills Development course, The Woman decided to tackle all her problems one by one She starts off by resolving the conflicts with her husband Once when the husband was about to hit the woman, she expressed her feelings and opinions After that day, the husband never hit The Woman again However, this did not make her happier As she knew that her husband beat her not because he wanted to, it’s because their life was too harsh and the poverty kept piling up The husband already tried his best but he did not earn enough money to support his family Living in poverty, The Woman was neither depressed nor pessimistic, in contrast, her mind is filled with positive thoughts So to share this burden with her husband as well as to bring happiness to the family, The Woman came up with a plan that completely changed her life She started a business She convinced the women in the village to set up a tourist area from her hometown After telling about the project to Phung and Dau, she met and signed a contract with the investor introduced by them After that, she went to the village and taught the women there to work and use the computer After years, she has finally become a successful woman More importantly, she also shares her story everywhere to inspire more women to stand up II Analyse the story ● Positive thinking Skill: In the past, when her husband beat and scolded her, the woman did not protest, she accepted her violent life without any resistance In modern life, after taking the Skills Development Class, despite facing many difficulties in life, poverty, the woman did not give up and was negative Instead, the modern woman found her own way to share the financial burden with her husband as well as develop family life ● Communication Skill: In the past, every time the woman was beaten, she chose silence, therefore, she had been beaten more and more brutally In modern life, the modern woman knew how to talk to her husband gently to make him notice and change In addition, her communication skills were most effective when she persuaded other women in the village to work with her Moreover, this skill 20 especially helped her when working with investors Consequently, she succeeded in signing contracts with investors ● Teamwork Skill: In the past, this skill was not clearly shown because the life of a woman was only around her husband and children In 2021, The modern woman had to deal with a number of challenges, which required the support from Dau, Phung, and other women in the fishing village ● Time management Skill: In the old days, The Woman's life revolved around her husband and the fishing boat, so she didn't need to manage her time However, The modern Woman had to allocate her days taking care of children, the responsibility of the wife and having to work to earn money, doing many things at the same time And to many things at the same time most effectively, time management skills were really valuable toThe Woman III Applied skills in making the video a Communication Skill Knowledge of communication skills contributed a big part in the process of making the video When we first came up with video content ideas, this essential skill made it easier for members to understand each other's ideas Even so, controversy is inevitable as we have disagreements over the subject, idea, content and filming location But this skill brought us closer together and made the team more cohesive, coming up with ideas that were ultimately agreed upon Communication skills have taught us to listen more sincerely to each other, think critically about each individual's ideas, thereby leading to the most complete final idea Proud to say, we got the job done successfully b Positive thinking Skill During the Covid-19 pandemic, keeping an optimistic mind is probably one of the most important things to We used to plan to complete the filming process during our military month but due to the outbreak of Covid-19, we had to be home Instead of being exhausted and confused, we made a very quick decision to gather all the members living in Hanoi to the filming before the pandemic spreaded widely It’s a difficult decision because we had to not only finish the tasks but also guarantee safety for each member Especially when we have to 21 work as a team, safety is the most important factor in the filming process Therefore, we tried to leverage the private places and rarely went out to public ones In addition, all main actors have no acting skills before, so camera-shy is inevitable However, this is a great opportunity for us to practice the positive thinking skill we have just learned Our results are proof that surrounding ourselves with people who think positively helps us cultivate a positive mindset We realized that positivity increases our ability to think creatively, to cope with challenges, and to work with other teammates well It can reduce anxiety and tense moments, leading to a more satisfied and productive team To sum up, it played an important role in our success c Team-working Skill Needless to say, when working in groups, nothing is more important than teamwork skills That will help each member either point out the mistakes of each other without hurting their feelings When one team member fell behind, there would be another to pick up the pieces When work was divided up among members of a team, it got done faster, making the overall process operate more efficiently Teamwork skill helped everyone in the team have a close workload, without causing unnecessary personal conflicts For instance, we divided our team into sub-team, these were: content writing, film making, scenario writing, and video editing Each team had a sub-leader to divide tasks and to push members to fulfill their tasks punctually In addition, we had a clear worksheet that each member could be divided equally The leader tried to divide tasks and deadlines as small as possible She was so strict that she did not allow members to miss the deadlines However, when a member asked her for a deadline extension, instead of agreeing immediately, she would ask the member for his/her reason If he/she could give her a reasonable answer, she would remained the previous deadline with a certain percentage of the whole task to check first and gave the member another deadline to fulfill the output After that, she checked out all the outputs, left comments in each task and asked the members to correct the mistakes they had made in their tasks This made all the tasks be prepared carefully and be finished on time Luckily, all the members were very engaged in this topic so they significantly contributed to the final outcome and they were willing to give recommendations to others’ outputs To conclude, what we learned in the Skills Development lecture helped us our jobs much better d Time management Skill The problem of time management is probably still the most painful problem for "Generation 22 ... without soft skills, our objective is to emphasize the important roles of soft skills and how to apply them Facing obstacles in life is normal and soft skills can be powerful tools to help women. .. given to soft skills are people skills, interpersonal skills, and social skills Basic softs skills a Communication skills Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills. .. happiness III How to deal with domestic violence using soft skills During a violent situation Victims cannot always avoid violence To increase safety, it is important to plan what action to take during