Since learning hard skills requires technical aptitude, people assume that it’s simpler to acquire soft skills. But in reality, it’s the other way around. Soft skills comprise intangible, subjective traits you either have or don’t have.

With that said, building new attributes isn’t impossible. You can effectively develop in-demand soft skills by repeatedly practicing them and studying online resources.

1. Active Listening

Mindful communication requires active listening. People don’t openly voice all their thoughts—you must interpret verbal and non-verbal cues to understand them. Tone and body language reveal much about how a person truly feels.

To develop active listening, work on self-awareness. Note how your mind wanders during conversations and rectify internal listening barriers, which could include:

  • Disinterest
  • Laziness
  • Impatience
  • Arrogance
  • Self-Centeredness

You can manage these traits by using online meditation tools. Breathing techniques will calm you down during exciting moments or heated arguments.

Otherwise, you’ll have trouble following conversations. Overly emotional individuals tend to impose their beliefs on others instead of understanding the situation.

2. Emotional and Cognitive Empathy

Five People on Video Call on Tablet

Empathy makes you an overall genuine, sincere individual. People will trust you if you pay attention to their feelings, acknowledge their struggles, and are more vulnerable. Learn to empathize with others in professional and casual settings alike.

While some people are more understanding than others, empathy doesn’t disappear altogether. It just diminishes over time. Your empathic side will resurface if you show compassion and express yourself more often.

Cultivate empathy naturally by expanding your social circle. You can sign up for interest-based apps and engage with people from all walks of life. Expose yourself to new experiences and lifestyles. Remember: living in a bubble and isolating yourself from society will suppress empathy.

3. Insatiable Curiosity

The eagerness to learn promotes growth. You’ll broaden your interests, improve your general knowledge, and understand yourself better. Despite these benefits, most adults suppress curiosity. They refrain from asking questions and speaking unsure thoughts to avoid making mistakes.

To increase your curiosity, change your perspective of failure. Stop letting fear hamper your growth. The embarrassing mistakes you commit will serve as excellent learning lessons.

Dive head first into new projects. Look for relevant programs teaching a subject, sport, skill, or language you’ve always wanted to learn. There are dozens of online learning communities like Skillshare. Dedicate an hour a day to upskilling. If you stay curious and hungry to learn, you’ll eventually gain a massive edge over the competition.

4. Presentation Delivery

Presentation skills are vital inside and outside the workplace. Whether you’re making small talk or delivering reports, your audience will appreciate a confident, charming demeanor. Dull speakers rarely get the point across.

Although several courses teach presentation skills, honing them takes years of practice. It’s not a one-and-done process. Take every chance to deliver presentations and try new public speaking techniques.

Persuasion Videos on Ted Talk

If you don’t have an audience, talk to yourself. Sign up for online conferences like TED Talks, watch different presentation styles, mimic the ones that you find impressive, and record yourself speaking. Keep rewatching your videos to spot errors.

A Sample Presentation on Google Slides

Apart from public speaking, practice using presentation makers. Visual aids and strong communication skills are equally important.

5. Giving and Receiving Proactive Feedback

Distinguishing between feedback and criticism enables you to push yourself and everyone around you to achieve more. Although synonymous, they have contrasting implications. Feedback provides proactive, results-driven solutions, while criticism only highlights weaknesses.

To practice giving and receiving proactive feedback, find an accountability partner. They should work in the same industry as you. That way, you can help each other tackle similar goals, challenges, and workflow bottlenecks. Let’s say you’re a writer. You and your partner can edit articles, track target word counts, and share relevant writing resources.

6. Creative Thinking

With the advancement of ML and AI technologies, creative thinking has become more crucial than ever. Machines can only complete instructions. Even the latest language models and deep-learning programs fail to produce unique, innovative ideas.

Creativity will remain an in-demand trait—learn to cultivate it. Of course, occasional creative blocks are natural. They don’t imply a lack of imagination or originality. Even globally renowned artists struggle to convey abstract, cluttered concepts.

Ideation is a process. Instead of forcing inspiration, set aside ample time for idea generation. Let your mind wander freely. Write all your thoughts on your notepad or phone, regardless of attainability. Only scrutinize them afterward. Visualize ideas with a mind map tool, assess for feasibility, then create a concrete execution strategy.

7. Professional Messaging Etiquette

Coworking Channels on Discord

Communication etiquette varies on a case-by-case basis. The appropriate tone, sentence structure, word choice, and delivery time will depend on your chosen platform.

Let’s compare emails and instant chats. Since people typically use emails in professional settings, email etiquette dictates that you maintain a formal tone. You must introduce yourself properly, use emojis sparingly, and observe correct grammar.

On the contrary, instant messaging social guidelines are more lenient. Depending on your level of closeness to the other party, you can freely use abbreviations, emojis, and slang. Some people won’t even mind seeing a few grammatical errors.

No singular course teaches these guidelines. You’ll learn to regulate your behavior and mannerisms by immersing yourself in different social situations. Try chatting with new people. Join Facebook, Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn groups that pique your interest.

8. Critical Thinking

Critical thinkers rarely take things at face value. When presented with data, they double-check facts, scrutinize analyses, and consider opposing sides before making informed judgments.

Although tiring, constant skepticism combats unconscious biases. You’ll make better career, financial, and personal decisions if you can logically and objectively assess situations. Poor choices stem from haphazard, careless assumptions.

To hone your critical thinking, read the current events. Challenge yourself by questioning arguments, comparing credible news sites, and studying every story’s intent. Read in any niche you want. With the prevalence of misinformation in everyday stories, you’ll have no shortage of fake news and propaganda to debunk.

Develop Underrated Yet Crucial Soft Skills

Don’t worry if you struggle with changing old habits. Developing soft skills involves repeated effort and consistent follow-ups—some would even call it a lifelong process. For now, focus on gaining self-awareness. You’ll gradually become a more understanding, empathetic individual over time.

Apart from building positive traits, study technical skills. Employers will assess you based on them to see if you meet specific job requirements. They need quantifiable, industry-specific abilities. You’ll also attract better career advancement opportunities if you carry hard skills that AI can’t automate.