skill development report finding yourself

I ABSTRACT The society nowadays is changing very fast which leads to many differences from the old one In the past, a person with excellent professional knowledge would go really far in their career and gain a lot of success However, in modern world, only professional knowledge seems not enough for people who wants to gain huge successes The reasons for this situation is the ingress and escalation in the corporate world Employees with both good basement of hard and soft skills will be more preferred Therefore, soft skills are very important for all students that need to develop their potential in different programs in university Some of soft skills are: time management skill, communication skill, positive thinking skill, After finishing the course of Skill Development in FTU, we would like to make a report to present the whole process working of our group, from the initial ideas to a finished product – a short film gone by II INTRODUCTION Summary of the clip The story features a freshman who experienced a completely new setting in Hanoi capital city At first, he was very disorganized, not knowing how to set up plans, how to interact with others effectively and also he kept leading a pessimistic lifestyle Then the situation gradually turned to the opposite when he got engaged in a soft skill group work The main character’s shortcomings were rectified after he experienced a seemingly vicious circle of waking up every morning, trying to improve himself by not repeating previous mistakes, but was still undesirably dead or became unconscious due to lack of some vital skills To be more specific, his failure stemmed from inadequate time management skill which led to his poor planning ability and incompletion of given tasks, his ineffective communication methods which prevented him from delivering his ideas concisely and convincingly, etc Then came the most miserable scene, his views were rejected by all team members and he sunk into a tremendously pessimistic state, deciding to commit suicide after that Luckily in the next morning, an unexpected positive thought came to his mind and enormously motivated him to try his best, learning from past faults and he achieved favorable results in the end He realized that the way to accomplishment was always challenging with thousands of obstacles awaiting him In order to achieve success, beside knowledge, full equipment of soft skills such as time management or teamwork skills is of utter importance, especially in this era of integration and modernization Therefore, always bear in mind that soft skills get little respect but they will make or break your career” (Peggy Klaus, author) Educational significance The idea of this video stems from a lack of soft skills in many young people today Many first-year students don't know how to manage time and arrange personal works They are easy to fall into an unorganized life without the control of their parents, which also significantly affects the efficiency of work as well as the sense of responsibility Until they work in a collective, they cannot get along and are criticized by the other members Therefore, in this video, we would like to emphasize the great importance of building up the soft skills to become a confident person Research objectives  Express our message through the story in the video  Encourage students to appreciate their ability to manage their busy life, gaining the most crucial skills to enjoy a better and happier life and learning many useful lessons Research methods The mid-term assignment of making a short video to present the skills achieved from the courses is one of the most effective educational methods because the members need to work together to find the ideas of the video then discuss and develop the ideas, and manage to accomplish team goals Scope of the study During the process to make this video, our group need to apply all of the soft skills which we have achieved in the course, including:  Positive thinking skills  Work organization and time management skills  Teamwork skills  Communication and Presentation skills 6 Structure of the report The content of the report is allocated in five main parts:  Literature reviews  Research Methodology  Findings and Analysis  Recommendation  Conclusion III LITERATURE REVIEWS Soft skill and each of the skills studied 1.1 Soft skills Soft skills have been defined in different context and included different perspectives, as per various authors at various times John Stephan, and Randy Brown (2012) defined soft skills as people management skills Parente, John Stephan, and Randy Brown (2012) defined soft skills as people management skills Fogle (2011) while defining soft skills included “teaming skills” in its preview in addition to communication and social skills In addition to this Hargis (2011) classified “work ethic, critical thinking, and problem solving” skills as part and parcel of soft skills In general, soft skills are the personal attributes, personality traits, inherent social cues, and communication abilities needed for success on the job Soft skills characterize how a person interacts in his or her relationships with others, or how he or she approaches life and work In the 21st century, soft skills are a major differentiator, a sine qua non for employability and success in life According to a research conducted by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation and Stanford Research Center 85% of job success comes from having well-developed people skills and soft skills, and only 15% of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge (hard skills) After a course of "Skill Development" in Foreign Trade University, we have learned the four most important soft skills, which are Positive Thinking skill, Communication skill, Time Management skill and Teamwork skill 1.2 Communication skill Communication (from Latin commūnicāre, meaning "to share") is the act of conveying intended meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules The first key word in this definition is "process" A process is a dynamic activity that is hard to describe because it changes (Pearson & Nelson, 2000) When we interact, there are many factors that influence the process of communication The second key word is "understanding": “To understand is to perceive, to interpret, and to relate our perception