Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2015 - (Page 3)

FROM WHERE I SIT - D OU G H ARWAR D SOFT SKILLS M A K E U P V I TA L PA R T O F C O R P O R AT E T R A I N I N G The term "soft skills" is not as commonly used as it was many years ago in the training profession, but it's still a critical component of most corporate curriculums. Quite frankly, it could be argued that it makes up the largest amount of spending many companies allocate to training courseware. When asked, many training professionals know what we mean when we refer to soft skills. But my experience shows that few can clearly articulate the spectrum of soft skills training that their organization needs. By definition, soft skills training refers to training that aims to improve an individual's interpersonal skills - or those associated with an individual's ability to reason or make critical decisions using knowledge or experience. In contrast, hard skills are considered those that are needed to perform redundant or predefined tasks, whereby the skills are driven by rules or protocol. The challenge with these definitions is that we live in a world where even the most mundane or rudimentary tasks require a worker to think, use reason and be knowledgeable about the environment in which they work. This edition of Training Industry Magazine brings focus back to the importance of soft skills and addresses recent advancements and best practices in how soft skills training is provided. This issue explores innovations and best practices related to storytelling, collaboration, teamwork, communications and leadership. THERE IS NO QUESTION REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFT SKILLS TRAINING. From where I sit, there is no question regarding the importance of soft skills training. The challenge is identifying the type of skills that are most relevant in today's workforce and developing the best approaches to providing that training. It is our hope that you will use this collection of best practices for soft skills training to generate new ideas that can be used within your own organization. Doug Harward is CEO of Training Industry, Inc. and a former learning leader in the high-tech industry. Email Doug. T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - SPRING20 1 5 I WWW.TRAIN INGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE 3 http://www.trainingindustry.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2015

Soft Skills Make Up Vital Part of Corporate Training
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Leadership: The Artichoke Effect
Focusing on Mindsets and Attitudes
The Importance of Soft Skills For Trainers
Social Simulators Bring Training to Life
The Power of Storytelling in Organizational Development
Leading Change with Resilience
Why Perspective Selling Makes Sense
Harnessing the Power of Teamwork
Collaborate to Innovate: Building an Innovation-Friendly Business Culture
Are You Using the Best Metrics to Evaluate Your Skills Training?
Influencing into the Future
Culture: The Enemy at the Gate of Innovation
Casebook: T-Mobile: Answering the Call for Leadership Development
Leadership is an Inside Job
Vendor Selection Tips for Corporate Sales Training
Checking Your Motivation to Lead
The Real ROI of Leadership Training: Soft Skills Lead to Hard Results
Closing Deals
Company News
What's Online
Training Talk

Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2015