Soft Skills Training: Basic Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Today, employers are looking for well-rounded candidates that can do more than just their jobs. Hiring managers want people who can contribute to the company's culture through a mix of hard and soft skills.

Soft skills are interpersonal skills or character traits that determine how a person shows up in relationships. These are skills like leadership, creativity, work ethic, and flexibility. These skills are crucial for new team members or job hopefuls who need to stand out from other candidates during an interview.

Communication is vital in the workplace because it determines our success as individuals and sets standards for productivity within a company.

Communicating effectively in the workplace makes all the difference. It improves customer service, helps build relationships between coworkers, and may even get you the promotion or job offer you've been hoping for. Employers have begun implementing soft skills training into their companies' learning programs to improve trust and productivity.

What is soft skills training?

Soft skills training encompasses interpersonal relationships, character building, presentation, and other crucial soft skills. Communication focuses on practical verbal expressions like persuasion, public speaking, and telephone etiquette.

In today's workplace, we're constantly emailing, pinging, syncing, and texting, so it also includes digital communications skills. Training employees for soft skills can bring them out of their shells to make conversation and interaction more effortless and organic, personally and professionally.

Sometimes, soft skills training programs may also include effectively handling conflicts and stressful situations. To succeed in business, you must learn to communicate professionally versus personally. You'll also learn how your attitude affects others around you. After all, unhappy employees who socialize more with their coworkers than customers or clients because they have trouble separating work from the play will affect their productivity. 

How can soft skills training help your organization?

Soft skills training is helpful for employers because it improves corporate communication, trust, and company culture, which increases productivity. Bettering workplace relationships positively influences internal operations, thereby contributing to an overall improvement of the business environment. Training also focuses on character-building because research shows that individuals with solid values and strong work ethics are less likely to leave a company for another opportunity, increasing profits in the long run.

Types of Soft Skills Training

There are many different types of soft skills training, ranging from management and leadership skills to communication training.

1. Management and leadership skills training

Managers have various responsibilities, like overseeing daily operations, making financial decisions, hiring new employees, and evaluating current ones. As a manager or someone who wants to move into management in the future, it's pivotal to know how to treat employees and foster a positive work environment.

Whether you're looking to take the next step into the executive suite or just be a good example for your team, leadership training can be a powerful tool to help you get there. Providing these pieces of training to your next class of managers will also set them up for success.

2. Communication and conflict management training

To do well, teams need to communicate efficiently and without problems getting out of hand. Communication and conflict resolution training can boost a team's EQ (emotional intelligence) and contribute to a drama-free workplace.

Creating containers and genuine feedback loops for honest evaluation is critical for authentic systems that keep goals at the forefront and egos aside.

3. Customer service training

If you're building a business, customer service must be one of your top priorities. After all, without customers, your company doesn't have an income! In addition to good customer service, training also teaches you how to resolve conflict. Knowing how to respond to conflict is especially important for teams to address issues without escalating them. Consider using a customer service training manual to outline your approach and serve as foundational knowledge.

The power of soft skills training

Before trying to find the right soft skills training program, you should understand why soft skills are essential for your career in the first place. As mentioned earlier, excellent communication skills can help you get ahead in the workplace when you interact with coworkers and customers. 

Being able to express yourself adequately will make you more desirable for promotions and raises. Businesses know there's more to hiring than just looking at a resume. They also want to see how applicants communicate. Most employers feel communication is crucial in today's business environment. 

If you have confidence in your communication, it will show in everything you do. However, if you lack communication skills, employers can tell right away. They'll notice that your resume doesn't contain much detail about how your past experiences relate to the position you're applying for. They may even disregard your cover letter altogether because of poorly written sentences or spelling and grammar errors. Almost 70 percent of HR managers have chosen to hire candidates based on their soft skills, even over their technical ability.

It's no surprise employers are so focused on soft skills training for employees and candidates alike. When done correctly, effective communication can make a company more profitable. Hence, most companies offer this training.

Soft skills training is beneficial to both employers and employees alike. Soft skill training improves communication within the company, which increases productivity in the long run. Training also focuses on character-building because research shows that individuals with solid values and strong work ethics are less likely to leave a company for another opportunity, increasing profits in the long run. In a world where employees are competing to improve their technical ability in fields like data science and software engineering, having the right soft skills is how you will be able to stand out. If you want to take your career up a notch or two, be sure to participate in soft skills training at work!