International Perspectives on Military Education

International Perspectives on Military Education

volume 1 | 2024

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Soft Skills in Favor of Advanced Military Education

Maroua Cherni, PhD, and Feten Slimeni, PhD

https://doi.org/10.69977/IPME/2024.004

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Abstract: The concept of military education has evolved significantly during the years, reflecting the changing education methods from physical training and hard knowledge-based activities to more advanced and effective techniques. Modern military education recognizes the importance of soft skills required for adaptation to the complexities of twenty-first century military operations and resilience to future challenges. Developing new abilities like critical thinking, problem-solving, and flexibility can significantly support academic performance and enhance students’ capabilities. Also, the role of a multiskilled teacher is crucial, not only for improving students’ academic outcomes but also arming them with techniques to face life challenges. This article emphasizes this requirement and suggests leveraging project management (PM), emotional intelligence (EI), and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) to enhance educational psychology and pedagogy principles. These strategies—PM, EI, and NLP—provide adequate soft skills to boost the teaching-learning experience by improving communication, understanding emotional cues, and effectively managing the teaching and learning projects. The proposed methodology is detailed and illustrated using application examples. Finally, results highlight its effectiveness in the transformative global landscape.

Keywords: advanced military education, soft skills, project management, PM, emotional intelligence, EI, neuro-linguistic programming, NLP

 

Introduction

Education plays an important role in developing knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that enable people to contribute and benefit from an inclusive and sustainable future.[1] To participate effectively in the workplace and deal successfully with labor functions, students should have professional competencies and develop life skills. Therefore, today’s learning process focuses on soft skills in addition to hard skills to fit the twenty-first century landscape.

Technical skills (a.k.a. hard skills or hard competencies) refer to the ability to master something through education and training. It is a set of competencies that enable students to perform job duties. This knowledge “comprises a person’s technical skill set and ability to perform certain functional tasks.”[2] Hard skills are those learned at school from readings or even performed hands-on, such as accounting, mathematics, and law.

Thus, hard skills refer to specific knowledge and technical skills toward one’s major.[3] That is why these skills can be divided into two components for specific knowledge and skills of a subject.[4] So, they are the essential requirements for a career in a particular field of expertise. For example, an English teacher must master teaching strategies and tools completely different from those of a lawyer. These hard skills are valuable to graduate and undergraduate students for their future and are compulsory to have an occupation. However, these skills provided at school are not enough for students to succeed in their careers or even find a job. That is why it is often said that hard skills will get you an interview, but you need soft skills to get and keep the job.[5]

Today, to be accepted in some occupations (e.g., international organizations), the combination of hard and soft skills is required because of the interdependence between interpersonal aspects and professional life. Broadly, the global labor market has changed in the twenty-first century and employers give higher consideration to soft skills than graduates realize.[6]

As a result, twenty-first century students need new skills to fit their complex and constantly evolving future.[7] For instance, they require responsibility, communicative qualities, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, empathy, leadership, and self-management that includes time and stress management.

Soft skills could be defined as life skills that are behaviors used appropriately and responsibly in the management of personal affairs, and many of them are tied to individuals’ personalities rather than training. They are a set of human skills acquired via teaching or direct experience that are used to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily human life and personal and professional affairs.[8]

Life skills including personal qualities, interpersonal skills, and additional skills and knowledge, have been defined by the World Health Organization as “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.”[9]

As a result, these skills represent the psycho-social skills that determine valued behavior and include reflective skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, personal skills such as self-awareness, and interpersonal skills. Practicing these competencies can lead to improved self-esteem, sociability, tolerance, action competencies to take action and generate change, and capabilities to have the freedom to decide what to do and who to be.[10] Mastering these skills is the only path to being the best version of ourselves.

This trend aligns with the evolution toward a pedagogy that relies on psychology for effective education. The concept of pedagogy refers to the teaching method and the teacher’s responsibility to present knowledge and help the student understand it.[11] Educational psychology covers how people learn and retain knowledge, leveraging psychological principles to enhance the learning experience for diverse learners.[12] Pedagogy that relies on educational psychology may help the teacher determine effective teaching strategies to reach educational goals for teachers and students.[13]

