Soft skills are Hard!

I was on a late evening stroll with my husband yesterday. We were talking about how our day passed. An incident about what happened at his work brought us to the topic –

Soft skills "Hard"ly taught/emphasized in India -

Here is a short, but not an exhaustive list we came up with.

1) Saying thanks to somebody who helps you – Ex. At the end of a talk with a colleague or customer service representative
2) A firm handshake - when you meet an executive of your company for an instance.
3) Introducing yourself to somebody – may be in an interview
4) Dressing up to suit the place you visit
5) Approaching your boss for a favor – Here I should say about this person who was looking for MS project went to a professor requesting a project in his lab. She requested, “Professor, I have been to talking to the other professors in the department. If nobody takes me will you please accept me in your lab??” Sob sob!
6) Being on time for a meeting – be it official or personal, respect the other person’s time
7) Last but not the least, talking aloud in a language that is not understood by everyone in the room/ the group. This is very true with a lot of Indians who live outside India.

Feel free to add more!