Soft skills is a term often associated with a person’s “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, interpersonal skills, managing people, leadership, etc. that characterize relationships with other people.
Soft skills contrast to hard skills, which are generally easily quantifiable and measurable (e.g. software knowledge, marketing skills).
Soft skills are increasingly becoming the hard skills of today’s work force. It’s just not enough to be highly trained in technical skills, without developing the softer, interpersonal and relationship-building skills that help effective communication and collaboration.
The workplace has evolved an interpersonal dynamic that can’t be ignored. Soft skills are what accompany the hard skills, and help an organization use its technical expertise to its full advantage in today’s highly competitive and demanding international marketplace.
These people skills are more critical than ever before as organizations struggle to find meaningful ways of remaining competitive and being productive on the international marketplace.
It has become imperative to recognize the vital role soft skills play within the workforce, which has become more and more intercultural.
When the workforce has lots of technical skills but an absence of soft skills, especially in English, you have what is known as an English soft skills gap.
Do you have an English soft skills gap in your organization?
- If you’re really good at getting international clients, and not so good at retaining them, chances are you have an English soft skills gap.
- If your interaction with your international partners or clients is minimal or almost absent, chances are you have an English soft skills gap.
- If you deal with customer care, teamwork and worker interactions through email and not through face-to-face meetings, chances are you have an English soft skills gap.
In the end it all comes down to knowing how to build and maintain relationships with people.
Bridging your soft skills gap in English with LC Milano.
Workshops designed to meet all your soft skills needs in English at every stage of your professional career, Language Consultants are here to boost your organization’s progress toward its goals with a wide selection of 12 soft skills training topics in English.
