BASIC SOFTSKILLS TRAINING GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

?Any organization is manned by people, therefore soft skills are all about how you deal with people and present yourself. Though it may be easier said than done, soft skills can be enhanced simply by being aware of oneself and living consciously.?

Here is a simple guide of best practices followed at LogicMatter; I created this guide using all the past challenges and observations while working with different? teams. These are simple tips and practices to help you communicate more effectively.

At LogicMatter, while we encourage self learning, employees are encouraged to collaborate with other more experienced team members when in doubt. One major hurdle that individuals face is not coming up and saying they have not understood / do not have the capability to do the requirement/ or just? do not know how. The? general fear is being fired at or ridiculed. It is better to face it and openly discuss the problems with your PM and Team members, then doing something which may be completely wrong and hamper the deliverables.

Another challenge I have observed that employees often face is? Client Meetings and Client calls. This Meeting practices and etiquette guide is to? help come prepared and confident for such meetings.

MEETING PRACTICES

Before the start of the Meeting

• Give adequate notice about the date and time of the meeting.
• Meetings can be regular weekly updates or Ad hoc meetings
• Meetings notices are sent ahead of time using Google Calendar to the client
• Always Check the phone lines/ internet
• Switch off mobiles or keep on silent mode?
• Send the PPT beforehand? or any other shared matter to the client via email so they can open it, in case there are issues in web conferencing. Send out meeting-related materials in advance so that participants are familiar with the material and you won't have to take time explaining basic information during meetings
• Close all programs on your computer that you will not be using during your meeting, and? be ready with all the relevant windows open and ready before you start the meeting
• Wi-fi connections may result in lag or quality issues - be ready with other options ? namely Skype, landline or Mobile; in case the voice connection on Web conferencing is not clear - Dial directly using other alternatives and continue using web conferencing only for screen sharing.
• Please keep in mind to be logged on well before the time of meeting - At Least 5 to 10 minutes before the time of the meeting.
• Familiarize yourself with the agenda, meeting materials, etiquette rules and tech specs.

During the Meeting

• Always start by introducing yourself followed by a greeting -? Hi.. this is Akshara..; good morning/ evening
• Introduce others in the room
• Please keep in mind the topic for the meeting and stick to the agenda
• Sometimes the Client may make some small talk - Like how are you doing? or how was your weekend? respond to the small talk - I am doing good.. how are you? or I am doing great, last weekend we celebrated Holi, spent time with my family.” etc
• Always state the context? (a little background) before jumping into the conversation
• Keep conversations to the point, brief, clear? and? targeted at whatever info is needed so the call can be finished faster. Long calls can make clients impatient and irritable.
• Responding with irritation is not an option
• Mute when not speaking
• Listen carefully and be ready to take notes to catch relevant info
• Record meetings and listen to the recordings
• Wait for others to complete what they are saying before interrupting. When you want to add a point you can say “ Aryana here, I wished to comment on ….)
• Do NOT converse internally while the client is talking. There is every chance you would have missed some important point; besides it is rude to talk while someone else is talking
• While explaining or making a presentation -Move at a methodical pace when presenting and periodically review the audience feedback indicators
• Understand that the person on the other end does not know what you do.. so be clear while explaining.. why, how, what etc of the info - Do not assume the other person knows what you are talking about. Just a brief background helps when you are discussing something new. Context is important
• Follow simple courtesy and politeness during the call like saying “sorry to keep you waiting - just checking ...” or this may take some time, would you like to wait? or shall I call back later with …..? or “thank you for explaining this to us” “what you said was very helpful and will help resolve this issue.” Thanks for taking time out to explain” Respect for others time is very important
• When you are not sure about something; it is a bad sign to hesitate; Eg: hmmmm- Stammer, besides answering when you are not sure about something would mean giving wrong information. In such cases when not sure,? inform the other person that you will need to check on the topic and you will have the answer ready by …… (Timeframes are important.)
• Avoid keeping people on hold for a long time, avoid long silences when you are checking something. Always let the client know what you are doing; incase there is some issue due to internet/ voice or you are unable to open some files, Incase it is taking longer time to resolve something; speak to the customer and let him know “it will take longer and? Check if he/she is fine with that or you could call back later.
• Stay calm and sort out issues during the call.
• If there is something that you do not understand; ?repeat what you understood and check with the client if you have understood correctly. It is okay to clear doubts on the call then doing rework as you have misunderstood what the client has said.
• Sometimes on a client call, the client may expect time estimates to be made during the call; when you are unclear with regard to these estimates, it is advisable to inform the client that you will get back to them by …. Have a definite timeline to get back to them with the estimates after discussing with your team members.?
• Most of the time the tendency of the team is to agree to everything the client says in the meeting without actually understanding the underlying challenges or doing any sort of analysis. It is always advisable to say that you will get back after analyzing the requirement when in doubt.
• ?Clearing misunderstandings at the onset is better than lots of rework later.
• End the meeting with a short synopsis of what was spoken and sign off with “Bye and Have a great day/ weekend”
• Always follow up with an email with the minutes of? meeting (MOM)
• Listen to feedback and improve?

