Soft-Skills Resources
Soft-skills are important to enhance your academic and research career. Important skills are communication, management and leadership, self-awareness, teamwork, time management, organization, adaptability, critical thinking, and problem solving. These resources can support your efforts in these soft-skill areas.
-
Houston, We Have a Narrative
by
Introduction -- Why science needs story -- Science is stuck in a narrative world ... -- And the humanities ought to help ... -- But the humanities are useless for this ... -- Therefore Hollywood to the rescue -- Narrative tools : the WSP model -- Word : the Dobzhansky template -- Sentence : the ABT template -- Paragraph : "the hero's journey" -- The narrative spectrum -- Four case studies --Synthesis -- Science needs story ... -- And Hollywood can help ... -- But narrative training requires a different mindset ... -- Therefore I recommend story circles -- Appendix 1. The narrative tools -- Appendix 2. Narrative vocabulary -- Appendix 3. Twitter "stories."
ISBN: 9780226270982Publication Date: 2015-09-15 -
Mindful Listening
by
Listening is a critical skill for leaders and managers alike, but it's not as easy as it sounds. We often get distracted by what we want to say, rather than focusing on what someone else wants us to hear. But by listening well, you can engage employees, promote the discovery of ideas, and clarify your own thinking. In this book, you'll learn from the latest research what prevents you from hearing others, when to focus on your inner voice, and how to converse more effectively, so you better understand your counterpart's emotions and point of view.
ISBN: 9781633696686Publication Date: 2019 -
Start with why : how great leaders inspire everyone to take action
by
Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty? In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way-and it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why. Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire.
ISBN: 9781101149034Publication Date: 2011 -
Total Leadership
by
Be real : act with authenticity. Clarify what's important to you ; Take the four-way view -- Be whole : act with integrity. Respect the whole person ; Talk to your stakeholders -- Be innovative : act with creativity. Design experiments ; Bring others along with you.
ISBN: 9781625274380Publication Date: 2014-09-09 -
Authentic Leadership
by
Organizations require certain qualities and behaviors from their employees, so much so that many individuals feel they lose who they truly are. Leaders, especially, can struggle to be seen as authority figures when they feel uncertain or emotional. Can you ever really be yourself at work? This book shows you how to balance vulnerability, emotion, and authority, so that you can feel effective at work while also being true to yourself. You'll learn from the latest research who is most at risk for feeling inauthentic, what that means for engagement and credibility, and how to decide when is appropriate to just be yourself--or adapt to your company's culture and expectations.
ISBN: 9781633693920Publication Date: 2018 -
Leadership Presence
by
BRING THE TECHNIQUES OF THE STAGE TO THE BOARDROOM. In Leadership Presence, they make their time-tested strategies available to everyone, from high-profile CEOs to young professionals seeking promotion. Their practical, proven approach will enable you to develop the skills necessary to inspire confidence, command respect, build credibility, and motivate others. Halpern and Lubar teach you: How to handle tough situations with heightened confidence and flexibility How to build your relationships to enhance collaboration and business development How to express yourself dramatically and motivate others How to integrate your personal values into communication to inspire others and become a more effective leader Learning the skills of the true performance experts, readers will understand why Leadership Presence is the key to dynamic and authentic leadership.
ISBN: 1101097582Publication Date: 2004 -
Dealing with Difficult People
by
At the heart of dealing with difficult people is handling their--and your own--emotions. How do you stay calm in a tough conversation? How do you get past passive aggressive comments? And how do you know if you're difficult to work with? This book explains the research behind our emotional response to awful colleagues--and how to build the empathy and resilience to make those relationships more productive.
ISBN: 9781633696099Publication Date: 2018 -
Influence & Persuasion
by
Changing hearts is an important part of changing minds. With research into how appeals to human emotion can help you make your case and earn authority as a leader, this book presents both comprehensive frameworks for developing a influence and small, simple tactics that you can use to convince others every day.