and interpretation to what we already know” (McLean, 2003) Next comes the word "sharing" Sharing means doing something together with one or more people In communication, sharing occurs when you convey thoughts, feelings, ideas, or insights to others Finally, "meaning" is what we share through communication By looking at the context the word is used in and by asking questions, we can discover the shared meaning of the word and understand the message There are two basic types of communication: verbal and non-verbal communication  Verbal communication: Some definitions of verbal communications are as follows: According to Bovee and others, verbal communication is the expression of information through language which is composed of words and grammar According to Penrose and others, verbal communication consists of sharing thoughts thought the meaning of words Therefore, when messages or information is exchanged or communicated through words this is called verbal communication Verbal communication takes place through face-to-face conversations, group discussions, counseling, interview, radio, television, calls, memos, letters, reports, notes, email, etc When verbally communicate with others, clarification is the key Often, a person does not articulate himself clearly, his words and actions are misunderstood, and verbal communication helps to clarify and provides information Robert M Krauss in the article, “The Psychology of Verbal Communication”, published in the International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2001, explains, “A species’ survival depends critically upon its ability to communicate effectively, and the quality of its social life is determined in large measure by how and what it can communicate.” Moreover, to conduct effective verbal communication, principles such as the ABC, the 5C and the 7C should be applied The 5C includes: Clear, Concise, Complete, Correct, and Courteous; and the 7C is the same as the 5C with Consistency and Cautious in extra  Non-verbal communication: There are various ways to define Nonverbal communication: 10 According to Lesikar and Pettit, Nonverbal communication means all communication that occurs without words (body movements, space, time, touch, voice patterns, color, layout, design of surroundings.) According to Himstreet and Baty, Non-verbal communication includes any communication occurring without the use of words The Business Dictionary defines non-verbal communication as the transmission of message by some medium other than speech or writing Body language and other non-verbal cues occupy 93% of our communication while speech takes only 7% Non-verbal communication takes place through gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, physical proximity, touching etc Visuals are also an excellent way to represent any information People use architectures, and different colors and textures for home and office surfaces to represent their interests and preferences The sound of the speaker’s voice, including pitch, tone and volume are also forms of non-verbal communication Michael Argyle, in his book “Bodily Communication”, identifies five main functions of non-verbal communication: to express emotions, communicate interpersonal relationships, support verbal interaction, reflect personality and perform rituals, such as greetings and goodbyes An example of how non-verbal communication can support verbal communication is that a bright smile when saying congratulations reinforces the sincerity of one’s words but a stein face might not 1.3 Time management skill Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity It involves a juggling act of various demands upon a person relating to work, social life, family, hobbies, personal interests and commitments with the finiteness of time Using time 11 effectively gives the person “choice” on spending/ managing activities at their own time and expediency Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects, and goals complying with a due date Time management is usually a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope Some scholars such as Macan (1994) stated that time management training programs lead to three types of time management behaviors: • setting goals and priorities • mechanics of time management • preference for organization 1.4 Teamwork skill Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a team to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way This concept is seen within the greater framework of a team, which is a group of interdependent individuals who work together towards a common goal There are some prime requirements for effective teamwork: an adequate team size (about 6-8 members), available resources for the team to make use of (i.e meeting space and time, guidance from a supervisor, support from the organization, etc.), and clearly defined roles within the team in order for everyone to have a clear purpose There are stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning, in which members are independent at first, then they become interdependent and finally they return to independence state 12 Among numerous elements of building an effective such as Individual responsibility and accountability, Management and organization, Knowledge of roles…, “psychological safety” was the number one component of a successful team, suggested by Project Aristotle, led by a manager from Google’s People Analytics division, Abeer Dubey It means that every team member feels comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions – and that everyone gets a chance to talk for about the same amount of time in group meetings This is not to say that there is a time limit or select time for each person to talk, but that organically, each person genuinely wants to hear from others in the group 1.5 Positive thinking skill Positive thinking is a mental attitude in which you expect good and favorable results and not getting discouraged when plans not proceed as expected In other words, positive thinking is the process of creating thoughts that create and transform energy into reality According to Oxford Dictionary, it is “The practice or result of concentrating one’s mind affirmatively on the good and constructive aspects of a matter so as to eliminate negative or destructive attitudes and emotions.” It is also important to note that positive thinking is not about