Communication at Work – Following Directions Goals for this Lesson Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved. Communication at Work – Following Directions Goals for this Lesson Students will understand the meaning of “hard” and “soft” skills in the workplace Students will identify different “hard” and “soft” skills Students will understand the rewards and consequences of effective business communications Communication is an essential element of business. Communication itself is a soft skill. This lesson provides examples of hard and soft skills in the workplace, following directions being of utmost importance.

Hard Skills – Easily Measurable Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved. Hard Skills – Easily Measurable Procedural Steps Administrative Tasks Machine Operation Financial Skills Typing Skills Language Skills Computer Skills An application for employment can show measurable skills such as certifications a potential employee possesses, words per minute they can type, or educational experience they have. These skills are “paper” skills and may be the types of skills that can “weed out” potential employees

Soft Skills – “People Skills” Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved. Soft Skills – “People Skills” Communication Oral Written Teamwork Diversity Goals Leadership Customer Service Decision-Making The “soft” skills are the ones that are not always easily measurable. These are “people” skills as opposed to “paper” skills. These skills are the ones that not only will help someone win over an interviewer, but also help an employee keep a job. Employees have to be able to work well with other people.

Following Directions – a “Soft” Skill Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved. Following Directions – a “Soft” Skill Types of Directions Employment Policies Training Manuals (How-to) Product User Guides One of the most important “soft” skills is that of following directions. Directions are part of any job, whether they are employment policies that must be followed as a condition of employment, or providing accurate directions to customers when it comes to training them on products they are contracting to purchase.

Rewards (of following directions) Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved. Rewards (of following directions) Increased employee morale Increased productivity Increased customer base Increased revenue Directions also include rules, guidelines, and procedures. When an employee is good at following directions, positive consequences follow. Employee morale increases because fellow employees are all following the policies which lead to productive employees, which leads to increased sales and customers.

Consequences (of not following directions) Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved. Consequences (of not following directions) Loss of business Employee termination Defective products Possible injury However, when rules, procedures, and guidelines are not adhered to, employees may lose their jobs, products could be created that are defective which could result in injury, and therefore, business could be lost as well.

Assignments Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved. “Hard” and “Soft” Skills Business Leader Report Assignment #1 Have students conduct Internet research of business leaders who possess “hard” skills versus “soft skills”. Type a report which states the leader’s particular career and summarizes which skills that career requires as well as which skills that leader is best known to possess. Use appropriate report formatting. This report will be evaluated according to the related rubric. These activities help students to understand that in real-life, business leaders possess these skills and students should learn to identify which ones are their strengths and which ones they may need to improve upon.