2010Sept01_LifeSkills[Revised]

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LIFE SKILLS
Prof. V. Viswanadham
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Life Skills

• The abilities
• for adaptive and positive behaviour
• that enable individuals
• to deal effectively
• with the demands and challenges
• of everyday life
• - World Health Organization (WHO)

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• A behaviour change or
• behaviour development approach designed to
  address
• a balance of three areas
• Knowledge,
• Skills and
• Attitude

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• Life skills
• are essentially
• those abilities that
• help promote mental well-being
• and competence
• in young people
• as they face the realities of life

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• In short,
• it empowers young people
• to take positive actions
• to protect themselves and
• to promote health and
• positive social relationships
• for successful professional career and wholesome
  life.

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WITH LIFE SKILLS ONE IS ABLE TO

• Explore alternatives,
• Weigh pros and cons, and
• Make rational decisions in solving each problem,
  or issue as it arises.
• It also entails being able to establish
  productive interpersonal relationships with
  others

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What are soft skills?

• Soft skills are
• essentially people skills
• the non-technical, intangible,
• personality specific skills that
• determine ones strengths
• as a leader, listener, negotiator
• and conflict mediator.

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• Soft skills is a term
• which refers to
• personality traits,
• social graces,
• facility with language,
• personal habits,
• friendliness, and
• optimism
• that mark people to varying degrees.

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Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a
person's "EQ" (Emotional Intelligence Quotient),
the cluster of personality traits, social
graces, communication, language, personal
habits, friendliness, and optimism that
characterize relationships with other
people. Soft skills complement hard skills
(part of a person's IQ), which are the
occupational requirements of a job and many
other activities.
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Importance of soft skill

• Soft skill are very important
• To handle interpersonal relations
• To take appropriate decisions
• To communicate effectively
• To create a good impression and impact
• To gain professional development

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Practicing soft skills

• Have a positive attitude
• Be a team player
• Communicate effectively
• Exude confidence
• Develop creative skills
• Accept and learn from criticism
• Motivate yourself and lead others
• Prioritize your to do list
• See the big picture.

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Soft Skills Employers Want

• Top 25 Soft Skills employers look for
• from Monster.com
• Oral/spoken communication skills
• Written communication skills
• Honesty
• Teamwork/collaboration skills
• Self-motivation/initiative
• Work ethic/dependability
• Critical thinking
• Risk-taking skills

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Soft Skills Employers Want, cont.

• 09. Flexibility/adaptability
• 10. Leadership skills
• 11. Interpersonal skills
• 12. Working under pressure
• 13. Questioning skills
• 14. Creativity
• 15. Influencing skills
• 16. Research skills
• 17. Organization skills

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Soft Skills Employers Want, cont.

• 18. Problem-solving skills
• 19. Multicultural skills
• 20. Computer skills
• 21. Academic/learning skills
• 22. Detail orientation
• 23. Quantitative skills
• 24. Teaching/training skills
• 25. Time management skills

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Life Skills Spectrum
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CORE LIFE SKILLS STRATEGIES

• UNICEF, UNESCO and WHO list ten(10) core life
  skills strategies
• 01. Communication skill,
• 02. Problem solving,
• 03. Critical thinking,
• 04. Creative thinking,
• 05. Decision-making,
• 06. Interpersonal skills,
• 07. Self-awareness building skills,
• 08. Empathy,
• 09. Coping with stress, and
• 10. Coping with emotions

Now - let's group
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Learning to know Cognitive abilities Decisio
n making and problem solving skills Critical
thinking skills
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Learning to be Personal abilities Skills for
increasing internal locus of control Skills for
managing feelings Skills for managing stress
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Learning to live together Interpersonal
abilities Interpersonal communication
skills Negotiation and refusal
skills Empathy Cooperation and teamwork Advocacy
skills
Now - let's get into the details
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• Learning to know Cognitive abilities
• Decision making and problem solving skills
• Information gathering skills
• Evaluating future consequences of
• present actions for self and others
• Determining alternative solutions to problems
• Skills of analysis regarding the influence of
• values and attitudes of
• self and others on motivation

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Learning to know Cognitive abilities -
continued Critical thinking skills Analyzing
peer and media influences Analyzing attitudes,
values, social norms and beliefs and factors
affecting these Identifying relevant
information and information sources
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Learning to be Personal abilities Skills for
increasing internal locus of control
Self-esteem and confidence-building skills
Self-awareness skills including awareness of
rights, influences, values, attitudes,
strengths and weaknesses Goal-setting skills
Self-evaluation, self-assessment, and
self-monitoring skills
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Skills for managing feelings Anger
management Dealing with grief and anxiety
Coping skills for dealing with loss, abuse,
trauma
Learning to be Personal abilities -
continued
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Skills for managing stress Time management
Positive thinking Relaxation techniques
Learning to be Personal abilities -
continued
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Learning to live together Interpersonal
abilities Interpersonal communication skills
Verbal and nonverbal communication Active
listening Expressing feelings giving
feedback (without blaming) and receiving
feedback
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Learning to live together Interpersonal
abilities - continued
Negotiation and refusal skills Negotiation and
conflict management Assertiveness skills
Refusal skills
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Learning to live together Interpersonal
abilities - continued
Empathy Ability to listen to and understand
another's needs and circumstances and express
that understanding
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Learning to live together Interpersonal
abilities - continued
Cooperation and teamwork Expressing respect for
others' contributions and different styles
Assessing one's own abilities and contributing
to the group
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Learning to live together Interpersonal
abilities - continued
Advocacy skills Skills of influence and
persuasion Networking and motivation skills
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Each of the skills can be detailed further for
example Communication Skills - includes

• Verbal and Non-verbal communication
• Listening and giving feedback
• Culture and language specific skills like
  Phonetics, Accent training, dressing sense, etc
• Presentation skills
• Public speaking skills
• Negotiation and refusal skills
• Assertiveness skills to manage conflicts, etc

Getting worried ! Makeup your Mind.
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When you believe something is impossible, your
mind goes to work for you to prove why. But,
when you believe, really believe, something can
be done, your mind goes to work for you and
help to find the ways to do it.
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• Better Self-awareness leads to
• better self-management

Self-awareness
Self-management
Self-esteem
Self-confidence
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Be the best
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For the sake of record
As on 30th Aug 2010 -
Prof. V. Viswanadham has uploaded live recordings
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