taking a "Pollyanna" approach to life In fact, researchers have found that in some instances, optimism might not serve you well For example, people who are 13 intense attraction to business partners, thereby bringing the results Best results for your career 2.3 The importance of Time management You'll have more productive hours Efficient time management allows for extra productive hours during the week For example, if you gain an extra hour of focused output during the day through better organization and discipline, that adds up to 250 hours over the course of a year - or nearly a month and a half of extra working time You'll be able to prioritize your tasks If you have good time management skills, instead of being stressed about what needs to be done or what you should be working on, you'll know exactly what comes next and how you are planning to tackle it If you encounter problems that hold you up, you will also have a much clearer idea of what to - for example to delegate or to move on to another task - which will improve your efficiency You’ll learn to delegate more efficiently Rather than forcing yourself into a role you don't care for, you should try to delegate your tasks instead By delegating to someone who has the required skill set, you'll get the task done, reduce your stress levels, and stay a happy employee, thus increasing your productivity You’ll have more time for yourself Using time wisely lets you find more time for the things that are most important to you This can be work-based where you tackle a new project or tidy up a backlog of minor jobs that have been on your mind for a while Time management is an important skill to acquire, as its use translates into every part of your work It will allow you to make better decisions and accomplish more with less effort While it's not physically possible to create more hours in a day, by managing what you have, you'll soon start to see the benefits both in your life and your career 2.4 The importance of Teamwork skill 16 Teams don't work well without teamwork! Teamwork is important for the success of all businesses To have a meaningful and lifelong career, you need to work well with others which is why teamwork is so important in the professional world It brings new ideas Businesses need new, fresh ideas to succeed in the competitive world You have a unique perspective to bring to the table which will benefit the business overall Businesses thrive when they have a diverse team of people who can contribute individual ideas Teamwork helps solve problems Collaboration within a group can help solve difficult problems Brainstorming is a good opportunity for the team to exchange ideas and come up with creative ways of doing things By working together, teams can find the solutions that work best It's supportive Teamwork creates a system to ensure that deadlines are met and that there's high quality work When one team member falls behind, there's another to pick up the pieces When work is divvied up among members of a team, it gets done faster, making the overall business operate more efficiently Your team will develop a sense of comradery as you work toward a common goal Teamwork builds morale You'll feel that your work is valued when you contribute to something that produces results If you offer an idea that helps improve productivity, such as a new filing system, confidence and trust is built within the team Each team member has something special to offer By working together, members of a team feel a strong sense of belonging and deep commitment to each other and the common goal It's one thing to have a team, it's a whole other thing to have teamwork A team that works well together can succeed together and produce great results 2.5 The importance of Positive thinking skill 17 Positive minds are powerful minds We can and achieve almost anything with a mind that has the willingness and determination to it Although not everyone gets to realize this fact of life, it is probably a good try to allow paradigm shift in our method of thinking You may not have realized it, but the misfortunes and tragedies in life that you are experiencing may be brought about by your own actions and thinking An individual with a positive mind can a lot of positive things Optimism brings many advantages to a person in the various aspects of life – health, relationships, career, happiness and personal goals Every single thought and every single decision we make, creates an impact and influence in our lives Positive thinking is very beneficial for our mental health primarily because it eliminates any form of paranoia and negative thoughts that can cause depression and stress The process is actually a domino effect in terms of our overall health Those who think positively feel happier and more contented with their lives With less stress, we go through our daily activities smoothly and feel more relaxed In general, positive thinkers live a longer lifespan, are less prone to sickness, experience less stress, and are generally more blissful Positive thinking helps us have a better career Work is a major contributing factor to stress in an individual In the workplace, we encounter many challenges and issues from our workloads, fellow work colleagues, and even with our own performance Office workers who think that their job is a burden will experience slowness in their career growth Taking challenges positively in the workplace can bring you outstanding results, develop good relationships with colleagues, and even take you notches up the corporate ladder 18 A big impact of positive thinking is on relationships with people Positive thinkers radiate a kind of aura that just attracts others toward them They are simply nice companions to be with When you are around the presence of optimists, you become inspired to things because they motivate you with their stories and viewpoints 19 IV RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Approaches The course components give an emphasis on lessons in the form: • quizzes or short questions with bonus marks • groups assessment • effective presentation methods • writing formal emails or letters Lecturers also give students guidance in carrying out soft skills in learning by involving various forms of a lot of beneficial and interesting activities: • brainstorming • critical thinking • public speaking • presentation • games