Soft skills are increasingly important in both work and daily life. Abilities like emotional intelligence, empathy, teamwork, conflict resolution, and stress management are crucial both in and outside the classroom. Our participants learned how to improve their communication skills through practical activities and discussions.​

​The course began by exploring public speaking. They learned how to present themselves, control their body language, and communicate nonverbally. To boost their confidence, they prepared and delivered a brief one-minute speech in front of the class, applying the skills they had learned.”

The new edition of the combined courses “Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence for teachers and education staff​” and “Effective Communication and Public Speaking for teachers​ and education staff” took place in Tenerife from 7/10/23 to 13/10/23. The participants came from all across Europe, for the first course Timea, Tünde, Catalina, Melinda from Scoala Gimnazială ”Nicolae Colan” / G.P.P. ”Pinocchio” in Romania, Anu from Hatanpää upper secondary school in Finland, Ivana from II. gimnazija, Zagreb in Croatia and Ivan from OŠ Vladimira Nazora, Vinkovci in Croatia, for the second course Kairit and Kairit from Luua Forestry School in Estonia and Giovanni from Liceo Issel in Italy. ​

Then we explored Emotional Intelligence, which involves recognizing both our own emotions and others’ feelings to understand ourselves and the people around us. Empathy, another key skill covered in this session, was practiced through various exercises, helping participants develop empathy, self-control, self-motivation, and building connections.

Good teamwork requires strong communication skills. In the workshop, participants learned about different communication styles like aggressive and passive. They discovered that being assertive, which means expressing yourself clearly without being rude, is essential for effective communication in teams.
A great teacher is like a leader in the classroom. They provide motivation and guidance to help students achieve specific goals. Leadership takes various forms, and not all are suitable for every situation.So, participants thought about the qualities they admire in leaders and different leadership styles.

In the last part of the course, participants learned about handling conflicts and stress. People can be tough to work with, and conflicts happen. By sharing their experiences, participants recognized that conflicts are common situations. They learned that conflicts don’t always lead to negative outcomes; instead, they can be opportunities for growth and development.

The course provided a platform for participants to engage with one another and learn from their collective experiences. Each participant brought a unique background, enriching the group’s overall growth In addition, networking was also possible because of the planned cultural activities, showing that learning does not happen only inside a classroom! 

Discover more about this course here.