Vance Graham

Discussion Comment

Top Ten Soft Skills - are there any new ones on the list?

My notes from the course listed the top ten from a 1997 study. I think these are solid and stand the test of time. But 17 years later, with social media and other technological advances are these still the top ten or are there other more important soft skills? Here's the list from the course: - Attention to detail - Being drug free - Conflict resolution - Helping to enhance services - Dependability / Team Player - Effective workplace relationships - Integrity - Positive attitude - Understanding and respecting others - Common sense

Vance Graham

Discussion Comment

Dealing with Interuptions

I will often get emails requesting my attention throughout each day, which isn't a problem when I'm not teaching. However, when I am teaching a class I find that setting my OOF (Out of Office) attendant helps with avoiding these interruptions. I set my OOF to respond with a message stating I'm training all week and will respond to emails during lunch and between 4-5pm. Doing this has practically eliminated any problems I've had with people saying I wasn't responding to their emails within a reasonable amount of time. This allows me to focus on outside problems outside of the… >>>

Vance Graham

Discussion Comment

Dealing with the 12-15 minute adult attention span

The course states, "The average attention span of an adult is 12 to 15 minutes and the retention starts to drop off dramatically after 8 minutes". I teach technology courses and often use the 3-5 second pause in the classroom to refocus the students - even though it can be awkward. Besides using short periods of silence what are some other methods to refocus the students?