Horti dept. teaches field functionaries the finer ways

Dimapur, April 17 (EMN): The department of Horticulture believes that good communication skills and interpersonal competence can decided how a worker can “convince” others about, for instance, a product. This competence is what the department wishes that its employees learn.
The department conducted a training programme in ‘soft skills’ and interpersonal communication development for field functionaries on April 17 at the directorate of Horticulture in Kohima.

The government’s publicity agency, the Information and Public Relations (IPR), issued updates on Wednesday informing about the training programme.

The director of the Horticulture department, Dr. R. Elithung Lotha delivered the keynote address. He was stated to have said that the department had been working with various government departments besides private entrepreneurs over the past few years to promote horticultural products.

According to Lotha, the department is manned by highly qualified people who are confident and are competent in discharging their assigned duties.

With this training though, he hoped that the role of field functionaries in the districts in communicating and “convincing the people,” according to the IPR, would be ‘much easier’ now.

Lotha said that the department was in ‘dire need of educated people’ who can educate others not only in production processes but also in the importance of ‘marketing after harvesting.’

Stressing on the importance of soft skills and developing them, the officer emphasised on the abilities the department’s personnel must have in the ways of “convincing people and expressing one’s ideas.” This requires good communication skills, he said.

The director of local resource group YouthNet Alezo Putsure gave the introductory note for the event. He said the ‘most important thing in life is how we communicate.’

‘Soft skills will not come from what we have studied or the books we have read or the videos we have seen it but it comes through interaction,’ he told the gathering.

The YouthNet member mentioned that leadership was all about communication; a person with good communication skills builds strong leadership. Soft skills are tremendously important in one’s life whether it be at work or in personal life, he said.

Further, Putsure called horticulture a department that plays a pivotal role in the welfare and wellbeing of the people. Therefore, he said, the initiatives taken by the department to give soft skills training to field functionaries is indeed remarkable.

The YouthNet functionary urged the field functionaries to upgrade their soft skills as they continue to work because they play an important role for entrepreneurs, young people and women. To the officers, he urged them not to be ‘officers’ who simply occupy their ‘chair’ but to be exemplary officers people will remember even in the days to come.

What are soft skills?
Soft skills refer to the personal traits, characteristics and competencies, and by extension the personality of a person that inform about how the individual communicates and relates to people and environment. It is also often called people skills or interpersonal skills.

It describes personal attributes that indicate a high level of emotional intelligence and ‘positive personality’ features. Such skills include empathy, analytical thinking and etiquette.

Generally, soft skills combine people skills, social skills, communication skills, character or personality traits, attitudes, social intelligence and emotional intelligence quotients, among others. These qualities enable people to work well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals.

The Collins English Dictionary defines “soft skills” as “desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge.”

Source: Assorted