Soft skills are essential to boost an individual’s relationships and improve job performance and career prospects. The ability of teachers and military students to identify, develop, and evaluate such skills is undeniable to enjoy achieving personal and professional goals. In this same context, American author Orison Swett Marden said, “Work, love, and play are the great balance wheels of man’s being.” Professional military education is also affected by the soft skills revolution. The success of a teacher in their mission and graduate/undergraduate students in their career and personal life depends on the acquisition and development of technical and life skills. The teacher’s function is not only the transmission of technical knowledge, but it is the process of transferring life experience. Therefore, in the military context, hard skills such as weapons handling and radio communication principles are indispensable but insufficient to deal successfully with the challenges of modern operations. Preparing commanders who can manage international operations and make adequate decisions requires a wide range of soft skills that ensure cultural awareness and intercultural competencies.[14]

The objective of this study is not the distinction between hard and soft skills, because the two categories are essential to perform successfully in teaching, learning, and real-world. The main objective is to explore the “soft skills revolution” to promote teaching-learning methods and create a positive and committed work/learning environment. The proposal is built on a mindset of motivation, engagement, and commitment considering that failure does not exist, there is only experience and feedback. Furthermore, this article highlights the need for these skills to succeed in advanced military educational mission and improve students’ engagement in the learning process. The authors review the historical evolution of military education. They then detail the proposed methodology leveraging the recipe of PM, EI, and NLP, and provide insights into practical experience in professional military education. Finally, the authors discuss the results and the necessity of implementing these skills in military education.

 

Literature Review

The concept of military learning has evolved significantly over time, reflecting changes in global military educational methodologies. Historically, military education was limited to formal institutions, often focusing on technical skills. Nevertheless, contemporary military education increasingly recognizes the importance of soft skills, acknowledging the necessity for adaptability to modern requirements.

Going back to the nineteenth century, the Prussian military education model was adopted worldwide. It combines theoretical knowledge with practical training to prepare officers for complex warfare.[15] Institutions devoted to officer training led to military academies during the same century. These military schools formed historical military education systems that influenced military practice around the world by establishing standardized training procedures and structured curricula. Military education methods then and now have been greatly affected by the requirements for professionalization in the military.

An ongoing evolution is reflected by the history of international military learning communities that is driven by technological advancements, changing educational paradigms, and the complexities of modern warfare. Recent studies highlight the importance of incorporating contemporary learning methods into military education. For instance, Jitendra Singh et al. emphasizes the effectiveness of hybrid learning approaches, which combine traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning.[16] This shift not only reflects changing educational paradigms, but also enhances the adaptability of military personnel in rapidly evolving environments. Moreover, military education systems have been significantly influenced by emerging requirements and trends. Emerging issues and operational threats highlight the need for armed forces worldwide to continually adapt their training methodologies.[17]

Aimao Zhang discusses the implications of prioritizing hard skills, noting that while they are indispensable for technical tasks, the neglect of soft skills has led to challenges for graduates in the workforce, where interpersonal skills are increasingly demanded.[18] This skill gap can hinder effective collaboration and adaptability in dynamic environment for both military contexts and civilian careers.

The changing landscape of military education is further reflected in the evolving role of teachers. Larisa Nikitina and Fumitaka Furuoka emphasize that the role of instructors is transitioning toward fostering student participation and engagement, thereby underscoring the importance of soft skills.[19] This shift indicates a recognition that effective teaching in military contexts requires more than just expertise in hard skills. Instructors must also cultivate an environment that enhances soft skills development among trainees and boosts their capacity for learning, communication, and personal growth.

Moreover, Sean C. McWatt notes that to better prepare students for real-world challenges, educational institutions must adapt to include soft skills training alongside hard skills.[20] This integration is necessary because soft skills facilitate effective communication, teamwork, and leadership. These skills are required for both of the actors in the teaching-learning scene: the learner and the instructor. Military students must develop soft skills throughout their military service. According to research conducted at Harvard and Stanford Universities, only 15 percent of career success is provided by the hard skills, while the other 85 percent comes from so-called soft skills. In this context, we can consider that “soft skills get little respect but will make or break your career.”[21] They need teamwork, problem-solving, and decision making to be able to cope with their dynamic and complex work world.[22] Therefore, military higher education has to evolve toward advanced student-centered processes promoting students’ well-being and improving their retention, which is required especially for volunteer militaries.[23] These objectives are unlikely to be reached without teachers acquiring a set of soft skills to play the role of the second actor. Higher education instructors require advanced competencies (e.g., project management, emotional intelligence, and neuro-linguistic programming) in addition to their hard knowledge to cope with the emotional and cognitive diversity of twenty-first century students.[24]

 

