Soft skills training comes in many shapes and sizes. Often the different forms of training are not mutually exclusive. It is just that their emphasis differs.

Resilience training seems to be the latest, apparently new, form of training coming from America. It has normally been used in the States by organisations who are about to undergo major culture changes. However, as the speed at which businesses have to react to a changing environment increases, it is becoming far more commonplace.

The most basic tenet to resilience training is that the ability to be resilient, that is, to be able to adapt to changes and improvise is not simply something you are either born with or not. It can be taught.

Optimism and positive thinking are key to this type of training. This includes thinking calmly and rationally and seeing problems as opportunities.

Building relationships with work colleagues is also essential. This means that you have a support network, and in return support others.

Motivation skills are a very important part of the mindset which resilience training attempts to instil. That is, self motivation and the ability of managers to motivate their team. This is all the more important at times of stress or after any type of business failure.

One of the keys to personal development is understanding yourself and your own strengths and weaknesses. Most people, however calm by nature, will get stressed and it is important therefore that you understand how to relieve stress. Here are some tips that you may find helpful.

People often forget that breathing is key to controlling stress. If you know you are going into a stressful situation, whether it is a meeting or a phone conversation, take three slow deep breaths. Concentrate on pushing the tension out of your lungs as you breathe out.

Enjoy your lunchtime. Sit down to eat (preferably away from your desk) and enjoy your food. Don’t discuss work while you’re eating. Take some ‘me’ time.

Enjoy time spent travelling. In particular, when you’re driving to appointments, give yourself far more time than you need to get there to prevent stress starting if you hit traffic. Take the time to listen to some music or even a talking book.

In short, remember that you work to live and not the other way around. If individuals or situations are making you stressed, just remember that you are better than them and that you can rise above these people and problems.

Most people find presentations of any sort nerve wracking. Here are some basic presentation tips which should help you control those nerves and be fully prepared.

First of all, know your subject and the material that you are presenting. It may not be possible to know the answer to every question that you could be asked, so be prepared for how to cope with those situations. One possibility is to throw the question open to the room for discussion. Another is to say that you don’t have the precise information to hand but you will get the questioner’s details after the meeting and find out for them.

Think about your audience, the level at which they operate and what they will be hoping to get out of the presentation.

You can never rehearse too much. Practice and then practice some more. Whenever possible get colleagues to listen to the presentation and get them to give you notes.

Familiarise yourself with the room layout before the presentation. You don’t want to be distracted by suddenly noticing an unusual piece of decor.

Relax and remember to breathe. Some long deep breaths before you enter the room will help.

Never apologise. It will make you look like you are struggling.

Presentation skills training is an essential component of soft skills training.

There are a number of areas of soft skills training which should be looked at when considering how to prepare staff to undertake appraisals. These include being able to give feedback effectively and how to deliver difficult messages. These are a specific application of communication skills training.

Other areas to cover include general management issues such as motivating staff. The most basic part of this is day to day management of staff which should involve giving praise to staff and dealing with any issues that arise as necessary.

Actually it is not just managers that need appraisal training. Staff that don’t have anyone reporting to them also need to understand the appraisal process and what it is for so that they can ensure their own appraisal is meaningful and helpful in terms of their career development.

Appraisals are a two way process. The person being appraised should have the opportunity to voice their views and concerns. The appraiser will, of course, tell their charge how they think they are doing and how they can improve.

Appraisals are also the time when targets based on the core competencies and specific duties of a jobholder can be set. It is important that the jobholder has a full input into that part of the process to avoid disagreements and conflict further down the line.