The Soft Skills Guy Damien Clarke

Let's define what is meant by soft skills in the workplace. Soft skills refer to interpersonal abilities that enable staff members to forge genuine connections, foster trustworthiness and ultimately create lasting, trust-based relationships with customers and fellow colleagues. Pretty important stuff don’t you think! These skills include effective communication, empathy, active listening, conflict resolution, and much much more.

However, today's podcast is about self-limiting beliefs. These are internal beliefs that staff members may unknowingly hold onto, which can impede their ability to effectively apply these critical soft skills. These beliefs can manifest in many different ways, such as a fear of failure, a lack of confidence, or a belief that they're not good enough.

So, how do these self-limiting beliefs affect staff training in soft skills? Well, the first and most obvious effect is that staff members may be resistant to learning new skills if they believe they're not capable of mastering them. This can lead to a lack of engagement in training programs and a reluctance to put new skills into practice.

Additionally, self-limiting beliefs can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where staff members don't even attempt to apply soft skills in their interactions with customers because they don't believe they'll be successful. This can result in missed opportunities to create meaningful connections with customers, which can ultimately impact the success of the business.

Self-limiting beliefs can lead to a lack of confidence in staff members, which can make them less effective in their interactions with customers. When staff members don't believe in themselves, it can be difficult for them to establish trust with customers and build lasting relationships.

So, how can businesses address these self-limiting beliefs and empower their staff to develop their soft skills? The first step is to create a culture of growth and continuous learning, where staff members feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes. This can help to break down the barriers created by self-limiting beliefs and encourage staff members to embrace new challenges and opportunities for growth.

Additionally, it's important to provide ongoing support and coaching to staff members as they work to develop their soft skills. This can include regular feedback sessions, on going coaching sessions and opportunities for staff members to practice their skills in real-world scenarios.

Overall, the key to overcoming self-limiting beliefs and developing soft skills is to provide staff members with a comprehensive and integrated training program that addresses both the internal barriers and the external skills necessary for success. With the right training and support, staff members can break free from their self-imposed limitations and achieve their full potential, benefiting both themselves and the business as a whole.

With competition ever increasing, some businesses believe that lowering their prices will increase sales and be their point of difference, however, highly skilled staff in soft skills will be your businesses point of difference and Damien has been advocating this for years!

In Episode 66 of The Soft Skills Guy, Damien shares his recent experience with a customer service representative at Melbourne airport who failed to deliver satisfactory service. Damien emphasises the importance of providing outstanding customer service and how it can make a significant difference in business. He introduces the ESEEE Customer Service Method, which stands for Eye Contact, Smile, Enthusiastic Greeting, Empathise and Engage, and Educate.

Damien elaborates on the five key elements of the ESEEE method, beginning with Eye Contact, which he believes is essential for creating a connection with the customer. The next key element is Smile, which conveys positivity and warmth to the customer. Enthusiastic Greeting is the third element, and Damien emphasizes the importance of showing a genuine interest in the customer's needs. Empathise and Engage is the fourth element of the ESEEE method, which entails understanding and responding to the customer's needs. Lastly, Educate, the fifth element, is about providing additional information to the customer that could be helpful in the future.

Damien compares his experience at the customer service desk with that of a bar attendant who showed exemplary customer service. The bar attendant was attentive, empathetic and friendly, which made a significant impact on Damien's overall experience.

In conclusion, the ESEEE method is a simple yet effective way to provide outstanding Customer Service. It entails making eye contact, smiling, greeting enthusiastically, empathising and engaging and educating customers. These soft skills can make a huge difference in business and can help establish long-term customer relationships.

I have always had a passion for delivering outstanding customer service and I’ve always held the belief that your point of difference in your business is customer service. Today I'll be exploring the data and research that supports the importance of customer service, I'll be discussing how customer service can be your unique selling proposition or USP, I'll also touch on the famous quote that says, "A customer won't remember what you said, they won't remember what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel!" Finally, I'll be talking about how social media plays a critical role in the reputation of your business and how businesses must be aware of the implications of poor customer service in the digital age.

It’s important to consider the importance of soft skills in leadership. A leader's success is not only measured by their technical skills but also by their ability to work effectively with others. Soft skills are essential in leadership because they help you understand your team's strengths and weaknesses; inspire and motivate your team to perform at their best; navigate conflicts and challenges; foster collaboration and teamwork.



With that in mind, it’s also important to look at some areas of where you can improve your soft skills as a leader:



Practice empathy: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It's essential in leadership because it helps you understand your team's needs and concerns. To practice empathy, listen actively to your team members, show genuine interest in their opinions, and try to put yourself in their shoes.



Develop emotional intelligence: now Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. It's crucial in leadership because it helps you respond appropriately to different situations. To develop emotional intelligence, practice self-awareness, regulate your emotions, and show empathy towards others.



Foster teamwork: Teamwork is essential in any workplace, and as a leader, you should encourage collaboration and create a supportive environment. To foster teamwork, set clear expectations, provide feedback, and recognise and reward team members' contributions.

You need to consider the importance of communication in the workplace. Communication is a two-way process of exchanging information, ideas, and opinions. Effective communication is crucial in any workplace because it helps to build better relationships with colleagues and ensures everyone is on the same page and understands their roles and responsibilities.

It helps to resolve conflicts and misunderstandings, boosts productivity and increases job satisfaction and staff engagement. Listen along as Damien shares some practical tips to improve your communication skills. Good communication involves listening as much as talking. Active listening means paying attention to the speaker, maintaining eye contact, and responding appropriately to what they say. Be clear and concise: Avoid using jargon or technical terms that may confuse your colleagues. Use clear, simple language and try to get to the point quickly. Use nonverbal cues: Your body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions can all convey important information. Be aware of how you're coming across and try to project a positive and confident demeanor. Seek feedback: It's important to seek feedback from your colleagues and managers to help you understand how you're coming across. Ask for constructive criticism and be open to suggestions for improvement.

Effective communication can help you build stronger relationships in the workplace. By communicating well, you can: Build trust and rapport with your colleagues and managers. Demonstrate your expertise and knowledge and it shows that you value and respect your colleagues' opinions and ideas. Effective communication also helps to Identify and solve problems more quickly and effectively and also to Collaborate more effectively on projects and tasks. It's important to remember that effective communication is a two-way street. It's not just about getting your message across; it's also about understanding your colleagues' perspectives and responding appropriately. By taking the time to listen actively and seek feedback, you can improve your communication skills and build stronger relationships in the workplace.

So, what exactly are soft skills? Soft skills are a set of personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. These skills include things like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, time management, adaptability, and empathy. Essentially, soft skills are those intangible qualities that make a person a good team player, a good communicator, and a good leader. Many job seekers often focus solely on their technical abilities, and naturally detail these in their resumes and cover letters and rightly so to some degree, depending on the role. While these skills are certainly important, they’re not the only factors that employers look for when evaluating candidates. In fact, in many cases, employers are just as interested in a candidate's soft skills as they are in their technical skills and sometimes more emphasis is placed onto soft skills.

Soft skills are particularly important in today's workforce because the nature of work is changing – big time! With the rise of automation and artificial intelligence or AI, many technical jobs are becoming automated, meaning that technical skills are becoming less important. Instead, what employers are looking for are individuals who can work well in teams, communicate effectively with others, and adapt to changing circumstances. These are all skills that fall under the umbrella of soft skills.