to enhance team spirit • writing skills In addition to the knowledge we acquire from the course, the sources which we used to collect information are books, academic reports, and online documents Methods We choose to create a short video clip in order to prove the importance of the skills listed above, which are Communication skill, Time management skill, Positive thinking and Teamwork skill The reasons for choosing this method are that: Filming can describe fully all the lessons you have learnt in an interesting way Video maker is able to deliver several meaningful messages throughout the video Moreover, the video spreads the messages that we want to express in a more effective way as people would prefer watching to reading 20 We are learning how to achieve a goal as a team, therefore, making a video is composed of many parts and each member is tasked with respective duty Making high quality video requires all member to work together smoothly, to think outside of the box, to be responsible and creative enough to create the best idea for the subject Illustration 3.1 Comprehensive plan  Objective:  Finished before 20/6/2019  Make an interesting video  Practice, develop and apply learned soft skills  Create group on Facebook and Messenger:  Notify about topic and division of work  Notify about shooting schedule and deadline  Submit and review individual parts of work  Division of work Our group divided work among members into below parts:  Writing script for video: Thái Mỹ Hạnh, Hoàng Thu Thuỷ, Nguyễn Minh Châu, Hoàng Hương Giang  Main actors: Phạm Đức Nam  Supporting actors: Công Hoàng Long, Thái Mỹ Hạnh, Hoàng Thu Thuỷ, Nguyễn Minh Châu, Hồng Hương Giang  Recording the video: Cơng Hồng Long, Nguyễn Minh Châu  Editing the video: Phạm Đức Nam 21 − Detailed work: Time 3/6 - 8/6/2019 Task Brainstorm ideas for the video, discuss the main plot and decide which details appear in the story's timeline 8/6 - 11/6/2019 Write script for the video 12/6 - 16/6/2019 Record the video Edit the video 14/6 - 18/6/2019 Finish the report 19/6 - 20/6/2019 Review the video and report 3.2 Difficulties in the process of making the video The video quality: all group members don’t have high quality camera which is specialized in filming so we have to figure out the best way to have the best quality At the first stage, we worried about the editing phase which includes manipulating, rearranging video shots to create new work and adjusting color correction, title and sound mixing Therefore, it is the most difficult part in completing the video Member’s conflict in idea and timetable  Time table: Due to different schedules, we found some obstacles in arranging the date for filming However, we had to sacrifice our free time and reschedule plans to attend for filming  Idea: At the beginning, after brainstorming the idea, each member expressed the ideas and there were some arguments about the pros and cons and which must be chosen But in the end, all the members had finally reached an agreement on the project’s ideas 22  Time limit: Because of differences in curriculum, upcoming exams, our group only had little time to spend for this teamwork project  Weather: There were some scenes which must be shot in the outside Nevertheless, bad weather prevented us from bringing the best quality of the video with high sound-effects and stunning background 23 V FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS The story is about a first-year university student when he started a whole new life in a bustle city like Hanoi At first, he was a very disorganized and hasty person, which led to many undesirable consequences When he joined soft skill group work, he had to interact with other members then his defects revealed clearly These shortcomings were corrected after every time the main character woke up in the morning In other words, the character will be dead or unconscious to wake up at that morning until he completes himself and can overcome that day From the beginning, he could not believe what was happening to himself He thought it was a strange dream but gradually he realized it become true and tried his best to escape from this cycle We can see remarkable changes through his daily tasks such as waking up, setting up plans, doing group tasks, The video is divided into main scenes with the deficiency of four skills: Time management, communication, positive thinking, presentation which will be demonstrated in first four scenes The final scene will be the main character who achieved all skills then he felt confident in himself and accomplished the given task Everyone in the group was amazed at the positive changes of the main character; all excitedly praised him and appointed him to be the next presenter in upcoming group work The lack of time management skills made he arrange his time ineffectively, he mostly spent his morning sleeping then arrived at the meeting late Furthermore, he made many excuses for his lateness and incompletion of his task with a very aggressive tone when talking to others members The short of communication and presentation made him demonstrate his task unclearly and confused everybody, which made the members misunderstand him even though his idea was unique and creative 24 The refusal of the group disappointed him a lot because he had tried very hard to improve himself, he immediately jumped into a very bad mood and decided to commit suicide After waking up that morning he still worried and wondered about his effort Luckily, an unexpected positive thinking crossing over his mind which changed his mindset totally He experienced many lessons, as a result he succeeded in group work and overcame his boundaries We all agree that soft skills become more and more important in the time of globalization and modernization The fact is that, sometimes we face unexpected events which are more of bad news or dilemmas But with the skills we have been introduced by instructor, difficulties are solved step by step All of the obstacles we as well as the characters we show through the video have to deal with, are obvious and visible evidences of the need of good soft skills There is no doubt that in the near future, the ones with good sense of soft skills will win and become pioneer, as they can control and improve any aspects of career and social life In contrast, without soft skills, people will be left behind and