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Business Soft Skills Part 1: Effective Comunication for Collaboration and Trust

Module overview

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Introduction to the Module Learning Contents Best Practices Bibliography

Introduction to the Module

The fast pace of the changing world makes it necessary to adapt quickly to new expectations on the market. Agri-food industry is not different, and despite the fact that we often think about technical skills needed for a particular job and specialist knowledge, it is important to note, that these hard skills are not necessarily the only we need. There are more and more businesses which look for employees who are familiar with soft skills.

Soft skills are the ability to work and communicate effectively and without problems with others, which may include your personal approach to work, positivity, collaboration, and trust. However, it begs the question of why employers value soft skills. That is because these interpersonal skills are difficult to teach, there are not many people who know how to apply them in real-life situations, which is why we need to focus on them more and begin to develop them effectively.

In this module, we will explore the specificity and role of soft skills such as effective communication, trust and relationship-building, empathy in negotiation and collaboration with a view to agri-food industry, and how to develop and apply them in real-life situations.

Competences you will develop:

This module aims to develop and enhance several key competences in participants:

Openness to others and trust: Participants will be ready to be more open when it comes to contacts with people, and trust which is a milestone in effective communication in business.

Teamwork ability: The module includes practical activities which are based on teamwork. Participants will be able to face possible challenges and to put their soft-skill knowledge into practice.

Communicativeness: Thank to the practical activities, and the theoretical part including helpful methods of communication, the participants will become proficient in effective communication, negotiations, and stating their opinions.

Building lasting relationships with customers/partners: The chapter will enable the participants to build valuable relationships with customers and partners, and it will provide some techniques to make sure that these relationships will be long-held.

Negotiation skills: As the industries constantly develop, as it is also in the case of agri-food industry, there is a need for negotiations skills which will enable people taking care of their companies but also, they won’t forget about well-being of their customers and partners, which also contributes to long-lasting relationships.

Effective problem-solving: Participants will gain problem-solving skills through practical methods and activities based on teamwork. Such skills are closely related to effective communication and trust-building.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this module, participants will be able to:

  • Explore and understand the role of trust, communication, and empathy in negotiation and relationship building: Throughout this module you will be presented the reasons why trust-building is so important, how to communicate effortlessly. You will also develop a thorough understanding of the importance of empathy in business and its well-being.
  • Develop effective negotiation skills for successful business partnerships: By the end of this module, you will be able to negotiate successfully with the use of some useful techniques.
  • Build lasting relationships with customers, partners, and stakeholders: You will find it necessary to build long-lasting relationships with the surrounding society in your business, and how to gain such valuable relationships.
  • Address the challenges and potential conflicts in agri-food partnerships: You will gain insight into possible challenges and conflicts in agri-food partnerships arising from poor communication and trust. This will help you avoid such situations, and if they arise, you will be able to deal with them.

By focusing on these competences and achieving these learning outcomes, you will be well-equipped to communicate effectively, and address potential challenges in business with application of soft skills.