“Steps for specialists. Soft skills development” is a new programme of “U-LEAD with Europe” that has helped representatives of 50 municipalities of Ukraine bring together their knowledge and obtain skills of emotions control, burnout prevention, critical thinking development, time management improvement and anti-crisis communication.
According to Olha Kirieieva, U-LEAD counsellor on education administration, the programme’s comprehensive approach provided the participants with an opportunity to get immersed in every topic to a maximum extent and work it out in all details.
“In the context of present-day challenges, when the local self-government officials face complicated tasks, mental self-support has come to the fore. Soft skills development is an essential part of the professional growth and forming the positive environment in local self-government.”
Participants of the programme shared their impressions and told about the obtained skills: energy regaining, prioritising certain tasks, time management and establishing beneficent communication with the peers. This experience was remarkably useful for maintaining their mental health in the continuous stress environment.
The experts of the training programme suggest our readers two easy techniques for the inner balance restoration, which can be fluently implemented in your daily routines:
“3 minutes for yourself” technique
Goal: restore the attention and reduce the stress level.
To perform it, you need concentration and 3 minutes of your time:
- Focus on your breathing during the first minute.
- Then, during the second minute, focus on the positive things around you.
- During the third minute, focus on the goal of the day that inspires you.
Outcome: your concentration and emotional state improve.
“Evening thanksgiving ritual” technique
Goal: create positive thinking mindset and restore resourcefulness.
Before going to bed in the evening, allocate 5 minutes for yourself and think about three things of this day you are thankful for, or write them down. It may be some nice little thing, a pleasant moment or support from the colleagues. Thanking yourself is essential!
Outcome: your day ends on a positive note and your sense of satisfaction increases.
U-LEAD continues supporting the municipalities of Ukraine and invites the interested officials to participate in the following training programmes to get immersed in the self-development and obtain new knowledge and practices.
Follow the announcements on the website and Facebook “U-LEAD with Europe” — there are many more opportunities for the professional growth!
