FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Soft skills, usually referred to as interpersonal or people skills are critical for both professional and personal success. Communication, cooperation, leadership, emotional intelligence, time management, and other skills are among them. Investing in soft skill development may result in a variety of benefits, including improved connections with coworkers, more job satisfaction, and better career progression chances.
It is never too late to focus on building soft skills and understanding how they may help you achieve your full potential both personally and professionally.
| NAME | Link | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Public Speaking | link | 3 Weeks |
| Storytelling in the Workplace | link | 3 Weeks |
| Successful Presentation | link | 4 Weeks |
| Successful Negotiation:
Essential Strategies and Skills | link | 4 Weeks |
| Strategic Leadership and
Management Specialization | link | 8 Months |
| Influencing: Storytelling,
Change Management and Governance Specialization | link | 6 Months |
| People and Soft Skills for
Professional and Personal Success Specialization | link | 2 Months |
| Business Communication | link | 3 Weeks |
| Visual Presentation | link | 3 Weeks |
| Teamwork Skills: Communicating
Effectively in Groups | link | 3 Weeks |
Soft skills are essential for a person's success in both their personal and professional lives. Soft skills are in high demand in today's work market and are regarded as a valued asset by employers. Soft talents that are widely sought after in the job market include the ability to communicate effectively, work well in a team, lead people, and regulate emotions.
Organizations understand that having great soft skills may have a major influence on their bottom line. Employees with great communication skills, for example, may successfully transmit information, manage problems, and develop positive connections with their colleagues, clients, and stakeholders. Employees with good leadership abilities can better encourage and inspire their colleagues to attain their objectives.
Furthermore, people with well-developed soft skills are more likely to be flexible and adaptive in a continuously changing employment market, people with well-developed soft skills are more likely to be flexible and adaptive. They are more adaptable to new situations, can deal with ambiguity, and think imaginatively. As a result, they are important assets to organizations, increasing their prospects of job stability and professional growth.
About: This is a MOOC titled "Public Speaking" offered by edX. The course is designed for individuals who want to enhance their public speaking skills.
What you'll learn:
- How to apply the basic elements of the speech communication process
- Tools and methods for controlling public speaking anxiety
- How to craft a clear and impactful speech
- How to critique other communicators using the principles of this course
- How to identify main and supporting ideas
How you'll learn:
- MOOC Platform: edX
- Instructor: Dr. Keith B. Jenkins, Professor of Communication in the School of Communication
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 3 Weeks, Self-paced
- Certificate: Available (there is a fee for the certificate)
About: This course covers a wide range of topics related to storytelling, including storytelling techniques, storytelling in various mediums, and how to use storytelling to engage and persuade your audience. You will learn how to structure a compelling story, develop characters and themes, and use storytelling to build relationships with your audience.
What you’ll learn:
- Understand the elements of effective stories and how to use them in the workplace
- How to tailor your messaging to a defined target audience
- How to structure written messages for maximum audience impact, taking into consideration tone, style, point of view
- How various platforms convey messages differently in a professional setting
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: edX
- Instructor: Thomas Dooley, lecturer in the School of Communication at the Rochester Institute of Technology
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 3 Weeks, self-paced
- Certificate: Available, upon payment of a fee
About: The MOOC "Successful Presentation" is designed to help individuals develop their presentation skills and become confident and effective speakers.
What you’ll learn:
Execute a public performance of the private self.
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: Coursera
- Instructor: William Kuskin, Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 3 weeks
- Certificate: Available with paid course(Upon completion of the course and passing the final exam)
About: Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills is a MOOC offered through Coursera. The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of negotiation strategies and skills that are essential for success in both personal and professional contexts.
What you’ll learn: In the course, you’ll learn about and practice the four steps to a successful negotiation:
- Prepare: Plan Your Negotiation Strategy
- Negotiate: Use Key Tactics for Success
- Close: Create a Contract
- Perform and Evaluate: The End Game
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: Coursera
- Instructor: George J. Siedel, Professor of Business Law, University of Michigan
- Level: Intermediate
- Duration: 3 weeks
- Certificate: Available with paid course(Upon completion of the course and passing the final assessment)
About: The "Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization" is a MOOC offered through Coursera. It aims to provide learners with an in-depth understanding of the key principles and practices of effective leadership and management in the modern business environment.
What you'll learn:
Through this course, you will learn about the essential skills and knowledge required to become an effective leader and manager. Topics covered include strategic planning, decision-making, conflict resolution, leadership communication, and managing organizational change.
