Skills Development Action Plan

Make a list of three skills you wish to strengthen and/or learn. What will be the impact of strengthening or learning those skills?

Now that you have targeted the skill areas you are going to work on, the next step is to plan what you are going to do to learn or improve these skills. In learning any new skill or improving existing ones, there are several specific steps to take.

Step 1 - Observe Yourself

To improve existing skills, the first step is to perform the skill as you normally would and pay attention to what you do and how others respond to it. Being more conscious of what you usually do without thinking can be uncomfortable at first, but it is a necessary step for improvement.

Step 2 - Observe Others

Pay attention to others who demonstrate high levels of proficiency or competency in the skills you have identified. What can you learn from them?

Step 3 - Reflect

Think about where and how you can learn the new skills. To improve existing skills, compare your own skill performance with the skill performance of others you've observed who are more proficient. Ask yourself how you might learn from their example.

Step 4 - Assess

Engage in a structured assessment of how you perform the skill you want to improve. Determine the criteria to use to judge your performance. Be realistic but challenge yourself at the same time.

Step 5 - Target

After assessing yourself, set skills development targets for self-improvement that will bring you to a higher level of proficiency.

Step 6 - Practice

In order to improve your existing skills or new skills, you need to take part in activities that require you to perform the skills. In some cases you may need to look for new opportunities to practice the skills. List the three skills you have targeted and some settings where you might have the opportunity to perform that skill at a higher level. An example is provided.

Don't forget to set timelines and deadlines for learning and/or improving skills.