AACCOMPREHENSIVE

OMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO
GUIDE TO

SO FT SK I L L S
SOFT SKILLS TRAINING
TRAINING

Improving How Employees Approach Their Jobs

& Work With Each Other

© 2019 ej4, LLC

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Executive Summary:

Both professional athletes and business And this is where soft skills come into play!
professionals will agree; how a team operates as
a unit is often more important than the individual These professional soft skills, like
talent levels of the team members. communication and collaboration, are difficult
to measure. Yet having a strong set of soft skills
If the only determining factors for success were can help any employee achieve career success
hard skills and qualifications, then assembling a – reaching business goals, and enjoying the
group of employees would be easy. process along the way. Since employees start
with different abilities, businesses can offer soft
Managers wouldn’t have to consider their staff skills training resources that can improve how
members’ personalities, attitudes, or their ability employees approach their jobs and work with
to collaborate with one another when putting each other.
a team together. However, coworkers don’t
always communicate effectively with each other In this guide, we’ll explain everything there is to
or perform to the best of their abilities. know about soft skills including:

What soft skills are

How they differ from hard skills

What businesses can do to promote soft skills

How businesses benefit from implementing effective soft skills training

Let’s get started!

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What are Soft Skills?

“Soft skills are sets of abilities that

reflect how well a person gets along
with others around them and how
well they’re able to identify and
address problems.”

Simple enough, right?

In fact, soft skills are difficult to define, measure,

and organize because, as their name suggests, Reflect on your own skills
they’re not hard or tangible and many are
using the list below.
related to each other.
What are your strongest and
Take a look at the list below and see if you can
weakest soft skills?
think of a way to measure these commonly
desired soft skills:

• Accountability • Goal Setting

• Active Listening • Leadership
• Coaching • Managerial Courage
• Collaboration • Mentoring
• Communication • Multitasking
• Creativity • Negotiating
• Crisis Management • Organization
• Critical Thinking • Problem Solving
• Customer Service • Project Management
• Decision Making • Stress Management
• Emotional Intelligence • Time Management
• Feedback • Unconscious Bias

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While the list above serves as a good overview, It calls for active listening, high levels of
there is no definitive list of soft skills, and soft comprehension, and reading social cues and
skills tend to overlap with each other. But the body language. Soft skills highlight the
one constant at the heart of soft skills training difference between listening to what someone
is communication. has to say, as opposed to merely hearing them
speak; the difference between making a brief,
It’s easy to take for granted that professionals well thought out statement and launching into a
understand how to communicate with each rambling monologue.
other effectively. But if you’ve ever zoned out
during a coworker’s 90-minute PowerPoint Professionals use soft skills every day -
presentation or misinterpreted the tone of an most of the time without consciously thinking
email, then you know this isn’t the case. about them.

Solid communication involves more than just Check out a few examples below:
responding to messages or giving presentations.

When an employee puts their phone away so

that they can focus on what their coworker is
saying, they’re using active listening.

When someone owns their mistake, they are

demonstrating accountability.

When you make your “To-Do” list each day, you

are planning and prioritizing.

“These skills don’t always come naturally but they can be taught.
No one is completely devoid of soft skills and no one is perfectly adept at
using soft skills either. Everyone has room to improve.”

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Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

“Where hard skills end, soft skills

begin.”

In order to achieve success in any venture, a

professional has to possess both soft and hard
skills. Hard skills are traits that can be measured
85%
and dissected easily because they operate on
of successes in a person’s career are
attributed to their soft skills
a binary scale. Either someone can write
Javascript code or they can’t; either they can
balance an account properly or they can’t. These
hard skills help people get their foot in the door
because they let employers know a person has
the required abilities to perform a job on a base
level.

In fact, studies indicate that soft skills account

for roughly 85% of a person’s success over the
course of their career. And employers rightly
74%
of hiring managers rate listening skills
value employees with soft skills, 74% of hiring as the top priority for interviews
managers rate a candidate’s listening skills
above all other abilities when they begin the
interview process.

Some may believe that hard skills are the only “teachable” skills, but this just isn’t true. It is possible
to train and hone soft skills, and professionals can take courses on leadership just as they would for
computer programming.

Leadership, like any other soft skill, is not a genetic trait or a birthright, but some people are born
leaders. You can see it on the playground with children at recess. For those people who are not
natural leaders, the ability can be improved through training, hard work and focus.

“Everyone from Warren Bennis to Vince Lombardi

agrees on this note: leaders are made, not born.”

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Soft Skills Training Best Practices

It’s true that certain individuals may have a propensity to excel at activities like diffusing conflict or
public speaking. Yet, even if you’re terrified of public speaking now, as many of us are, you can
become a better public speaker through soft skills training and practice. Plus, people with strong
soft skills can bolster them further through training.

