In continuing with our Course Spotlight series, this month we are going to focus on courses that fall into the category of soft skills. Wikipedia defines soft skills as “a sociological term relating to a person’s EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with other people. Soft skills complement hard skills (part of a person’s IQ), which are the occupational requirements of a job and many other activities. Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual’s interactions, job performance and career prospects.”
Obviously soft skills are important in many facets of a person’s life, not just in one specific job or workplace. Gatlin International has several distance learning courses that fall into the soft skills category. Managing stress is one very important soft skill that just about everyone can benefit from. Below are two great eLearning courses in Gatlin International’s Soft Skills category that focus on managing stressful situations.
Better Handling the Stress of Being a Manager
Gatlin International’s stress management courses are designed to help managers cope with the challenges of today’s hectic work environment. Work-related stress is a growing phenomenon that concerns all sectors of activity and all professional categories. Given the effects of stress on the health and working capacity of individuals and, consequently, on company performance, it has come to be considered as the new corporate evil. And yet, when handled appropriately, stress can have a positive impact and help us surpass ourselves. Handling stress consists of using the pressure exerted on us as effectively as possible. Becoming aware of the causes of stress in our lives represents a first step. Thereafter, depending on the factors at play, we can take action to reduce stress in order to attain an optimal balance where stress becomes constructive.
After completing the stress management course, you will be able to:
• Know the level of your stress and its sources
• Better cope with situations typical of managerial stress
• Reduce stress factors which you can control
Managing Conflicts and Verbal Aggression from Clients
Gatlin International’s client management training course is ideal for anyone who deals with customers, vendors or interdepartmental personnel. Receiving verbal abuse from a dissatisfied client is never going to be pleasant. If this situation should occur several times within the same day or week, it will become extremely stressful for the person concerned, ultimately affecting their morale and motivation. However, a client who complains is also a client who wants to remain loyal to the company and provide it with information about certain failures. Giving consideration to such a client means ensuring their loyalty, and also represents a chance for increasing the quality of your service. This positive outcome implies being able to control emotions generated by verbal abuse. It also means mastering certain communication techniques to meet the client’s requirements as effectively as possible.
After completing the client management training course, you will be able to:
• Understand the role of emotions in order to control them better
• Respond to the demands of a dissatisfied client
If you would like to read more of the articles in our Course Spotlight series, you can click on our about our Digital Photography courses, our courses around working with children, or view two articles about courses in sustainability.