ISBN: 9781633693944Publication Date: 2018 -
The Gifts of Imperfection
by
Introduction: wholehearted living -- Courage, compassion, and connection: the gifts of imperfection -- Exploring the power of love, belonging, and being enough -- The things that get in the way -- Cultivating authenticity: letting go of what people think -- Cultivating self-compassion: letting go of perfectionism -- Cultivating a resilient spirit: letting go of numbing and powerlessness -- Cultivating gratitude and joy: letting go of scarcity and fear of the dark -- Cultivating intuition and trusting faith: letting go of the need for certainty -- Cultivating creativity: letting go of comparison -- Cultivating play and rest: letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth -- Cultivating calm and stillness: letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle -- Cultivating meaningful work: letting go of self-doubt and supposed to -- Cultivating laughter, song, and dance: letting go of being cool and always in control.
ISBN: 1592859895Publication Date: 2010 -
Confidence
by
In order to build trust, gain buy-in, and move up in your organization, you need to be confident. But self-doubt and anxiety can break your composure--and faking it doesn't feel comfortable. How do you push these insecurities away? This book explains how you can better understand your emotions to become more self-assured at work. You'll learn from the latest research what is holding you back, how to overcome imposter syndrome, and when too much confidence can actually hurt you.
ISBN: 9781633696655Publication Date: 2019
Soft-skills are important to enhance your academic and research career. Important skills are communication, management and leadership, self-awareness, teamwork, time management, organization, adaptability, critical thinking, and problem solving. These resources can support your efforts in these soft-skill areas.
-
Ten Simple Rules for Improving Communication Among ScientistsThis article presents advice and recommendations on how scientists can promote and improve science communication.
-
Getting the word out: how to talk to the public about your researchCommunicating to nonspecialist audiences about research has many benefits for both scientists and clinicians. By using techniques and tools for accessible communication, it is possible to convey complex topics in a clear, engaging and sensitive manner.
-
Talking the talk: tips for effective oral presentations in biomedical researchThis article discusses the importance of effective oral presentation skills in the biomedical sciences and then discussed available opportunities and sources of information to develop those skills.
-
6 Essential Leadership Skills — and How to Develop ThemHarvard Business Review 2024 article. Expert advice on what every leader needs to know.
-
Four Essential Leadership Skills for ScientistsThis article identifies four essential skills senior leaders, hiring managers, and even investors consistently look for in a strong leader: collaboration, adaptability, communication, and the ability to create a shared vision.
-
Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Skills Essential to Leveraging Your Scientific CareerThis article discusses a number of important soft skills for scientists to develop for success in their careers. Scientists may need to use resources outside of traditional academic programs to develop some of these skills.
-
Learning to Care: Faculty Perspectives on Developing Empathy and Inclusive Mindsets in Biomedical EngineeringWith a pedagogical strategy promoting self-awareness and introspection, instructors encourage participants to discover their own unconscious biases in the hopes that they will become less biased in the future.
-
What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)This piece from 2018 discusses that there are actually two distinct types of self-awareness, that experience and power can hinder self-awareness, and that introspection doesn’t always make you more self-aware. Understanding these key points can help leaders learn to see themselves more clearly.
There are a variety of ways to gain soft-skills through Boston University resources. Be sure to check with your school's CME or CE office as they may have soft-skills programs too. You can also take advantage of videos and courses at all levels (certificate and non-certificate) at no or low cost through some reputable websites noted here.
-
BU Organizational Development & LearningOur mission: To promote thriving by nurturing the talents and abilities of staff & faculty to realize their potential and harness their collective strengths. To design processes that enable all staff to see the breadth of possibilities available at BU to realize their career aspirations. To develop a world-class workforce through a culture of continuous improvement & learning that can help drive the mission and strategic plan of Boston University forward.
-
BU Faculty & Staff Assistance OfficeIn addition to help for a range of personal, work-related, and family concerns, FASO offers a variety of trainings and educational supports.
-
CourseraCoursera partners with more than 350 leading universities and companies to bring flexible, affordable, job-relevant online learning to individuals and organizations worldwide. We offer a range of learning opportunities—from hands-on projects and courses to job-ready certificates and degree programs.
-
edXedX is the online learning platform from world-leading digital education company 2U, LLC edX was founded by Harvard and MIT as an experiment to make the world’s best education available to everyone. edX offers thousands of job-relevant programs designed to give every ambitious learner a path to achievement.
-
LinkedIn LearningThis platform can support your soft-skills learning goals as well as professional education goals. Some free material is available, while others will need a subscription.