Human interaction is the key to how others perceive us, and we all, at no points of time should undervalue the importance of social etiquettes. Be it our workspace or personal space, soft skills prove to the blueprint of our sincerity. It becomes a very intricate area of our personality. To grow as a professional or as a person, we need to inculcate social attributes which make our presence more refined. From saying a ‘hello’ to an end of a conversation, we come across a plethora of instances where our body communicates much more than our words. To be able to notify these areas and highlight them along the journey, frames the basis of the personality. To this, soft skills, just as the social nature of a human cannot be eradicated, hence, a lot of focus goes into developing good and amicable skills. As highlighted above the worthiness of soft skills, we are acquainted with it from the very beginning of our course at IBS.

Let us now talk about how this domain plays an important role in our workspaces. We reflect how and what we are, irrespective of where and with whom we are! In our workspaces where we spend more than 50% of our time, it becomes naturally important to be very cautious of our interpersonal skills. Furthermore, our attitude and behavior drive not only our personality but also our productivity at work.  With the right knowledge to respond to things, and most importantly how to respond becomes equally critical either with colleagues or our bosses. To maintain the right rapport with the immediate people, soft skills become an integral part to incorporate within ourselves, also, it attracts people with whom we resonate the most. Soft skills don’t only restrict themselves to personality or communication, it also has varied aspects to them which notably enrich us all in a lot more ways than one. Soft skills also reflect a great deal on leadership, interpersonal, and listening. This domain aids us in being more confident in our speech and organizing our work. This aspect of development makes a clear cut at our workplace when working on a common project, reflecting our clarity and focus. Listening is the next and very important aspect which we all tend to ignore with a mere glance to it. However, this is not the case to be followed. To alter this perspective, at IBS there are numerous in-class and out-class activities that gradually as the course progresses, make us good at listening.

Now we know the priority of soft skills has to shape our lives and their significance. At any B-school, a lot of effort goes into developing certain aspects of it. At IBS, we have dedicated faculties that solely look after our personality and grooming of students to make us not only corporate ready but to wholesomely develop our personality. Right from the start of our management course we are made to realize the criticality of soft skills in our lives and are given pieces of training on the same. Numbers of extempore are conducted to enhance verbal skills with all its attributes. At every step, we find our faculties with their round-the-clock assistance. When it comes to SIPs or placements, IBS has certified faculties, which excluding the regular faculties at IBS, train exclusively on our grooming and development. According to me, this forms one the most beneficial step for all of us in knowing and clearing the first gate to enter the professional world which with the right attitude builds on the crust of professionalism. For that, we need to be sound, attentive, and clear in our vision.

Coming down to my personal experience at IBS with enhancement in my soft skills, will take me to speak lengths about it. To share my journey of overcoming stage fear and developing communication skills was done right at the beginning of my induction course, where I had to participate voluntarily in a presentation. I was hesitant but somehow gathered the strength to join in the activity. Later in the day, I was able to prepare myself with all the guidelines given by my faculty to be taken care of. On the day of the presentation, surprisingly I was the first to go ahead with the same and deliver. This became the very first step I took toward eliminating my fear of public speaking. To my surprise, I was able to stand tall against my fears and set an example of a good presentation, and get appreciation from my faculty and peers. The journey which followed next was based on the confidence developed through this presentation. I would be forever grateful to my faculties who have time and again made us stand in front of the masses and assisted us in overcoming the barriers. Their guidance and support have remarkably helped me a lot during my summer internship program. I was able to resonate well with their teachings and imply the same when given professional space to work in. All the words of wisdom made more sense while living and experiencing those moments. The amount of self-confidence which has imbibed within me, has surely made me able to speak my thoughts with more clarity and objectivity, which of course were developed while learning in my soft skills sessions at IBS.