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I have a friend who is a character. You know the type; smart, witty, comical and loud. Loud in an obnoxiously funny sort of way. If you don’t know him very well, then you don’t know whether to take him seriously, or not. But above all, he has the gift of gab. He can grab your attention and hold it.
My friend has had the opportunity to return to school to pursue his degree and as such, has had to take many liberal arts classes that seem to offer very little to an adult already living in the business world. During a recent discussion, he commented that he had to take a public speaking class and did not see the relevance. He asked me what my opinion was and what classes did I feel were important to a student’s future success.
In my opinion it is not necessarily certain classes you must take, but classes that increase your skills in certain “key” skill areas. So, any class that can increase your competence in these “key” skill areas are classes that you should enroll in. The following is a list of the “key” areas that I think are important.
1. Public speaking
I know that no one wants to hear that, but it is true. If you are to succeed in your future adventures, public speaking will almost certainly play a role. If you work for someone else, then at some point, your boss will look to you to make a presentation about some concept, new product or service, how to cut costs or something as equally boring. If you are self-employed, you will almost certainly have to present your goals to a group in order to secure financing for the growth and development of your business or to sell your ideas.
It is to your advantage to do whatever is necessary to overcome your inhibitions and fears of speaking to a crowd and dive into developing this skill. Most people ( the majority ) have this fear. For some it is paralyzing, but it can be overcome.
As a high school student, I was terrified. If I could get the teacher to go along with it, I would take a lower grade to avoid this misery. Later, I realized that in order to convey my message, I would have to develop the ability to stand before a group and explain to them the thoughts and ideas that I had. With much practice and encouragement, I was able to rise above my fears. If I can do it, anyone can do it. That’s a fact!
2. Writing skills
Along with being able to speak in public, you must be able to outline and explain yourself through the written word. Being able to write well enables you to spread your message to people that you may never meet. Perhaps your company has an office or interests on the other side of the world and you need to inform them of some new agenda. How well you write can help you or it can hurt you.
If you are well read ( you read a lot ), then writing is a skill area where you are probably proficient. Most people who read a lot write very well. So, one way to increase your writing ability is to read more. Of course, you can take classes. It is up to you.
3. Human relations
How you deal with people in one-on-one situations is what I consider to be human relations. I guess it can also encompass how you present yourself to a group. Whatever your definition, how you deal with people is probably the most important skill area affecting your ability to reach your potential.
In conversation with others, what is your demeanor? Do you listen well? Do you pay attention? While they are talking, are you preparing your response? Are you ready for them to shut up so you can get to the “important” stuff? Are you empathetic to the speaker? What is your body position? Does it matter?
Most of the time, how we act and react to others will determine the extent of our successes. If you are a “people person” then you will be more highly thought of by your peers and subordinates. This translates into: support for your ideas and projects, help with problems and people speaking to others about you favorably.
You cannot spend too much time or effort in developing your people skills. You can read and/or take classes, but by simple observation, you will learn more than in any other way.
Choose to watch people that you know have excellent people skills. What do they do that is different than what you do? Then watch people with poor people skills. Those people with excellent people skills will show you how to inspire trust, hope, hard work and dedication in others. Observing those with poor people skills will teach you how to develop contempt, anger, distrust and a lack of cooperation in those you deal with.
Become a people watcher – the dividends can be unlimited.
4. Computer skills
There is simply no way around it. If you are to succeed, then you must be comfortable and proficient with your computer. You must know your way around a computer and the internet. You must know how to use computer application software. You must keep up with emerging computer technologies and how you may exploit them.
Fortunately, computer technology and computer application software is becoming more and more user-friendly. This translates into shorter learning curves. Usually, the biggest holdup is our own apprehension. Dive in and get started. You can always reboot and start over if all else fails.
Tags: key+skills+for+success, key+skills, potential
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