Voice and Speech Etiquette

• Speak at an even speed, not to slow (till the other person falls asleep :) or too fast
• Speak clearly and loud enough to be heard. Most of the time on Client calls, you will be speaking using the speaker phones and the voice may not carry if you are too soft.
• ?While talking to others, your voice, tone and tenor must be audible and soothing. It should not be aggressive or in a shouting mode but audible.
• Finally Follow sentences with a pause

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

• Be a proactive listener and genuinely empathize with others
• Do not speak ill of others . Your communication should not provoke others
• Continuously reciprocate to encourage communication. If you do not reciprocate at least with a 'thanks' when you get information from a source on your online network or your offline network, you will not be remembered the next time
• Greet your peers, subordinates and boss once you enter the office. Smile at even the 'security' personnel standing at the gate, who take care of your safety.
• Look at the other people’s point of view- empathy is important.
• Political and religious comments must be avoided at all costs in the workplace, when you are in a group.

EMAIL ETIQUETTE

• Emails to Clients and internally should always be sent with a CC to the project group email. This way everyone in the team is aware of developments in the project.
• DATE : Remember date should always be in the MM/DD/YY format for US and clients in Europe? at all times in your communication with clients
• Communication should be clear, direct and simple. Avoid using big words to impress readers.
• Subject - Should be one line that conveys the reason for the email. Something like a headline in the newspaper.
• Always start with a greeting.
• Always write short - medium length sentences. Crisp sentence structures will protect you and your readers from getting lost in them. In addition to being easy to understand, short sentences come across as powerful and confident.?
• Promptly acknowledging emails so the other person is aware that you have checked the mail and some action is being taken. ?It is essential for the response to be immediate. if you need time to analyze; respond back saying, you will get back with an update by … time; so the client is aware that the email has been received and read by you.
• Always follow up a call with an email to the person with details of the discussion or resolution so it is clearly understood and perceived correctly by both parties.
• While emailing customers with critical emails - always CC the Project Manager and Team Lead or the relevant higher authority. If there is no response from the customer and this may bring up critical risks in the project; make sure it is known to the Project Owners so risks can be addressed immediately
• Follow ups are important and the emails should be worded politely.?
• “Could you please” is commonly used - you could use? “Please send me the data” ....with the action required or “I would truly appreciate it if you would....”
• While forwarding mail, ensure the original email cc list, date and other details that normally show up at the top of the email is deleted and only the actual message is forwarded
• Recognize opportunities to say thank you and be specific while thanking. Eg: Thanks so much for your support in clearing my queries

Format

• Writing in CAPITAL is considered rude.?
• Leave out/ delete the sent info? in emails that are forwarded
• Use simple formatting (Arial/ Sans Serif)
• The date format can get confusing ; it is better to say eg: 26th Feb 2015 rather than 2/26/2015 (MM/DD/YY) or 26/2/2015 (DD/MM/YY)
• While cutting and pasting from a different location; ensure that the entire email has a common format. Often we send the email and the receiver gets to read an email with different size and style of fonts. This is unacceptable.

????????????Eg:

?Dear John

????????????Hope you are doing great.

????????????Thank you for letting us know about your feedback for our platform .

(I have?copied this sentence from some other email).?