can never achieve their goals or objectives That is the most important finding of the course and of our research and we believe that these points of view are strongly supported in real-life experiences of every single person 25 VI RECOMMENDATION What follows is a list of key recommendations that have emerged from our analysis and findings We hope that all students will consider these recommendations in order to improve their soft skills, enhance their studies and prepare for their future careers We will outline learned soft skills and some tips to help you develop them further First of all, Interpersonal communication is the backbone of all soft skills Whether it’s through emails, phone calls or in person, you need to be a clear communicator To improve this skill you should:  Make eye contact  Listen actively  Don’t send mixed messages Make your words, gestures, facial expressions and tone match  Be aware of your body language  Manifest constructive attitudes and beliefs  Never talk over people  Develop your writing skills and always proofread before hitting the “send” button Secondly, effectively managing time is a significant factor in a person’s skill set for achieving both personal and professional success To improve this skill, you should: • Create a to-do list • Decide on your priorities • Set goals for each study session • Create a schedule • Start early in the day • Delegate tasks 26 Thirdly, in any aspects of study or business, teamwork is an essential component of performance The ability to work well with other people facilitates effectiveness, efficiency and productivity leading to better and improved results To improve this skill, you need to:  Set defined goals  Split up work equally  Keep an open mind  Build up trust and respect  Never make assumptions and always praise when possible  Resolve conflicts At last, remember that positive thinking indirectly affects your productivity by improving factors such as mindset, motivation, concentration, and energy Therefore, you should always keep a positive attitude and try your best to motivate the people around you Here are some tips on how to implement positive thinking in your life:  Always look on the positive side of an issue  Always find at least one more thing to learn from colleagues around  Be confident in yourself in work and life  If you have problems and not pass, ask those more experienced  Relax and reward yourself  Make connections with people who have positive thoughts  Engage yourself in enjoyable recreational activities  Follow a healthy lifestyle 27 VII CONCLUSION During over months attending Skills development course, our group has acquired and developed useful soft skills: Communication, Time management, Teamwork, Positive thinking and Presentation We would like to express our warm thanks and gratitude to our beloved lectures who have always been devoted and supportive throughout the course: Mr Hoang Anh Duy and Ms Dau Thu Huong By carrying out assignment together, we have a huge opportunity to practice learned useful skills Thanks to Teamwork skill, we have known how to express our personal thoughts which contribute to the final result of the team, how to deal with internal conflicts when disagreement rises and how to assign equally responsibilities among all members Moreover, Time management skill helps each member in group know how to fit individual schedule into group filming and meeting schedules At the same time, without positive thinking and attitude, obstacles could easily make us lose our team’s spirit and then we couldn’t finish group work before deadline Although our group members haven’t already mastered all five soft skills, we have learned so much from this course so as to gradually enhance these skills and then apply them to our study, our work as well as our daily life 28 VIII REFERENCES  Books  Alan Baker, Improve your communication skills, 2nd edition, Kogan Page, 2006  Marion E Hayes, Personal Time Management  John Hayes, Interpersonal Skills at work, 2nd edition, Ron Hedge  Web pages  Soft skills - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_skills#Concept  Soft Skills Needed for the 21st Century Workforce - Susan A Dean Walden https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4772&context= dissertations  Positive Thinking – Skills you need https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/positive-thinking.html  Positive Thinking - Hoang Anh Duy, MBA https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/10wLAoIghW7Ij1xAC6t9ulKNTFfwUATE  What Is Positive Thinking and Why You Need It Successconciousness https://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/positive-attitude/what-ispositive-thinking/  Time Management Literature Review https://github.com/RichardLitt/wyrd-admin/wiki/Time-ManagementLiterature-Review  Time management skills – Skills you need https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/time-management.html  The Importance of Good Time Management - Activia 29 https://www.activia.co.uk/soft-skills/time-management/resources/why-ishaving-good-time-management-important  Time management - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_management  Effective time management - selected issues - Aneta Olejniczak, M.Sc https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/10wLAoIghW7Ij1xAC6t9ulKNTFfwUATE  Teamwork - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teamwork  What is teamwork? - Common sense media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/character-strengths-and-life-skills/whatis-teamwork  Communication - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication  Benefits of good Communication skill? - Skills you need https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/communication-skills.html 30 ... soft skills as people management skills Parente, John Stephan, and Randy Brown (2012) defined soft skills as people management skills Fogle (2011) while defining soft skills included “teaming skills”... having well-developed people skills and soft skills, and only 15% of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge (hard skills) After a course of "Skill Development" in Foreign Trade... learned the four most important soft skills, which are Positive Thinking skill, Communication skill, Time Management skill and Teamwork skill 1.2 Communication skill Communication (from Latin commūnicāre,