Hi Sanchita, There is good news. It has been found that most of our graduates from any stream, especially engineering, are very poor in these skills.
Soft Skills Training
Talking about soft skills, this is divided into two or three modules: telephonic, face-to-face, and dress code, plus table manners. This should ideally be covered in two sessions over two days. The first two need a lot of practice; just attending a one-day course will not help. This should be a continuous effort by management and employees. One very good measure will be the BEC course offered by the British Council; they also have a test at the end to evaluate the candidate. Dress code and table manners need to be taught in a half-day session by an experienced educator.
Communication Skills
Now coming to communication skills - this is a vast topic that covers all that you have expressed except for stress management. This course should be conducted over three days. The second day should be for practice sessions. The final day can be used to assist the participants on their weak points. The best way to start the session will be to videotape presentations, talks by each participant, show it to them, and ask them to point out flaws. The educator can then go ahead with his teaching with reference to the videos which will be of great help. The second day should cover more practice and more lessons. The third day should be a repeat of day one and let the participants see the improvement for themselves.
Presentation Skills
Presentation skills are a different cup of tea; most people I have come across have very poor presentation skills. This cannot be taught in a day or two. This needs practice, practice, and more practice.
Interview Skills
Interview skills are very important for most organizations, not followed by many Indian Corporates but mostly by MNCs. This can be a one-day session with a lot of practicals. This cannot be learned in a day.
Stress Management
Stress management is a different ball game, and one must get a very good educator for this course; again, a one-day session will be just a start and must be followed up with another session after a month.
Finally, the educator must be very good, or else it will be money wasted. The most important factor for success is the buy-in by management. If they are not serious about this, then all your efforts will be in vain.
Hope this has been helpful. You may contact me on LinkedIn or send an email to [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].
Best regards, Ronald