This December, Faculty Training Institute (FTI) is launching an intensive Soft Skills Bootcamp for Knowledge Professionals aimed at business analysts, project managers, QA and testers and other roles where "people skills" are fundamental to success. This one-week course ensures that participants understand their role is as much about working with people as it is about technical excellence and that soft skills are essential in achieving higher levels of personal and professional performance.
According to Mike Eccles, Programme Director at Faculty Training Institute, there is a tendency to focus on the hard skills around the role of the knowledge professional as opposed to soft skills. "Hard skills such as modelling, estimating and specification are well defined and relatively simple to acquire. Soft skills such as communication, creative thinking, facilitation and being a team player are more subjective and intuitive and therefore more difficult to master.
"Inherent in the business analysis and project management professions is the 'change agent' hat that incumbents often wear. Their interventions require managing the softer side of human relations using strong communication, negotiation, facilitation, empathy and leadership skills. They can therefore trigger situations or conditions in others, such as fear of losing one's job and dealing with people's resistance to change."
We are not only judged on how smart we are, or by our qualifications and expertise, but also on how we handle ourselves and others. "It is therefore vital that we master soft skills for professional excellence."
The Soft Skills Bootcamp for Knowledge Professionals is aimed at enhancing delegates' personal and productivity skills. After completing the course, delegates will have:
* Increased self-awareness and understanding of the behaviour of others
* Techniques to enhance their level of personal effectiveness, including brain storming, mind mapping, decomposition, note taking, information gathering, meeting management and business writing skills
* Understanding of the analytical, critical and creative styles of thinking and the value of embracing all three styles
* Techniques that are effective in solving problems, including root cause analysis
* Appreciation of the role of the facilitator, and the ability to plan and conduct a facilitation workshop
* Know how to resolve conflict in the context of mature knowledge workers
Typical delegates include business analysts, project managers, managers from various disciplines, administrative staff, personnel and management consultants. The course has wide appeal. Delegates may be drawn from many different levels and experience and from any area of the business. The skills developed are of special value to delegates whose responsibilities include managing relationships, communication (listening and questioning), facilitating workshops and the understanding and solution of business problems, especially those requiring creative and different solutions.
For further information about the Soft Skills Bootcamp for Knowledge Professionals, or to book for the course commencing on 2 December in Cape Town and 9 December in Johannesburg, please contact Candice in Cape Town at Candice@fti.co.za / (021)683 4506 or Kirsty in Johannesburg at Kirsty@fti.co.za / (011) 807 9478.
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