Methodology

Leveraging Project Management Tools and Skills for Teaching and Learning

Project management (PM) involves applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet project requirements and to transform ideas into tangible results.[25] Incorporating project management into the teaching-learning mission helps organize content delivery, track progress, and improve engagement among participants. A research project entitled “Teachers’ Development to Enhance Their Project Management Skills for Students” was launched to focus on the required PM skills for teachers and how it impacts the development of their students.[26]

Modern students need more than simple academic knowledge (e.g., reading, writing, and arithmetic) to survive in an evolving world. They need many life skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, and ethics), which are the everyday skills of project managers. As a student, organizing studying as a project can improve focus and effectiveness, making it easier to achieve learning goals. In the workplace (being a teacher, a military officer, etc.), structuring tasks as projects helps organize goals, allocate time and resources efficiently, facilitate collaboration, and foster productivity. Even for leisure activities, project-based engagement ensures a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved. These required PM life skills are defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as “a group of cognitive, personal, and interpersonal abilities that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner.”[27]

Today’s teachers should be considered project managers. They need PM skills to manage efficiently their course preparation, progress tracking, and classroom management.[28] Also, undergraduate and graduate students should be prepared as future project managers. They may acquire and practice twenty-first century competencies through project-based learning (PBL), which is inspired by project management. It is an essential practice that provides real-world context for the students to develop critical thinking, verbal and nonverbal communication skills, collaboration, creativity, and risk taking.[29]

PM tools are recognized worldwide, thereby adding value to adult training programs by aligning them with actual standards and best practices. These tools can be tailored to provide an effective learning management system that enables both trainers and trainees to track progress and enhance accountability. SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—help them move forward by setting learning objectives. Tools like Gantt charts and kanban visualization boards help create clear timelines and milestones, providing learners with a structured learning path to follow. Also, they facilitate collaboration among learners, enabling them to share ideas and resources, make collaborative progress, and exchange feedback effectively. Instructors using these tools will be able to provide timely evaluations of learner progress and areas for improvement. Many project management techniques are adaptable to different learning styles and needs, making it easier to customize the learning experience since information is absorbed differently among students. Detailed classification methods will be provided in the following sections on NLP and EI skills.

PM communication strategies facilitate clear and effective interaction among trainers and trainees.[30] The instructor must use a combination of styles to ensure that they reach all the trainees. When educators plan communications upfront, they enable improving the effectiveness of communications overall, including content and quality, keeping students engaged in the initiative through open communications, and getting them involved in communications by enabling more effective two-way conversations.

Moreover, using different forms of power, trainers can develop a harmonious learning environment and ultimately promote the success of the course. Here, the term power refers to the ability to influence the behavior and decisions of others, often to achieve the desired result. It is a means of inspiring trainees, motivating them, and guiding the course toward its goal. Power dynamics play an important role in class management and shape the interaction between the coach, the trainee, and all stakeholders. It informs who is in charge, how decisions are made, and how tasks are assigned and completed. The dynamics of power can foster a collaborative environment where coaches can motivate and inspire students toward common goals.[31]

Conversely, mismanagement of power dynamics can lead to conflict, hamper communication, and prevent course progress. The ability of a teacher may come from a variety of sources, including knowledge, position, or reward/punishment ability. Instructors hold different types of power:

1. Positional power, or legitimate power, stems from their formal position as a trainer;
2. Referent power stems from the appreciation and respect identification that an individual saves for a leader;
3. Expert power stems from knowledge, skills, or expertise in a particular field;
4. Reward power stems from the ability to reward. In military education, teachers may exercise reward powers by offering incentives such as bonuses, promotions, recognitions, or desirable assignments to motivate students; and
5. Coercive power comes from the ability to impose penalties or remove rewards. The trainer has the power to impose coercion when disciplining students who do not comply with military standards or violate classroom charter.

 

Information power arises from access and control of valuable or exclusive sources of information.[32] The authors combined these powers during courses depending on the learning subject, the students’ skill level, and their behavior. For example, teaching first-class cadets differs from the final year. The instructor in an undergraduate class may combine positional, coercive, and referent powers to keep aligned with the focus on adapting from civilian to military life and ensuring effective learning. This combination can be found in the profile of military professors, which guarantees continuity and homogeneity during military education, aligning teaching methodology with the evolving stages of cadets. Effective teaching of graduate cadets can leverage expert power to set higher expectation standards, reward power to recognize their achievements, and information power to foster a culture of self-learning.