The problem is that companies don’t always have the tools to facilitate that kind of growth. A few
common problems business leaders encounter when implementing soft skills training include:

Lack of relevant educational content

Limited access to capable instructors

Failure to access soft skills needs

Top-heavy educational investment

Insufficient time to implement training

No training reinforcement

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Since soft skills relate to both personal growth However, their differences aren’t liabilities,
and business progress, they’re essential to a they’re advantages because they work together
company’s success on a granular and macro well; they have chemistry.
level.
Good chemistry is the result of soft skills like
Optimum workplace productivity depends on empathy, active listening, and collaboration.
everyone at an office possessing useful soft To improve office productivity, you can improve
skills and complementing each other your employee’s soft skills with training!
accordingly.
Whether you have an existing soft skills training
Think about the composition of any program you want to improve, or you’re ready to
successful team for reference. A speedy bring a new focus on soft skills at your company,
shortstop has talents that a hard-slugging first these steps can work to boost your team’s soft
basemen lacks – and vice-versa. Or to move skills:
away from sports, Captain Kirk is emotional and
courageous, while Mr. Spock is calculating and
measured.

Hire Motivated Employees

In your hiring process, look for potential And you won’t be alone in this effort! During the
candidates who display a willingness to learn. hiring process at Google, the number one
Since it’s very difficult to teach someone a skill attribute they look for is “learning ability”
they don’t want to learn, you can get a headstart because it overlaps with the other soft skills
by simply hiring candidates who already have a they want a new hire to have. Even our Vice
good attitude and who naturally take to training President of Operations, Kathy Irish, says she
sessions. “hires for attitude and aptitude.”

Find Compelling Learning Material

Do any of the presenters in your training videos While effective learning material is typically
feature shoulder pads reminiscent of the diverse in order to reach different types of
original “Dynasty” TV show from the 80’s? What learners, diverse learning material isn’t always
does outdated content say to your learners? compelling.

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When you’re evaluating learning material, try to find a balance of diverse and compelling lessons by
looking for the following:

Conversational instructors
Thoughtful visuals and who are relatable to the
creative graphics learners

Consistent quality of each

course, student materials, Fresh and updated content to
and exams each soft skill training topic

You want to be sure your learners aren’t turned off or uninspired by the lack of current content!

Include a Wide Range of Relevant Topics

Diverse, rich training content is an asset for any Additionally, there can be two different sides to
growing business. The more relevant content a the same topic. Managers need to apply soft
business can offer its team members, the more skills in a different manner than employees.
opportunities they have to grow and learn. There are differences when working with
For example, leadership training could include Millennials vs. members of Generation Z and
teaching each of the DISC personalities, training can address those differences.
succession planning, and how to handle
mistakes.

Assess Training Needs

Soft skills tend to be lumped together, but the “It’s important for businesses to
reality is that they can refer to very different determine which soft skills they
abilities. An employee may have certain want their team members to
well-developed traits like the ability and prioritize – and to figure out how
willingness to collaborate, but they may be best to maximize their training
lacking in others like organization and time efforts.”
management.

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For example, a business can assess a need for Formal assessments, unlike personal
more efficient project management by reviewing observations or interviews, are objective, and
the number of initiatives that launched on time they can provide concrete, measurable data
and on budget. For the initiatives that were late that managers can reference over time.
or over budget, the team members associated
with the project may need training on The nature of the business and its long-term
assertiveness to drive a timeline or training on goals, along with the needs of each individual
negotiating to secure better pricing! employee, should influence soft skills training
methods and topics. Not all employees will
Businesses may also determine their need the same soft skill training depending on
employees’ needs and strengths through formal their natural abilities and past experience.
assessments in the training area.

Create a Learning Culture

Did you know you already have a learning What’s the difference? In a training culture,
culture at your company? Whether you realize it performance problems are addressed through
or not, it’s there! mandatory training. Management dictates what
you can take and when you can take it. In a
A learning culture is a set of organizational learning culture, employees are more involved
values, processes, and practices centered in self-driven learning that will positively
around education and learning. A positive impact business outcomes and personal
learning culture is one that encourages productivity. They don’t view knowledge as
employees, and the organization as a whole, power, but instead, encourage employees to
to continuously learn and add new skills. seek out learning opportunities anytime they
want to.

Training Culture Learning Culture

• Mandatory training • Training is available at

is used to address VS any time and encouraged
performance problems by management

• Management dictates timing • Employees dictate timing

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So how do you build a positive learning culture? Inundating team members with tons of content
isn’t (on its own) going to lead to a better learning culture. Rather, managers can help foster a better
learning environment by:

Prioritizing it and making it a part of their long-term plans

Getting support from management

Encouraging and explaining the benefits of self-directed learning

Offering employees the chance to view content outside of the office

Being consistent in their approach

Keep in mind that each learning culture will differ based on the needs, personalities, and goals of
both the company and its employees. For instance, some businesses have very regimented ideals
and principles that they want their employees to embrace, and their learning culture will reflect that.
Meanwhile, others encourage a more free-form method for employee learning, and, as a result, the
learning culture will be quite different (though not better or worse).

The benefits of building a successful culture are numerous, but a few include boosted employee
morale, reduced turnover rate, and improved workplace atmosphere.

A successful learning culture can

boost employee morale,
reduce turnover rate, & improve
the workplace environment.

