Life skills to lead and succeed!
“Know Thyself” – Socrates
What are Life Skills?
The World Health Organization has defined life skills as “the skills for adaptive and positive behavior that enable people to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.”
UNICEF defines life skills as “a behavior change or behavior development approach designed to address a balance of three areas: knowledge, attitude and skills.” UNICEF’s definition is based on research evidence suggesting that changes in risk behavior are unlikely if competencies based on knowledge, attitudes and skills are not addressed.
What are the basic life skills strategies and techniques?
UNICEF, UNESCO and WHO list the ten basic life skills strategies and techniques as: problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication skills, decision making, creative thinking, interpersonal relationship skills, self-awareness skills , empathy and coping with stress and emotions
Self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-confidence are essential tools for understanding
one’s strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, the individual is able to discern the available opportunities and prepare to face possible threats. This leads to the development of a social awareness of the concerns of one’s own family and society.
Subsequently, it is possible to identify the problems that arise both within the family and
Society. With life skills, one can explore alternatives, weigh the pros and cons, and make rational decisions to solve each problem or issue as it arises. It also implies being able to establish productive interpersonal relationships with others.
Life skills enable effective communication, for example, being able to differentiate
between hearing and listening and ensuring that messages are conveyed accurately
to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
What are the main components of Life Skills?
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies life skills into the following
three components:
a) Critical thinking skills/decision making skills: includes decision making/problem solving skills and information gathering skills. The individual must also be skilled in evaluating the future consequences of his present actions and the actions of others. They need to be able to determine alternative solutions and analyze the influence of their own values and the values of those around them.
b) Interpersonal/communication skills: include verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening, and the ability to express feelings and give feedback. Also in this category are negotiation/refusal skills and assertiveness skills that
directly affect the ability to manage conflict. Empathy, which is the ability to listen.
and understanding the needs of others, is also a key interpersonal skill. Teamwork and the ability to cooperate include expressing respect for those around us. Development of
this set of skills allows the adolescent to be accepted in society. These skills result in
acceptance of social norms that provide the basis for adult social behavior.
c) Coping and self-management skills refer to the skills to increase the internal locus of control, so that the individual believes that they can make a difference in the world.
and affect the changes. Self-esteem, self-awareness, self-assessment skills, and the ability to
Goal setting also falls under the more general category of self-management skills. Anger,
grief and anxiety must be dealt with, and the individual learns to cope with the loss or
trauma. Stress and time management are key, as are positive thinking and relaxation.
techniques
The life skills approach can be successful if the following aspects are carried out together:
a) Skills: This is a group of psychosocial and interpersonal skills (critical thinking/decision-making skills, interpersonal/communication skills, coping and self-management skills) that are interrelated. For example, decision making is likely to involve creative and critical thinking components and value analysis.
b) Content: To effectively influence behavior, skills must be used in a particular way.
content area. “What are we making decisions about?” Learning about decision making will be more meaningful if the content is relevant and stays consistent. Content areas described could be drug use, HIV/AIDS/STI prevention, suicide prevention, or sexual abuse. Whatever the content area, a balance of three elements must be considered: knowledge, attitudes, and skills.
c) Methods – Skills-based education cannot occur when there is no interaction between
assistants Relates in groups of people to be effective. Interpersonal and psychosocial skills cannot be learned by sitting alone and reading a book. Yes this
focus is to succeed, the three components, life skills, content and method
must be in place. This effectively means that life skills can be learned through use.
of certain methods and tools.
Criteria for the use of Life Skills
UNICEF has identified the following criteria to ensure a successful education based on life skills:
* You must address not only knowledge and attitude change, but more importantly, behavior change.
* Traditional “information-based” approaches are generally not enough to bring about changes in attitudes and behaviours. For example, a lecture on “safe behaviour” will not necessarily lead to the practice of safe behaviour. Therefore, the conference should be grounded with exercises and situations where participants can practice safe behavior and experience its effects. Adult learning theory emphasizes that adults learn best what they can associate with their experience and practice.
* It will work better when augmented or reinforced. If a message is given once, the brain remembers only 10 percent a day later, and when the same message is given six times a day, the brain remembers 90 percent. Hence the need to repeat, recapitulate, reinforce and review.
* Will work best if combined with policy development, access to appropriate health services, community development and media.
What does the research say about the outcomes of life skills-based education?
Programs aimed at developing life skills have produced these effects such as
Decreased violent behavior; increased prosocial behavior and decreased negative and self-destructive behavior; increased the ability to plan ahead and choose effective solutions to problems; improvement of self-image, self-awareness, social and emotional adjustment; greater acquisition of knowledge; better behavior in the classroom; gains in self-control and management of interpersonal problems and anxiety management; and improves constructive conflict resolution with peers, impulse control, and popularity.
We think and manage with our heads. Resilience, record keeping, wise use of resources, planning/organizing and goal setting are managerial functions related to the ‘boss’. Service learning, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making and learning to learn were related to our thought processes, which we manage with our heads.
The functions of the heart are related to people and care. How do we relate to people? We relate to people by accepting differences, conflict resolution, social skills, cooperation and communication. The second function that we do through our heart is to care. We care through nurturing relationships, sharing, empathy, and concern for others.
We give and work through our hands. Community service, volunteerism, leadership, responsible citizenship, and contributions to group effort are our way of giving back to society. We work through our marketable skills, teamwork, and self-motivation to get things done.
Living and being enters into the functions of health. Healthy lifestyle choices, stress management, disease prevention, and personal safety are our top concerns in living better. Self-esteem, self-responsibility, character, managing feelings, and self-discipline must be practiced without fail for our well-being. Simply put, the essence of life skills is sharing well, caring well, and living well.
Life skills are unavoidable for success in both professional and personal life.
-Challa SSJ Ram Phani