Furthermore, the instructor can lead the course and the class in many ways leveraging various PM leadership styles.[33] They should bring a tailored style depending on the characteristics of the trainees (e.g., moods, needs, and behaviors) that they can detect leveraging NLP and EI skills that will be detailed in the following sections. Also, they should adapt their style to the characteristics of the organization (e.g., structure, goals, and culture). The instructor may combine the following leadership styles. Laisser-faire leadership lets the trainees lead themselves to complete their assigned tasks. This style makes them more creative and innovative. A transactional leader uses reward and punishment to ensure discipline in implementing rules and values. This style is effective for short-term goals enhancing motivation. Servant-style leadership is based on the trainer’s focus on trainees learning, prosperity, and wellbeing. It creates a strong relationship between them, which is required to reach the course objectives and the shared success. Transformational leadership is based on leading by inspiring, empowering, and encouraging. It can be done by sharing the organizational vision, mission, and future goals thereby enhancing the proactivity, enthusiasm, and commitment that are required in a military context. Charismatic leadership is required for an effective instructor, it includes self-confidence, charm, and strong belief in the learning subject and the ultimate goal.

As a result, incorporating these tools into the teaching-learning process leads to an effective, well-organized, and inspiring teacher and a more engaged and creative learner who is adaptive and resilient to future uncertainties.

 

Emotional Intelligence (EI): A Motivator for the Educational Process

Emotional intelligence is considered one of the most essential soft skills, and it is especially critical for harmonious and successful work teams. For this reason, it has received widespread attention from practitioners around the world.[34] This concept is proving extremely helpful in illuminating certain leadership skills. In this context, it is clear that emotions are essential for effective decision making, because emotions drive memory, learning, and motivation, but they are also an essential part of cognition rather than a separate process.[35]

Emotional intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that becomes a keystone of every aspect of the life-work equation. It is considered the knowledge of emotional information. In this context, EI is the potential to recognize, acknowledge, differentiate, and analyze emotions; the capacity to reflect on emotions and their origins; and the competency to handle emotions and those of others. In other words, EI refers to an individual’s ability to identify, perceive, understand, assess, manage, regulate, and apply their own and others’ emotions thanks to its different aspects. Self-awareness, for example, is an important aspect of EI, as it enables people to distinguish between an emotional and emotionally intelligent person, as well as to understand and solve the imbalance between intellect and emotion.

Although emotional intelligence is a relatively new and growing area of behavioral research, it becomes so necessary for effective and outstanding work performance that it has caught the imagination of the general public, the commercial world, and the scientific community. EI connects with several cutting-edge areas of psychological science, including the neuroscience of emotion, self-regulation theory, studies of metacognition, and the search for human cognitive abilities beyond traditional academic intelligence.[36]

EI has received increased attention in recent years and had a positive impact on education, creating an emotionally healthy academic military environment in which bias and irrationality can be modulated and eventually overcome, which depends on developing this skill on behalf of teachers.[37] Furthermore, adopting a learner-centric approach based on emotional intelligence and the implementation of these soft skills in advanced military education is not a trend or luxury but it has become necessity.

Teachers in the military environment are encouraged to develop this skill because it is important for them to be aware of their emotions by identifying, understanding, and accepting them. It is evident that this process takes time since it requires them to assess the strengths, weaknesses, and triggers of their emotions, but it is important to make the appropriate decision. Also, it enables the teacher to understand the uniqueness of each student, taking into account their different profiles and styles and leveraging them to be more engaged in the process of learning and accept their emotions. In this context, experience shows that if the teacher in the military area understands and empathizes with their students’ positive and negative feelings, the learning process will be fostered and active listening and effective verbal and nonverbal communication will be enhanced. Thus, this technique will prompt motivation, discipline, and consistency.

Regulating emotions is another undeniable aspect of EI, since it is the process of mentoring and handling feelings without giving up. It can be considered the key to consistency and perseverance until adopting a constructive solution. This step can lead to the self-motivation that helps build a lifelong learning mindset. Moreover, it can create an advantageous environment facilitating the learning process and accomplishing the learning objectives. Generally, it generates deeper commitment with the teacher. In such situations, emotions can lead people to act or react spontaneously, but being emotionally intelligent enables people to avoid this behavior or habit. So, regular connection with the students allows the teacher in advanced military education to help them handle their emotions when they are stressed or overwhelmed. When teachers become emotionally engaged with their students, they can easily break down barriers of bias and irrationality and replace those barriers with bonds of relationship and trust. Hence, relationships allow for more open and trusting communication.[38]

