PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
ROAD TO SUCCESS LEVEL II
SESSION 2
SELF IMPROVEMENT SKILLS
Self Development Skills Level II
Road to Excellence
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Methods of Self-Improvement
Every individual has the ability to improve strengths and reduce weaknesses.
A self assessment must be performed honestly and is meant to evaluate the individual
To begin performing a self-assessment, ask yourself the following questions and record your
answers on a sheet of paper:
1. WHAT ARE MY STRENGTHS?: What do I receive compliments from others for having done
well? What do I think that I am good at?
2. WHAT ARE MY WEAKNESSES?: What activities do I feel less confident performing? Do I
frequently make excuses or blame others for my failures? Do I finish what I start?
3. HOW DO I SEE MYSELF?: Am I dependable? Do I speak well in front of others? How is my
sense of humor? What do I like most about myself? If I could change one thing about
myself, what would it be?
Session 2
Self Development Skills Level II
Road to Excellence
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Methods of Self-Improvement
4. WHAT ARE MY LIKES AND DISLIKES?: Do I like to sit in one place as I work, do I like to move
around? What subject did I enjoy the most while attending college?
5. DO I ESTABLISH GOALS AND WORK TOWARDS ACHIEVING THEM?
After assessment, individual must evaluate the recorded information. When evaluating, it is
helpful to draw conclusions and to develop a plan for the future.
Even if you were not entirely pleased with the outcome, you now have valuable new
information about yourself.
Session 2
Level II
Self Development Skills
Road to Excellence NINE Tips for Self Improvement
1. See yourself as a success: In most cases, you will behave as a successful
person because in your mind you see yourself that way. Dressing the part of a
successful person, you will also demonstrate to others that you pay attention to
detail. A person who presents a sloppy or extreme outward appearance send the
message to others that he or she lacks credibility or is not able to fit in well with
others
2. Spend Time With Positive People: Positive people tend to encourage
those they spend time with. By surrounding yourself with positive people, you will
be more likely to hear positive comments and to think in a more positive manner
3. Eat Right: One of the challenges of leading a busy life is the temptation not to eat the foods that will
make us healthy. Too much caffeine from coffee, soda, or candy bars can cause the body to experience
high and low feelings. Try to drink six to eight glasses of water each day
4. Break a task down into smaller steps: Sometimes it is difficult to work on a project because it
seems overwhelming. A good way to get started is to break the task down into several smaller tasks.
5. Get Enough Sleep: Most adults need an average of 8 hours of sleep per night.
6. Reward Success: When you accomplish something that you are proud of, reward yourself! Take
yourself (and a friend) to lunch to celebrate, spend some time doing something that you enjoy
Session 2
Level II
Self Development Skills
Road to Excellence NINE Tips for Self Improvement
7. Do Something for Someone Else: Doing something for someone else is
often the best thing that we can do for ourselves. By helping someone else, we
focus our attention on someone else’s needs.
8. Exercise!: Positive people tend to encourage those they spend time with. By
surrounding yourself with positive people, you will be more likely to hear positive
comments and to think in a more positive manner
9. Learn Something New: : Lifelong learning means that we never assume
that we know all of the answers
Session 2
SELL YOUR IDEA WITH A STORY
What does Jesus, Confucius and many of history’s
greatest people have in common? They are all
accomplished storytellers.
They use short stories to explain their ideas to their
audience and win followers
Stories are an excellent way to connect with people, to
make complex ideas easier and to understand, and to
make your message memorable
Reason and Emotion
Facts are about data, logic and reason. Stories on the other hand are about facts
plus emotion.
Use Others
In addition to using stories to introduce himself and to
overcome the silent objection, an outstanding
salesman will use stories for many other purposes,
such as:
Building Rapport
Entertaining prospects and sustaining their interest
throughout the sales presentation
Creating a compelling picture of how his solution can
change his prospect’s life
By learning to use stories instead of data with facts, a
salesperson can introduce himself, connect with his
target and deliver a powerful message