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 Reinforce the Training

Quiz time! That’s because schools reinforce lessons

through homework and assignments. In the
Do you know the capital of New Hampshire? same way, effective soft skills training
reinforces the lessons introduced during
How about the first element on the lessons and lectures.
periodic table? Or who invented the cotton gin?
Follow-up emails, quizzes, and recap videos
It’s likely that even if you don’t know the answers all act to refresh employees and keep important
to these questions now, you did at one time. information top of mind, well after training
(By the way, they are: Concord, hydrogen, and sessions have concluded.
Eli Whitney.)

Checking in with an email, a

quiz, or a recap video after
training concludes can help
keep important information
top of mind.

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Further Soft Skills Training
Considerations

Setting up a functioning soft skills training No matter which approach you plan on taking,
program is complex if you’re going the DIY there are a few further considerations managers
route, building a program from scratch. should be aware of before they start making big
Thankfully the process can be made much decisions in regard to their training tactics.
easier by partnering with an eLearning company
who has soft skills training programs ready to
roll out.

Adult Learning Theory

One big question business leaders looking to Adult learning theory provides guidelines for
introduce soft skills training must ask companies looking to boost soft skills
themselves is: how do they plan to expose their development within their organization. It
team to educational material? stipulates that because adults learn
differently from children, the learning process
“Put simply, adults do not learn the must be tailored to their specifications.
same way that children do, but a lot
of educational content is written or Adult learners have different backgrounds and
designed as if they did.” experiences, and L&D leaders need to account
for factors like these when implementing soft
skills training.

Tailor your corporate training programs to take

advantage of qualities adult learners have —
like their eagerness to learn relevant material,
their need to connect with experience, and their
motivation to improve themselves.

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 Changing Behavior

Developing soft skills is about changing To really change behavior, employees can
behavior. The problem here for businesses is watch a series of videos on their own prior to the
that human behavior is nuanced. class, and then discuss the content and roleplay
situations that apply to their position during the
Getting team members to communicate with instructor-led training.
each other in a more productive way isn’t
a simple matter of incentivizing that Working through a problem or situation you’re
communication, or alternatively, punishing currently facing in a roleplay scenario can
failure to do so. You can’t put an employee in actually help you determine how to handle the
“time out” for not communicating with their situation at hand.
coworkers.
Videos can also be used as training
Rather, managers can leverage blended reinforcement after the class to support the
learning to promote changes in behavior over transfer of knowledge from short-term memory
a period of time. Blended learning combines to long-term memory and change behavior.
digital and online learning with face-to-face
instructor-led classes. This enables learners to
have some control over their learning path, and
gives them the ability to move ahead at their
own pace.

Use blended learning, combining digital and

online learning with face-to-face classes

Discuss the content and use roleplay scenarios

that apply to their position after training

Offer videos after training so employees can jog

their memories whenever they need to

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Benefits of Soft Skills Training

Drama is great for TV shows and movies, but it’s the last thing managers or directors can afford to
deal with in the workplace. Still, many conflicts stem from communication breakdowns or
misunderstandings.

Soft skills training seeks to eliminate these damaging miscommunications and ensure that a team
operates at its most efficient and amicable level.

Soft skills training can mean the difference between:

Assertive action vs Persistence vs

aggressive action pestering

Constructive criticism vs Creativity vs

condemnation chaos

Leadership vs Fulfilling communication vs

bullying frustrating interactions

The benefits of an effective soft skills training program are numerous. Soft skills can influence
everything from the way employees communicate with customers to the way they solve problems
internally. It’s not an overstatement to suggest that improved soft skills training can influence nearly
every aspect of a business operation in a positive way.

One final note, it is possible to focus too heavily on a certain soft skill, or, to attempt to promote a
certain soft skill too heavily within one group.

Some companies spend an inordinate amount of their training budget on senior management or
executive positions. Yet, professionals at all levels will benefit from soft skills training. Soft skills
training allows pros to become better communicators and better employees. In the end, soft skills
training is an essential pursuit for both businesses and professionals.

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Conclusion

ej4 can offer businesses a wide array of training

videos that encompass virtually every soft
skills topic you could imagine. From choosing
the right business attire, to managing stressful
situations, ej4 is dedicated to providing the Sign up for a free 15-day
most comprehensive and useful eLearning
resources for forward-thinking professionals. trial of Thinkzoom
Check out a list of additional topics here, or, to
speak with one of our dedicated team
members, contact us today.

About ej4

Since 2004, ej4 has delivered the unexpected in If you are interested in seeing how the principles
the eLearning industry. Our unique style of play out in some actual content, you can sign up
microlearning videos combines instructional for a free 15-day trial of Thinkzoom, our
design with adult learning theories and is Learning Management System.
delivered via contemporary video design. Our
modern learning management system is You can contact us for a demo as well. We’d
simple, intuitive, and mobile so employees love to hear from you.
have the freedom to learn anywhere, anytime.

People Grow Business.

We Grow People.

© 2019 ej4, LLC / 4 CityPlace Drive Suite 450 / St. Louis, MO 63141 / 800.566.3159 / ej4.com / [email protected]
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