This element involves the graduate and undergraduate students in effectively regulating and managing their emotional responses, persisting in completing tasks, and overcoming obstacles. This means, being emotionally intelligent enables student to manage or control their life and be better adapted to challenging social environments. Since education constitutes only one chapter of the whole life, they should be armed with different skills that enable them to face the difficulties of life. This asset enables teachers of advanced military education to help students focus on their weaknesses, but also manage and boost their learning process. Supporting learners to deal with challenges related to learning through coaching and mentoring is key to cementing this relationship with learners and building the mindset of leaders. This area creates a safe practice zone to permit the learner to express themselves without any possibility of judgment or criticism. This safe zone can be reinforced thanks to feedback based on the Pygmalion effect that encourages the student to learn from their mistakes and be motivated, interested, and actively engaged in learning. To sum up, it leads to improved performance. Implementing the EI in advanced military education is a good opportunity to integrate such important values, like respect for diversity, problem solving, and consolidating the equity. The process of transferring this skill to the student enables the military and society to have a psychologically balanced person who know their boundaries and how to set boundaries for others. Emotionally aware teachers should keep these principles in mind and attempt to create an emotionally healthy environment in which they deal with natural tendencies towards bias and irrationality. As a consequence, “emotional engagement is the essence of information processing and learning.”[39]

When applying emotional intelligence in courses, it helps the instructor boost the creativity of the students. Having the same experience as their students facilitates the instructor’s mission as it permits them to be aware of their emotions and offers the possibility to manage them. This methodology is beneficial in class because teaching some courses related to public international law, for example, is a good opportunity to motivate students to achieve their learning outcomes. This competency builds a culture of continuous learning. Moreover, EI reinforces the rapport with students and creates a meaningful connection with them. Learning is indeed a cognitive function but it includes emotions that create an affective link between pedagogy and psychology aspects.

Human beings are naturally social beings who need to create strong and harmonized relationships and want to be surrounded by likeminded individuals. This approach requires emotional and thought comprehension to promote a positive mental state and decrease worry and fear. For this reason, it is crucial to establish an EI-centric learning environment based on empathy and understanding between teachers and military students.

 

Neuro-Linguistic Programming: A Path for Excellence

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is an emerging psychotherapeutic technique that facilitates understanding and interpreting behavioral and thought changes.[40] It can be defined as a pseudoscience that facilitates the way to be the best version of yourself, because it is a powerful method to change thoughts, beliefs, and habits. This technique studies brilliance and quality by identifying how successful and outstanding individuals and organizations reach their ideal goals.[41] Furthermore, NLP is considered an efficient tool to get out of the comfort zone and to deal successfully with self-sabotage. For this reason, it can be defined as the psychology, science, and art of excellence.[42]

NLP is the result of the research done in the 1970s by mathematician and data researcher Richard Bandler and language expert John Grinder, who realized that successful people have in common such habits. In this context, they investigated the internal and external behaviors that affected some therapists like Virginia Satir, Milton H. Erickson, and Frederick S. Perls and found them to be more influential than others.[43] Based on the linguistic analysis of therapists, they developed an effective therapeutic approach called Metamodel. It is based on verbal and nonverbal communication that creates thought models and improves the physical and emotional state. Metamodel identifies specific skills that can be developed to achieve excellence and teach or impart them to others and help them enhance their performance. In sum, NLP is an important tool to connect with the environment and to communicate positively, as it links language with experience and demonstrates the translation of thoughts into words.

NLP is the study of what effective individuals do and how they do it.[44] It can be defined as the mechanism of self-improvement or the process of modeling human experience and communication skills to improve interpersonal and intrapersonal capacity for a sustainable and effective relationship with others.[45] Furthermore, NLP offers useful methods to communicate with the brain and program or reprogram the unconscious side through the following axes:

1. Neuro is the neurological system that affects the individual’s feelings, attitudes, and behavior.
2. Linguistics is the internal representation code that facilitates sharing experiences and communication among individuals.
3. Programming represents how individuals translate their experiences to achieve the desired results.[46]

 

According to various definitions, NLP operates as a set of techniques rather than a theoretical framework.[47] In therapeutic settings, it addresses mental health issues, and in education, it enhances teaching methods for more engaging and effective learning experiences.[48] In fact, as a technology of behavior, NLP gained widespread recognition for its role in communications and personal development, and it has become familiar in the education sector.[49]