Best regards,

Body of the email - Basic letter writing rules

• Respond to unclear email by Reiterating to the other person what you understood in case the email is not clear; to avoid rework.
• Being concise and to the point
• The? body of the email must follow a logical sequence. Ideally write in points any issues and arrange it in? logical order.
• End with a single line reiterating the action to be taken and a single line saying that - We appreciate your business. For any queries, please contact me on [email protected].
• Always read the email before sending it so corrections can be made.
• Most important : Proof read- don't just read or skim.?
• Proof read- is to double check if the language, matter is accurate. Always proofread after writing the email
• ?Make sure the subject line is precise and up to date. Change it if the subject has evolved to actually represent the current email being sent especially in emails threads
• Review each name and email address of recipients, including any Cc or Copy to recipients. Although you will receive an error message if an email is undeliverable, you can only guarantee that it will go to the correct person if you check the address.?
• Confirm that any attachments are attached. Open them to be sure they are the correct versions, and be sure they are described accurately in the email. For example, unless a proposal is a price quote in your business, do not use those terms interchangeably.?
• Double-check the spelling of names. Check the signature block of any message you are replying to, to be sure you are writing to Kathryn rather than Katherine, Catharine, or Kathy. Also, be careful of organization names and abbreviations.?
• Check dates, times, and day-date combinations. Open your calendar to be sure May 1 is a Friday (it's not). Also, check dates and times carefully before sending a meeting request, and remember that Outlook adjusts meeting times for the time zones of your recipients.
• Test every hyperlink. Be sure it is live and accurate. Remember that your grammar and spelling checker will not flag a typo in a URL. Also, be sure the email describes the link accurately.?
• Check all numbers in a separate proofreading step--items such as purchase order numbers, case numbers, page numbers, prices, invoices, phone numbers, and addresses. Compare the numbers in the email with any source documents whenever possible.?
• Proofread (don't just read) to be sure the message makes sense and is free of typos and missing words. Proofread again whenever you revise a section, to avoid errors like "We require a cover letter and application." Read aloud to help you slow down and focus, and be sure the font is large enough. If you cannot distinguish a comma from a semicolon, the font is too small for proofreading.

COMMON GRAMATICAL MISTAKES:

• Contractions and abbreviations : Contractions such as that's, it's, and who's - These are abbreviations for it is, who is, that is can be easily confused for possessive forms (for example, belonging to it ). Readers both near and far may misunderstand abbreviations and acronyms. ?As a practice it is better to avoid using abbreviations to prevent misunderstanding.
• Grammar - Punctuation? :- A full stop (.) signifies a long pause and comma (,) is for a short pause. Punctuations are basically a guide to the readers to convey the exact meaning of what is being said by the writer with the appropriate punctuations. Wrong punctuation or no punctuation can at times change the meaning of the sentence.
• Punctuation in lists:? Be consistent. Check your bulleted and numbered lists to make sure they are rendered consistently. You don't need to punctuate all lists the same way, but similarly structured lists need the same punctuation.?
• Use of verbs: We tend to use unnecessary verbs while forming a sentence. Make simple sentences.

???????????Eg?

???????????We have visited Warangal last weekend - Wrong

We visited Warangal last weekend - Right

We have run the query in the staging server - Wrong

We ran the query in the staging server - Right

In the wrong sentence, there are two verbs (Have and visited) which is not required in

this context. Keep things simple

• Use of prepositions: ? Often we see incorrect use of prepositions or unnecessary use of? prepositions. The best way to learn a language is to actually speak the language - Speak in English as much as possible and do not get offended if you are corrected. You will only get better.

????????????Eg of wrong use of preposition

She is married with a dentist - Wrong

She is married to a dentist - Right

? Eg? of unnecessary use of? prepositions

I enjoyed from the meeting - Wrong

I enjoyed the meeting - Right

As Aristotle said “ We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit. Make an effort to speak the language even while conversing with colleagues and friends; this? will not only improve your vocabulary, increase your confidence but also help a great deal in your career growth.?

Hope this article helps freshers with soft skills and avoid some of the common communication mistakes.

In the next article, I will cover common everyday phases while speaking to Clients/ Team Members, your colleagues or your friends.

All the best!!