Professionalism
Area
Soft skills
Duration
5 sessions
Dimension of the advised group of students
One group of 10-20 people divided in small groups of 2 or 4, depending on the activity
Specific objectives
- to develop a sense of professionalism beyond looks and punctuality
- to take responsibility for their own behavior and work effectively with others
- to possess strong communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills
Needed Materials
Photocopies of activities
- Flip chart/markers
- Whiteboard
- Paper and writing instruments of choice for each participant
If the training is organized online one communication platform will be necessary.
Software
- One online communication platform, such us: Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, etc.
- In person, no software is needed.
Description
The activities included in Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success will help
participants conduct themselves with responsibility, integrity, accountability, and
excellence, as well as means communicate effectively and appropriately and always
finding a way to be productive.
The activities could be used with students at risk of demotivation because they are
appealing to their interests. Professionalism is not an easy skill to develop since it is the
make-up of many different skills all “mushed” together and tends to take years of
experience to perfect. Recognizing that there is a population of young people who may
struggle with one or more of the individual skills that make up professionalism, it is
important to provide a safe environment for all youth who are determined to practice
and reinforce these skills. Young people need an environment where they feel safe
enough to make mistakes, learn from their mistakes, and have opportunities (and the
encouragement) to try again. It is by offering a safe environment along with
encouragement that all youth can succeed and develop their own personal style of
professionalism.
Procedure on how to put in practice
One of the selected activities could be:
Self-Reflection
Duration: 60 minutes
No of participants: 10-20 students in pairs
Methods used: answering questions and reflecting on answers
Competences developed: critical thinking, self-reflection, self-assessment
Step-by-step description:
1. Ask the group what the term “self-reflection” means to them (solicit responses).
Discuss that self-reflection is a process of giving serious thought to our lives and
our decisions by examining our character, our actions and our motives and/or
motivations.
2. Ensure each participant has a piece of paper and the writing instruments of
choice. Ask a series of questions and ask participants to think very carefully and
then either draw or write their reactions on paper.
3. Ask for volunteers to talk about their rocking chair life story. Discuss with the
group how self-reflection activities have the power to help us make the personal
decisions necessary to plan for our futures.
4. Take self-reflection one-step further and ask participants to think about their
future career from today’s point of view. Participants answer 10 questions about
their future.
Debriefing question: Think about a time you needed to solve a personal problem and
you acted first and then reflected later. Now think about a time when you needed to
solve a problem and you reflected first and then acted. Which way turned out the best
for you? Why do you think this is so?