As NLP translates thoughts into words and facilitates the connection between internal and external structure, it is evident that it aims to address learners’ challenges like habit disorders, learning difficulties, anxiety, stress conflict, and time management. NLP also helps students overcome their limiting beliefs by identifying and modifying restrictive behavior to achieve their learning goals. This approach provides a more pragmatic and optimistic perspective on cognitive processes, enhancing an individual’s effectiveness as a learner regardless of age, and offers effective strategies for developing cognitive skills in students.[50] In connection with this advantage, NLP enables students to gain more flexibility and creativity, develop independent behaviors, and create more opportunities to succeed.[51]

Hence, NLP is recognized as an assistive technology to help educators and learners cultivate skills, including academic success, emotional intelligence, self-confidence, empathy, people skills, and leadership skills.[52] It has become prevalent in education and teaching, and it can have amazing results in the military education.[53] It empowers teachers to gain a deeper insight into how students learn by understanding the cognitive process.[54] For advanced PME, mastering the concepts of NLP, understanding its presuppositions, and practicing its different techniques are necessary tools that the teacher must possess. The NLP enables educators in the military environment to embrace different learning approaches and acknowledge each student’s individuality, recognizing that each possesses a distinctive learning style.[55] Some of them are more visually oriented than others and want to see charts and diagrams; others prefer to get information communicated through presentation; and others want to receive information beforehand so they review and analyze it on their own and then speak about what they have read. When instructors present information to students in only one or two ways, they engage some and not all of them.

Communication is one of NLP’s pillars for all careers and the key to the success of a teacher, and it is considered a strong tool “for effectiveness in the teaching profession” because it reflects their performance in the classroom and their ability to share information and understanding smoothly. In addition, it creates a positive learning environment through increasing self-esteem and confidence.[56] Instructors in the military environment need to be highly skilled in this area to communicate effectively with graduate and undergraduate students and make the learning process easier and more understandable. Working on various competencies such as public speaking, active listening, and verbal and nonverbal language is essential for the success of a military instructor. These skills give them the power to motivate, influence, and involve their students in the learning process.

Teachers in PME should pay attention to their body language and be aware that body language including eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures carry significant weight as it constitutes 93 percent of personal communication. Nonverbal communication is important as it can clearly reveal whether someone is comfortable, irritated, nervous, or happy. For verbal language, although it represents only 7 percent of communication, the spoken word is fundamental for good communication in concordance with nonverbal communication. Therefore, engaging in exciting conversation and establishing good understanding and successful interaction are skills that teachers should master (e.g., the capacity to choose their words and use the appropriate tone to attract attention and avoid distraction or disconnection). In this context, Hakan Turan, Keziban Kodaz, and Gokmen Turan demonstrated that communication based on NLP consists of three levels: matching, harmony, and calibration.[57] NLP offers various models, strategies, and tools for effective communication, change, and learning. Also, it influences, models, and builds rapport, including sensory learning styles, sensory modalities, or the VAKOG (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory).

Generally, each individual has a dominant modality, or predominant representation system (PRS), and can be visual and think about visual experience, auditory involving retrieving memories through listening to sound, or kinaesthetic (e.g., internal sensation), olfactory, or gustatory. The PRS can be reflected through several behavioral aspects, such as verbal expression, body language, or eye movement. People can learn or communicate through one of the three PRS or through the combination of two of them. Sensory awareness permits teachers in the military environment to observe and interpret nonverbal cues and behavioral patterns of others. The transmission of knowledge to graduate or undergraduate students depends on the capacity of the teacher to match the PRS of each student and the ability to harmonize speech, words, and body language. Thus, identifying students’ PRS is essential to recognize changes in a student’s body language, tone of voice, or any other sensory cues, and be aware of the level of understanding. Being able to choose the appropriate cognitive style for each student is one of the most important keys to fostering trust, confidence, and self-confidence, facilitating the learning process and emphasizing creativity.

NLP training offers teachers effective tools to implement its tools in their classes, which makes their courses greater, easier, and more understandable. This training is an excellent opportunity to discover, identify, and highlight the different preferences and styles of learners. Further, the Enneagram as a tool of communication enables them to discover and distinguish the different profiles of the students, which helps them to use the appropriate way to communicate with them. These techniques permit educators to take into consideration the learning style according to the needs and requirements of the learner. In this context, teachers can use PowerPoint presentations illustrated with pictures and videos to visualize some situations and invite them to create an internal dialog. In addition, using podcasts, storytelling, and quizzes can generate a debate between learners especially the auditory students who retrieve memories through listening to sound. Besides, preparing case studies and scenarios can easily involve kinaesthetic students. These tools foster their critical thinking and their capacity to solve problems through role-playing and debate, using books, articles, international treaties, reviews, and the internet. Mastering the art of communication and NLP tools is key to establishing significant and regular connection with students.

