Proff. F. Latini, M. Viel

soft
skills

Workshop / DMED

Being and Relating: the Value of Human Abilities

While academic courses provide the “what” to learn, the Soft Skills Workshop focuses on the “how” of living, working, and interacting with others. As transversal skills act as a compass for navigating adult life, students in this workshop explore their inner potential, learning to manage emotions, collaborate, and solve both small and large everyday challenges.

Developing soft skills means building strong self-confidence, transforming personal attitudes into concrete tools for autonomy and social inclusion.

Learning Goals

  • Effective Communication: Learning to actively listen and to express one’s needs and thoughts clearly and assertively.

  • Teamwork: Experiencing the value of collaboration, understanding that each person’s contribution is essential to the group’s success.
  • Problem Solving: Developing the ability to analyse critical situations and find creative and practical solutions.
  • Self-awareness and Self-esteem: Reflecting on one’s abilities and limitations in order to recognize and manage stress and emotions.

Methodologies

  • Interactive teaching, with hands-on activities, exchanges, and continuous participation.

  • Positive psychology, focusing on strengths, resources, and progress, fostering motivation and self-confidence.
  • Role-playing, simulating real-life situations (interviews, teamwork, conflict management) to develop relational skills in a practical way.
  • Circle time, promoting discussion in a safe and non-judgmental circle setting to train listening skills, turn-taking, and mutual respect.
  • Gamification, turning relational and communication challenges into game-based activities with clear goals, levels, missions, and immediate feedback.
  • Experiential learning, learning by doing and experimenting with behaviours and strategies in a safe environment.
  • Tutoring and formative feedback, supporting students through tutor guidance, positive reinforcement, and practical suggestions for improvement.

Educational materials

  • Emotion cards, to recognize, name, and express emotional states in a guided and shared way.

  • Team-building activity kits, including logic games, cooperation tasks, and problem-solving exercises to train collaboration, communication, and mutual trust.
  • Simplified self-assessment sheets (Easy-to-Read), to support self-awareness and guided evaluation of developed skills.
  • Visual support materials, such as tables, maps, and icons to accompany activities and reduce cognitive load.