Well-being Skills & Strategies Clarke (2001) explains that there are many training courses and facilities available that can help a person manage stress and improve their well-being. Developing a new skill takes time and effort - both of which are best utilized by attending formal training. With the lists provided consider how competent you feel with each set of skills. Typically test this by listing, for each skill set:- the values which underpin the skill set; the behavioural techniques involved; the perceptual skills, signal cues and triggers involved; the context in which the skill set is useful or a liability; legislation applicable to or affecting the skill set; instances when you have used the skill set competently; instances when you used the skill set ineffectively; instances when you were unable to operationalize (use) the skill set for some reason within your control; who has written books about the skill set and how their views differ. Where one is provided, use a questionnaire to help you identify your level of competence on the skill set. If you can provide a 30-50 word summary on each of these ten aspects you are likely to be expert in the skill set. Back to Top Personal management Relaxation Learn relaxation techniques for use during a day and how to relax deeply. Self' Awareness - learn how general disposition and personality, Type A/ Type B and hardiness tendencies contribute to stress and well-being management; learn the value of reviewing personal coping skills, support resources, exposure to stressors, and reviewing your own long and short term mental health. Stress management skills Learn how to recognize personal early-warning signals, break bad habits; learn about making choices, choosing when to worry, looking at things differently, positive self talk, maintaining self esteem, resourcefulness; matching personal ability and needs with career aims. Stress counselling Get counselling support for more stressful problems; developing a basic understanding of what counselling is, how it works and basic counselling type skills assists when receiving counselling. Time management Learn how to manage yourself to make best use of your time; develop awareness of how you spend your time, learn how to prioritize and the differences between urgent, important, essential, desirable, superfluous. Task management Learn achievable target setting, forward planning; learn how to analyse goals into component tasks; learn the value of delegation, taking the initiative, reviewing outcome, learning from errors. Finance management Learn how to set out your daily and monthly income and expenditure; learn how to budget for ongoing expenditure, unexpected events and long term planning e.g. pension. Back to Top Relationship Skills - organization context Assertiveness Learning Assertiveness skills like "Broken record", "Fogging", Negative Assertion", "Negative Enquiry", and "Self disclosure". Recognize, facilitate or counter helpful or manipulative use of these techniques. Influencing Understanding the effects of the different styles of influencing; "pull" techniques like testing understanding, questioning, consultation and taking slower long term view; and "push" techniques like proposing, rapid decision making, being directive, and accepting short term reactivity. Negotiation Awareness of negotiating tactics like "Higher authority", "Good guy/bad guy", "Low ball", "Linkage" etc, and how to counter them; learn how and when to use of giving information, defensive or aggressive ploys; understand the value of power, ritual, objectives, context, personality and timing. Making presentations Learning the three main elements of presentations and the value of restricting presentations to 20 minutes and structuring them around 6-8 main points; use of gestures, importance of image and counters to deal with awkward questions. Coping with conflict Learning how and when to be confrontational, assertive, manipulative; learn how and when to defuse or avoid situations; recognizing others' responsiveness and reactivity to different styles. Being a friend Learning how to develop trust, formal and informal agreements; value of and differences between confidante relationships, friendships and social networks; differences between same and opposite sex friendships for men and women. Back to Top Work & Organizational skills Leadership Skills Understanding different styles of leadership and subordinate styles; knowing one's own preferred styles; learning about team working, identifying team roles and how they complement and conflict. Learning how to management staff performance and conduct performance appraisal interviews. Communication and consultation skills Understanding formal and informal systems and strategies, organizational behaviour; learning about different media, style, timing and content of communications; role of trade unions; value of reinforcing messages, follow up and updates. Managing Change Understand nature of change, resistance to /acceptance of change; value of communication and consultation strategies; importance of people factors; learn how to conceptualize, plan and implement change. Recruitment & Selection Learning how to write a good job description and person specification using job analysis methods; understanding the value of different assessment and selection methods:- application forms, interviews, psychometric tests, simulation tests, references, health screening. Absence Management Understanding and complying with the organization's attendance/absence policy and procedures; value of monitoring patterns of absence; being attentive to reasons for absence. Meeting skills Understanding the structure of formal and informal meetings, group dynamics, functional and dysfunctional group behaviour and how to manage them; role of the chairperson, use of minutes and agenda. Political skills Understanding the difference between large 'P' and small 'p' politics; learning political awareness, how to read situations; learning strategic and diplomatic skills and how they support managerial competence and professional integrity. Delegation Understanding how organizations work, strategic, functional and operational roles, responsibility and accountability, person job fit, time and task management. Team-working Understanding how a team works, the difference between people operating:- as a functional or dysfunctional team, as a functional or dysfunctional network; team roles, functional and dysfunctional team behaviour. Back to Top