Being familiar with the NLP’s concepts is necessary for advanced military education. It is a cornerstone to create and develop an area of comfort, trust, and confidence. Furthermore, it is important to encourage sensitivity to individual differences and cultural diversity and accept the differences through the understanding one of the most important presuppositions, “a map is not the territory,” which can build an academic background based on respect. This statement was published in Science and Sanity in 1933 by Alfred Korzybski.[58] It refers to the fact that each person experiences the world through their senses, which structure the territory. Then the individual takes this external phenomenon and makes an internal representation of it within their brain—the map.[59] In other words, even if human beings live in the real world, they do not operate directly or immediately on the world, but they operate within that world using a map or a series of maps to guide behavior within it. These maps or representational systems necessarily differ from the territory that they model.[60] The map is a person’s understanding of the territory of reality. So, we should be careful to avoid the confusion between the models of reality with reality itself, as people generally act according to the way they perceive the world. This presupposition is helpful in military education as it focuses on the recognition of several realities and different perceptions. Also, it refers to the ability to see and understand things from different perspectives, which requires accepting others’ people’s points of view. As a result, making “a map is not the territory” a rule in the classroom can guarantee respect for different opinions and all perceptions, cultures, and backgrounds. Imposing this rule in the classroom charter, especially between undergraduate students, is the first step to accepting the “other” who is not an enemy. This background is practical and beneficial because it promotes the creation of a safe zone of trust and confidence not only between students and teachers but also between students. This method encourages them to develop their talent and have a well-developed and positive perspective and perception toward life and learning.

When the instructor of professional military education masters and practices various NLP techniques (e.g., anchoring, mirroring, and submodalities), students will gain more flexibility and creativity, but they also will be more independent and take initiative to create more opportunities to succeed. NLP is essential to positively impact academic achievement and performance, programming and reprogramming minds, improving communication, and enhancing self-management (including self-motivation, personal responsibility, goal setting, time management, and self-awareness). NLP becomes relevant for the development of teaching and learning, and according to Richard Paul, it is “thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking to make your thinking better.”[61]

Critical thinking can be developed through NLP, it is defined as a process of analyzing and synthesizing. It is the ability to evaluate information collected or generated through reflection, reasoning, or communication to produce valid, strong, and durable arguments and conclusions that can provide evidence.[62] This skill is vital for teachers and students because it enables them to make wise decisions, understand the concept deeply, observe and analyze the facts logically, establish better findings, and generate alternate solutions to problems. With the help of critical thinking skills, a person can face the challenges in the world.[63] It also optimizes students’ creativity, and the ability to think by the rules of logic and probability. It offers different ways to analyze information, apply knowledge, analyze images, and solve pedagogical situations. In this regard, graduates and undergraduate students of advanced military education who can think analytically and critically can enhance their lives and contribute to their society, culture, and civilization. This skill provides the student in the military environment with a more insightful understanding by identifying their weaknesses and strengths, which enables them to face real-life challenges and solve problems. More precisely, it emerges as fundamental for enjoying a good quality of life. In addition, the different skills developed by neuro-linguistic programming offer the opportunity to be open-minded and objective but avoid judgment based on their point of view.

In sum, NLP is a great tool in general for human beings and specifically for graduates and undergraduates in advanced military education as it is the key to change. It enables teachers in the military area to influence the behavior patterns of their students by influencing their thoughts toward their personal and professional objectives.

Thus, beliefs and values can be reframed and reprogrammed to design and get a better future. Change in beliefs and values will lead to change in the individual attitude and, in turn, change the behavior.[64] This mechanism improves their perception of self-efficacy regarding goal setting and motivation. Since military students need the flexibility to face the rigidity of the world and achieve their desired outcomes, they should be convinced that they have all the resources and the potential they need to realize their professional and personal SMART objectives. This is an excellent way to cope with worry and dread and cultivate the attitude of “it is possible” and “I can.” This presupposition facilitates changing the perception of students toward success and failure, which contributes to the development of the culture of feedback. From failure, a person receives feedback that is required to change or adjust the behavior according to the plan and attain success.

It is important to conclude that implementing the NLP in advanced military education is undeniable, it enhances the teaching-learning process and the quality of the learning environment. This environment actively engages graduate and undergraduate military students in the process of learning and helps stimulate development and improve their performance. Additionally, the coaching and mentoring of military students based on NLP enable them not only to be more efficient, self-confident, creative, innovative, and motivated to achieve their desired goals easily but also to improve their leadership, soft skills, and emotional intelligence.[65]

 

Results and Discussion

This research highlights the importance of implementing soft skills in the learning process and the military environment. The objective of this article is not to define or distinguish, for instance, project management skills, emotional intelligence, or neuro-linguistic programming, but rather how we can leverage these skills to reinforce, promote, and foster advanced military learning.