How you'll learn:
- MOOC Platform: Coursera
- Instructor: The course is taught by a team of experienced educators of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: Approx. 8 Months
- Certificate: Available (Upon completion of the course)
About: The "Influencing: Storytelling, Change Management and Governance Specialization" is a MOOC that is designed to help individuals understand the power of storytelling in influencing change and the impact of change management and governance on organizational success.
What you’ll learn:
- Apply a range of communication strategies to a variety of contexts to build rapport, overcome resistance, and find acceptance
- Expand your knowledge of, and personal competence in, negotiation and conflict resolution
- Develop a creative and practical change capability: the discipline of influencing yourself and others to achieve a purpose
- Design risk governance structures to ensure that your organization achieves its objectives, engaging all the relevant stakeholders
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: Coursera
- Instructors: The course is taught by a team of experienced educators from Macquarie University
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: self paced, approx. 6 months
- Certificate: Available (upon completion of all courses and passing the final exam)
About: This MOOC, People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization, is a comprehensive program designed to help individuals develop their soft skills to excel in both personal and professional life.
What you’ll learn:
- Create and deliver presentations that will leave a lasting impact on your audience
- Communicate with your peers in a way that builds your personal reputation and increases your eminence
- Demonstrate active listening skills and questioning styles to explore issues, enhance understanding, and resolve problems
- Complete work in an agile and effective manner that will ensure satisfaction and contribute to your career growth
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: Coursera
- Instructors: IBM Skills Network
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: Approx. 2 months
- Certificate: Available (Upon completion of the course and passing the final exam)
About: The MOOC "Business Communication" is an online course offered by edX. It focuses on teaching individuals the essential skills and techniques required for effective communication in a business setting.
What you’ll learn:
- How to critically evaluate your role in workplace interactions
- How to employ strategies for active listening
- How to ask questions that move conversations forward
- How to communicate ideas clearly and succinctly
- How to assess the needs of clients and colleagues
- Best practices for face-to-face and remote communication
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: edX
- Instructor: Andrea Hickerson, PhD, is the Former Director of the School of Communication at RIT and an Associate Professor of Journalism.
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 3 Weeks
- Certificate: Available (Upon completion)
About: Visual elements play a crucial role in effective communication and presentation. They enhance branding, boost memory recall and increase awareness. A single relevant image can be more impactful than a section of text. This course covers the principles, best practices, and ethics of visual communication for non-designer professionals as part of the Communication Skills Professional Certificate program. Participants will create visual content for target audiences and analyze visual messages in media and digital platforms.
What you’ll learn:
- How to utilize best practices for presenting quantitative data using images
- How to incorporate basics of visual design in everyday workplace presentations
- How to select impactful and appropriate images for various audiences to support your message
- How to understand the visual hierarchy and other text-to-image relationships
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: edX
- Instructor: Lori Marra, Former Senior Lecturer, School of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology & Kari Cameron, Senior Lecturer at Rochester Institute of Technology
- Level: Begineer
- Duration: 3 Weeks
- Certificate: Available (upon completion of the course and passing the final exam) Visual elements play a crucial role in effective communication and presentation. They enhance branding, boost memory recall and increase awareness. A single relevant image can be more impactful than a section of text. This course covers the principles, best practices, and ethics of visual communication for non-designer professionals as part of the Communication Skills Professional Certificate program. Participants will create visual content for target audiences and analyze visual messages in media and digital platforms.
What you’ll learn:
- How to utilize best practices for presenting quantitative data using images
- How to incorporate basics of visual design in everyday workplace presentations
- How to select impactful and appropriate images for various audiences to support your message
- How to understand the visual hierarchy and other text-to-image relationships
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: edX
- Instructor: Lori Marra, Former Senior Lecturer, School of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology & Kari Cameron, Senior Lecturer at Rochester Institute of Technology
- Level: Begineer
- Duration: 3 Weeks
- Certificate: Available (upon completion of the course and passing the final exam)
About: Effective teamwork and group communication are essential for your professional and personal success. In this course you will learn to: make better decisions, be more creative and innovative, manage conflict and work with difficult group members, negotiate for preferred outcomes, improve group communication in virtual environments, develop a better overall understanding of human interaction, and work more effectively as a team.
What you’ll learn:
- Recognize how hidden forces of context, systems, institutions, and interactions design affect group interaction
- Develop decision-making practices in order to become more creative and innovative
- Learn how to communicate to resolve or diffuse group conflicts
- Make better decisions about using technology for group work based on key practical and conceptual considerations
How you’ll learn:
- MOOC Platform: Coursera
- Instructor: Matthew A. Koschmann, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
- Level: Beginner
- Duration: 3 weeks
- Certificate: Available upon payment of a fee
