optimism
common sense
responsibility
a sense of humor
integrity
initiative
inquisitive mind
willingness to take risks
emotional intelligence
empathy
teamwork
leadership
good manners
negotiation
sociability
the ability to teach
communication skills (writing ability, public speaking, the ability to get a point across)
VOCABULARY FOCUS
Activity 2. Do the crossword on definitions:
Across 3) not profitable or prosperous
5) an evaluative response
6) to make easier; assist the progress of sth
9) the ability to understand other people’s emotions, feelings
10) that can be quantified
Down 1) people answering the survey questions
2) very strong, complete, total
4) be exceptionally good at sth
7) that can be applied
8) eager to know
Activity 4. Open the brackets using the Complex Object:
1) The author (anybody, not want) undervalue soft skills.
2) Do employers want (employees, have) hard skills rather than soft ones?
3) Employers expect (job applicants, show) initiative.
4) Organizations seem to expect (people, know) how to behave on the job.
5) We’d prefer (you, be) more positive and upbeat.
Activity 5. Change complex sentences into simple using the Complex Object:
1) It is wrong to believe that soft skills are easier to master than hard ones.
2) We expect that he will become our team leader.
3) They consider that everyone knows and understands the importance of being on time, taking initiative and producing high quality work.
4) People generally believe that soft skills are universal.
5) I believe that they are good at getting along with the clients.
Activity 6. Complete the sentences using the Complex object:
1) The most demanded soft skills that employees expect job applicants to demonstrate are…
2) The managers encourage personnel to be/have…
3) They consider soft skills to be hard to…
4) With strong soft skills people find it much easier to…
5) Good teachers try to make their students develop/acquire such skills as ….
WHILE-READING
Activity 7. Which part focuses on:
1) definition of soft skills; 2) types of soft skills; 3) the reasons why they are important; 4) what kinds of skills there may be differentiated.
Activity 8. Read the text part by part and answer the questions:
