When Red first heard the phrase "soft skills" she didn't know what it meant. So, Black explained that it was a term used to describe essential skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving, communications, and conflict management (vs."hard skills" which refer to tangible and technical skills). Black then mentioned that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) often refers to them as "21st Century Skills" – sarcastically adding how she's old enough to remember they were important in the 20th Century, too.
The soft skill topics list below are important for students ranging from middle school to adult education, as well as all employees. That's why we included them in ALL of our Career and Technical Education curricula. What's more, unlike more traditional curricula, they've been developed to allow students to see the relevancy of each topic and how these skills are transferable – between their personal lives and the workforce, and from industry-to-industry.
But don't believe us, check out a few samples! We've linked the high school versions of Money & Math, Motivational Interviewing (Red's favorite because of the worksheet), and Teamwork and hope they'll give you a better feel for our approach.
- Introduction Of Red & Black … And Life's Detours
- Appearances
- Career Opportunities
- Communications
- Conflict Management
- Constructive Feedback
- Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
- Diversity
- Education
- Employability Skills
- Intellectual Property
- Interpersonal Studies
- Leadership
- Money & Math
- Motivational Interviewing
- Negotiating
- Policies & Procedures
- Project Management
- Relationships
- Resume & Professional Portfolio
- Rights Of Employees & Responsibilities Of Employers
- Safety
- Teamwork
- Technology
- Values & Priorities
- Vocabulary
At one point, we were going to call this section "Retro" because initially it only contained videos created by a high school senior (Thanks, Aurelio) back when we keynoted at YES Prep High School in 2012. And, at the risk of sounding arrogant — we’re still amazed that his videos have been viewed over 800,000 times — and have stood the test of time.
Plus, we were hoping we could use our animated “creatures” instead of appearing live, but then how would you know we were real people? So, we started recording our weekly team Zoom meetings, and our social media guru has taken segments and turned them into short videos (and suggested, on more than one occasion, that we should do a podcast).
FROM INSIDE THE PRISON WALLS
We never expected to go to prison (technically, it was our bestselling book, but we did visit a few of the units), and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice allowed us to send a film crew in to interview the men and the chaplain who piloted the first of many Red & Black Personal Finance & Life 101 programs. Be prepared to hear powerful voices and unexpected messages that will stop you in your tracks. And begs the question, “Why are these things not taught in school?”
WANT MORE VIDEOS?
We’ll start loading them on our YouTube channel, and you’ll be able to click VIDEOS for an assortment of short videos and social media posts. And, of course, they’ll be scattered throughout this site based on subject matter, while some will be “sneak previewed” in our weekly newsletter, so …
Register for our newsletter on the “sticky bar” at the bottom of the page.
P.S. – If there’s a topic you want us to talk about, please email us at Banter@RedandBlack.email.
Overwhelmed by piles of paper? Well, if you’re like Red, longing for a perfectly clean desk, you might use filing cabinets or, at least, neatly stacked file folders. But a filing system that uses the floor of your workroom? And what happens when you run out of floor space?!
Curious about Black’s advice? Check out this book excerpt …Too Much Paper — Not Enough Time.
Don’t Expect A Compliment From A Sarcastic Sister — But Have A Comeback