In this interactive session, we are going to “reflect onward” to explore a paradigm shift and new pedagogy for oral communication, especially in online and hybrid classes that focuses on “soft skills” rather than just “speeches.” Then we are going to play Stump the Soft Skills. Join us!
Stump the Soft Skills: Expanding Communication Beyond Speeches
When we think of oral communication in academia, speeches are the first thing that come to mind. We envision a student, who looks fairly terrified, standing awkwardly at a podium and discussing something they may not care about to an audience not that engaged. This is true of the general education public speaking classes, as well as most courses that incorporate communication skills “training.” Though this antiquated version of presentations, which unfortunately supports a “one size fits all” approach, was maintained by some during the pandemic pivot, the pandemic shed a spotlight on the need for effective and authentic communication skills across a variety of platforms and modalities for all of us. Before we return to “business as usual,” we have the opportunity to reimagine soft skills training. Let’s seize it!
In this interactive session, we are going to heed the call of OLCACC22 of “Reflecting Onward: Evidence For a Changed World” and explore a paradigm shift and new pedagogy for oral communication, especially in online and hybrid classes. Using “soft skills” as our target rather than just “speeches” we are going to discuss ways to infuse this approach in classes across disciplines and audiences. Then we are going to play Stump the Soft Skills, an adaptation of an ESPN sports trivia show called Stump the Schwab, with a goal of highlighting all the ways we can empower students to share their stories while communicating in meaningful and authentic ways that offer “real world” skill development.
According to the US Dept of Labor, soft skills are “the competitive edge,” and are “even more important to work readiness.” Their website list 6 soft skills of great importance: networking, enthusiasm, professionalism, communication skills, teamwork, and problem solving and critical thinking. They recognize that communication skills are different in educational settings than in career fields. According to the USDOL, “The challenge of communicating in the workplace is learning how and when to share your ideas or concerns.” Of course, they also stress the importance of listening as a necessary communication skill.
According to an article on the website balancecareers.com, soft skills are defined as the “skills that enable you to fit in at a workplace. They include your personality, attitude, flexibility, motivation, and manners. Soft skills are so important that they are often the reason employers decide whether to keep or promote an employee.” Doyle presents a detailed listing of Top Soft Skills: Communication, Critical Thinking, Leadership, Positive Attitude, Teamwork, and Work Ethic. Furthermore, thirteen types of communication skills are included under the Communication heading including: Listening, Nonverbal, Presentation, Public Speaking, Storytelling, Visual Communication and Written Communication. So, in a typical Public Speaking class we focus primarily on one of those thirteen skills and, yet, in a more expansive and inclusive soft skills communication course, we can focus on many, many more.
Though the goal of this session is to collaborate as a team to generate lists of possibilities and opportunities to infuse activities and assignments that build soft skill confidence and acumen, there are some wonderful resources to share. First, Flipgrid is a wonderful app that helps students share presentations using videos and/or audio podcasts to share their stories, make presentations, develop listening skills and appreciate diversity of experiences and perspectives in a more low-stakes and less stressful online space. Second, infographics are a wonderful communication tool combining visual and written communication in effective ways that can appeal to diverse audiences, as well. Third, team activities in both synchronous and asynchronous courses that then post their work to discussion boards can support critical thinking, leadership, and teamwork skills. Finally, there is the amazing and often overlooked power of storytelling. Stories have existed since the earliest days of our existence on this planet, think cave drawings, and across all cultures and civilizations. As humans, we are storytellers. According to Nossell (2018), there are six basic principles of his narrative method. Principle 1 is “Humans are hardwired for story,” (p. 3). He explains that we use story to make sense of our world and our experiences. I feel his next principle is directly connected to teaching and learning. Principle 2 is “Everyone has a story,” (p. 7). I feel as educators it is our job to empower students to share their authentic stories. Data storytelling is a related and fascinating concept that we will explore, as well. It utilizes data, visualizes and narrative to explain, enlighten and engage for change (Dykes, 2016). It is wonderful for STEM disciplines and business and can connect more technical presenters with a less technical audience of stakeholders. It is brilliant and we will discuss it, as well.
Dykes, 2016
After we have explored this information together, we will collaborate on our game and try to Stump the Soft Skills and see if there is any course in which we cannot infuse some aspect of soft skill development to help students connect with the subject matter and class community while improving their agency and harnessing that “competitive edge” for their career path. Please join us!
References:
Doyle, Alison (July 22, 2021). Top Soft Skills Employers Value with Examples.
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/list-of-soft-skills-2063770 Accessed 6/1/2022
Dykes, Brent (March 31, 2016). Data Storytelling: The Essential Data Science Skill Everyone Needs. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentdykes/2016/03/31/data-storytelling-the-essential-data-science-skill-everyone-needs/?sh=62084ad452ad accessed 6/1/2022 Nossell, Murray (2018). Powered by Storytelling. McGraw-Hill, NY. US Dept of Labor https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/soft-skills-the-competitive-edge Accessed 6/1/2022