Soft Skills Training Part III – Stress Resistance

The Soft Skill training series is based on the System Operation Guideline

(COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2017/1485 of 02.08.2017), which specifies the education and training programme for employees in real-time operation of the transmission system operators and is also understood as a guideline for distribution system operators.

This explicitly includes action skills and in particular stress management, behaviour in critical (network) situations, a sense of responsibility and the ability to motivate.

In cooperation with the training coordinators of the German transmission system operators and the distribution system operators, a series of training courses was successively developed to enable the employees responsible for real-time operation to develop these skills, reflect on them and test them in a crisis-proof manner.

Module III Stress Resistance deals with the physical and cognitive effects of stress, as well as their impact on the problem-solving and decision-making abilities of those affected.

Objective

The aim is to achieve a conscious (short and long-term) approach to dealing with the physical and cognitive effects of stress in order to remain capable of acting even in pressurised situations. It was specially developed to meet the requirements of energy supply companies.

Learning objectives

• Understanding the psycho-biological effects of stress
• Understanding personal (physical and psychological) stress reactions
• Teaching effective (short- and long-term) countermeasures
• Teaching behavioural-psychological techniques to ensure the ability to act
• Participants are enabled to implement countermeasures on both a personal and structural level

Participants

The soft skills training is aimed at specialists and managers, in particular employees in grid and system management (real-time operation) as well as employees of grid and power plant operators.

Method

• Lecture
• Group tasks
• Reflection exercises
• Exercise scenarios
• Discussions

Contents

• Psycho-biological effects of situational, long-term and chronic stress
• 5-stage stress model by Richard Lazarus [theoretical foundations]
• Perception-based handling of the personal stress reaction [in an emergency]
• Behavioural-psychological techniques to ensure the ability to act even in critical [network] situations
• Working through & developing solutions for system-related, structural stressors [practical transfer]
• Health significance of successful stress management