Who knew that “human connection” was the key to innovation and endless creativity?

In the workplace, building strong human connections is not just a social nicety — it’s the key for continuous business success. Soft skills, also known as human skills, form the foundation of any successful business relationship. These skills include behavioral competencies like communication, active listening, empathy and other abilities that shape how individuals interact and form relationships with colleagues. Soft skills enable better collaboration, foster innovation within teams and improve interactions with customers.

John Eades, CEO of LearnLoft, emphasizes the importance of prioritizing human connections in the workplace. He states that soft skills are essential for building and maintaining professional relationships and instead should be referred to as relational skills. Eades also highlights the distinction between being efficient at building relationships and being effective at solidifying strong business partnerships. “You can be efficient with tasks, but to build strong relationships, you must be effective,” he says.

While 80% of executives agree that soft skills are critical for fostering strong relationships at work, soft skills training programs have historically been overlooked. This is often because organizations prioritize hard (technical) skills over soft skills, viewing the latter as harder to quantify. However, maintaining strong business relationships remains crucial for achieving business objectives and should not be ignored. Learning leaders must address these challenges by designing programs that bridge the gap.

This article will guide you through the steps to developing an effective soft skills training program customized to your organization’s unique goals.

5 Steps to Creating a Soft Skills Training Program

Developing a scalable soft skills training program requires a structured approach. Follow these five steps to ensure success:

1.     Align training with your company’s mission statement.

Soft skills encompass a broad range of abilities, such as empathy, emotional intelligence (EI) and teamwork, which can make it challenging to know where to start. Maitreye R. Lankala, CPTM, a learning and talent consultant, suggests starting by understanding the organization’s mission and vision to align soft skills with the business strategy. Begin by identifying the core competencies essential to your industry. Then, align these skills with your company’s values to ensure a consistent customer experience that reflects your mission.

Lankala shares an example:

A retail or customer service company focused on promoting organic products might prioritize soft skills such as EI, empathy and active listening. EI can help employees address diverse customer needs, empathy aids in managing dissatisfied customers with care, and listening skills can build stronger connections with clients.

2.     Define learning objectives based on your audience.

To maximize the impact of soft skills training, personalize the program to suit the needs of your audience. Tailor the training design to the unique responsibilities of each role, ensuring it aligns with individual and organizational objectives.

For example, Lankala explains that a program designed for front-line workers will differ from a program designed for corporate-level staff. Eades explains that his company tailors soft skills training by role, focusing on accountability, trustworthiness, coaching, empathy and EI for leaders, while training individual contributors on character, confidence, focus, coachability and drive. This role-specific approach helps define clear learning objectives and ensures that desired outcomes align with organizational needs.

3.     Take a blended learning approach.

Effective soft skills training should be interactive and engaging, allowing employees to practice building connections with one another. Incorporate a mix of active learning methods, such as peer discussions, role-playing and in-person workshops, complemented by asynchronous options like eLearning modules or short videos. Methods like storytelling, simulations and game-based learning can reinforce practical applications.

Scenario-based learning is particularly impactful, allowing employees to apply new skills in realistic, low-stakes environments. Eades predicts that scenario-based learning will continue to gain prominence. He says that advances in virtual reality (VR) will revolutionize corporate training, allowing leaders to practice skills like conflict resolution in immersive, repeatable scenarios. Until then, breakout sessions and customized scenarios remain valuable tools for fostering meaningful learning experiences. The key to an effective blended learning approach for soft skills training is to engage employees in building meaningful relationships with their teams.

4.     Continuously reinforce soft skills training.

Reinforcement is essential for sustaining the impact of soft skills training. Provide employees with job aids, quick reference guides, checklists or infographics to support learning on the job. Schedule follow-up or coaching sessions to sustain skills development and encourage peer feedback to create a supportive environment for practicing new skills. Mentorship can offer ongoing guidance, while leveraging technology like a learning management system (LMS) allows for refresher courses and progress tracking, ensuring continuous growth beyond the classroom.

5.     Create a measurement plan.

To evaluate the success of a soft skills training program, establish a clear measurement plan. Start by defining clear objectives aligned with organizational goals. Lankala suggests setting specific key performance indicators (KPIs) at the outset, such as reducing error rates, improving customer satisfaction scores or increasing team collaboration. These objectives ensure the program’s focus remains tied to tangible business outcomes.

Feedback mechanisms are another essential component. Use surveys or questionnaires to gather participants’ perspectives on the training’s relevance and effectiveness. This immediate feedback can help you gauge the initial impact of the program. Lankala also emphasizes the value of observational assessments by managers or team leads who can monitor changes in behavior, such as improved communication, conflict resolution or teamwork.

Finally, track performance metrics over time to assess the program’s broader impact. For instance, in customer service roles, monitor changes in complaint rates or satisfaction scores. “If you don’t track the impact of your training program, you won’t know if it’s effective or needs adjustments,” Lankala says. Leveraging technology like an LMS can streamline this process, offering tools for tracking progress and administering refresher courses to reinforce learning. By combining feedback, observational assessments and performance data, organizations can create a robust measurement plan that ensures continuous improvement.

Conclusion

A well-designed soft skills training program is essential for fostering stronger human connections, improving collaboration and driving business success. By aligning training with organizational values, defining clear objectives and incorporating interactive methods, companies can ensure their employees are equipped with the relational skills necessary to thrive in the workplace.

Ongoing reinforcement, consistent feedback and measurable outcomes are crucial for sustaining progress and ensuring that soft skills development remains a strategic priority. Ultimately, investing in these foundational skills can empower employees to build stronger relationships and position the organization for long-term success.