Incorporating the tools and techniques of project management, which are recognized around the world, in military education permits the transfer of some skills like time management, conflict management, teamwork, and effective communication to military students. This discipline is based on the planning, organization, and execution that help the student succeed in a project-based learning process and be prepared for the modern work environment. Also, it helps the instructor prepare courses and manage lessons efficiently. As a project manager, the teacher should be able to tailor their power and leadership style depending on the course, institution, and student profiles that can be detected through NLP and EI skills.

Emotional intelligence can positively influence the teaching-learning process. Being empathetic and aware of others’ emotions toward them facilitates and empowers the learning process. Learners with a high degree of emotional intelligence have good academic experience, and teachers who are emotionally intelligent are the most powerful factors of learning motivation. It is a kind of interdependence between the emotional intelligence and the motivation of military students because emotionally intelligent students can adjust their emotions and adapt them to the environment. Briefly, it is the ability to handle positive and negative feelings and use them effectively to achieve different types of goals. Also, an empathetic instructor influences students’ thinking, thoughts, beliefs, and behavior because this quality makes them trustworthy. Being conscious of students’ emotions and being able to assess their feelings in any situation will help to keep the students in the military environment engaged and enable teachers to understand their mindset, behaviors reactions, and even stress levels. This is a pillar to realize exceptional outcomes. In sum, EI has a positive effect on people and students’ ability to control their own emotions and identify others’ emotions. In addition, this skill might maintain a clear mind that guarantees to make the best decision. In this vein, we should notice that recent studies have found a facilitative effect of emotional intelligence on student learning.[66] Furthermore, people with higher emotional intelligence have good self-efficacy, which allows them to promote their ability to problem-solve and deal efficiently with challenges, problems, and conflicts.

Neuro-linguistic programming is a set of principles and tools that can generate excellence. To achieve this objective, NLP is based on four fundamentals such as having a clear idea of what someone wants, it is the identification of direction and outcomes, getting the unconscious mind’s attention, knowing if you are receiving what you want, and adjusting your actions accordingly. It is the study of how the brain works and how we can program it for our benefit. Research shows that this skill is useful in military education and helps to enhance the teaching and learning process.[67] NLP can also improve the quality of the learning environment due to the development of a stronger relationship between teachers and students, but also it contributes to creating an interactive and positive learning environment. Moreover, NLP techniques—modalities and submodalities, meta-model, modeling, calibration, and reframing the approach—make teachers aware of the students’ competencies and enable them to provide stimuli connected to an experience of the learner through visual, auditory, and verbal anchors with effective communication and the art of feedback. 

To conclude, these results reveal the complementarity and the interconnection of the provided ingredients (PM, EI, and NLP). The proposed recipe consists of being emotionally intelligent, acquiring and applying NLP’s techniques and project management skills to improve the experience of both teacher and learner. This creates an area of confidence and self-confidence and boosts learning military environment.

Nevertheless, highlighting the important role of PM, EI, and NLP in military education is not enough if most instructors are unaware of their efficiency in creating an advanced military education. For this reason, instructors must be encouraged to train for and be receptive to the applicability of this recipe in military education.

 

Conclusion

This article synthesizes existing research findings on military education, highlighting the changes in educational requirements and the implications for future training programs. While significant progress has been made in improving military education through collaborative and technology-enabled methods, more research is required to address existing knowledge gaps and optimize military personnel’s learning experiences in an increasingly interconnected world. A notable development in military education requires a shift in the skills considered necessary for both instructors and students. For the long term, hard skills like technical proficiency and tactical knowledge have been the main focus of military training in the past. Research in the last few years has shown that soft skills like leadership, teamwork, and communication are becoming increasingly important in military education.

Project management, emotional intelligence, and neuro-linguistic programming are proposed in this article as the necessary ingredients of a new recipe for an advanced military learning mindset. These soft skills are important for educators to manage the teaching process efficiently from preparing lessons to inspiring students to be creative and future leaders. Also, they help to develop and adjust thoughts, promote a positive attitude, and motivate the learners to be more committed. By integrating such innovative practices and fostering international collaboration, military learning communities can adapt and thrive in the face of emerging challenges.

 

Endnotes