Soft Skills: Communication

This microcredential gives participants an understanding of communication soft skills and how communication impacts their workplace success. At the completion of this microcredential, participants will have strategies to implement in their day-to-day workplace communication.

MICROCREDENTIAL ID: PDO-SSW-0018
CREDENTIAL: Soft Skills for the Workplace
CREDITS: 1.0 CEU (10 hours)
AUTHOR: Dr. Mandy Cenker

Registration

How to Earn This Microcredential

Participants will need to submit evidence of learning, implementing, and reflecting on communication soft skills in the workplace. This includes a written overview of the important elements of communication, a communication implementation plan, and a reflection on lessons learned in this microcredential.

Fees

Participants submitting this microcredential for review will be assessed an administrative fee of $50. Participants who successfully complete the microcredential will receive a certificate showing completion of 1.0 CEU.

Why Get This Microcredential?

This microcredential is part of the Soft Skills for the Workplace Credential. This microcredential focuses on effective communication skills and strategies to improve those skills.

What are soft skills? Soft skills, also called non-technical skills, are interpersonal skills that determine a person’s ability to work well with others in the workplace. These skills include adaptability and flexibility, communication, critical thinking, and teamwork and collaboration. Soft skills play a vital role for professional success; they help us excel in the workplace.

Important Terms

Communication- ability to effectively exchange information with stakeholders.
Effective communication- understanding the message, the audience, and how it is perceived. This also includes circumstances surrounding the communication and adjusting for context.
Non-verbal communication- Awareness of body language. Examples include facial expressions, gestures, and body language.
Tone- Awareness of volume, projection, intonation, and word choice when speaking.

Benefits of this Microcredential

Communication is one of the top three soft skills U.S. employers have the most trouble finding (Reimagining the Workforce 2021: Close the Skills Gap Through Education). Additionally, an study found that employees who report routinely receiving confusing or unclear directions waste an average of 40 minutes of productivity every day. Communication skills create mutual understanding that inspires action. James Humes, a speechwriter for five U.S. Presidents, wrote “The art of communication is the language of leadership.”

Standards

SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)

Behavioral Competency #8: Communication
- Key Behaviors:
  - Providing clear, concise information to others in verbal, written, electronic, and other communication formats for public and organizational consumption.
  - Listening actively and empathetically to the views of others.
  - Delivering critical information to all stakeholders.
  - Seeking further information to clarify ambiguity.
  - Providing constructive feedback effectively, treating it as a developmental opportunity.
  - Communicating proactively.
  - Ensuring effective communication throughout the organization.
  - Providing proactive communications.
  - Demonstrating an understanding of the audience’s perspective.

Evidence Review

Candidates interested in earning this microcredential must submit three pieces of evidence: one piece related to learning, one related to implementing, and one related to reflecting.

When you are ready for your evidence review, submit your pieces of evidence for feedback from a qualified instructor.

Learning

In this first of three sections, you will be learning about important aspects of communication soft skills.

Required Resources:

Read: (Unit 1- read pages 1-20 only)
Watch: What is Communication?

Additional (Optional) Resources:

How the Communication Process Works:

Required Evidence:

Submit a 1-2 page overview of what you learned from the required resources. Specifically, consider the following question: What do you consider as the most important elements of communication?
Formatting – One to two pages maximum; double-spaced, no smaller than 11pt font.
Use two to three references to support your claims. References do not count towards the 1-2 page minimum/maximum. Any format for references is allowed but APA is preferred.

Evidence Review Criteria:

Criterion 1: Participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental elements of communication.

Implementing

In this second of three sections, you will identify gaps in your communication level and create an implementation plan to improve your communication soft skills.

Required Resources:

Read:
Watch: The 1 Tip to Improve Your Communication Skills at Work:

Additional (Optional) Resources:

Clinical Review (Healthcare Example)

Required Evidence:

Complete the
Based on your results, create an implementation plan to improve your skills by focusing on the following prompts:
- Discuss your two scores. Did you discover any surprises about yourself?
- Identify two communication goals and the steps you are going to take to implement them into your communication skill set.
Formatting – One to two pages maximum; double-spaced, no smaller than 11pt font.
No references are required.

Evidence Review Criteria:

Criterion 1: Participants will be able to identify gaps in their communication level.
Criterion 2: Participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of strategies to implement into their communication skills.

Reflecting

In this final of three sections, you will reflect upon your experiences in this microcredential.

Required Resources: If you are new to writing reflections, or this is your first microcredential, please visit one of the additional resources.

Additional Resources:

EduBirdie -
Trent University –

Required Evidence:

Reflect on your learning from this module. Specifically, focus on the following questions:
- What is your biggest takeaway from this module and how will you use it your professional life?
- What is one question you still have about communication soft skills, and what is your plan to continuing your learning?
Formatting – One to two pages maximum; double-spaced, no smaller than 11pt font.
No references are required.

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Criterion 1: Participants will be able to demonstrate a thoughtful reflection on their learning experiences.

Questions?

Email pd@kent.edu.

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