Workers hone soft skills for extra edge
By Rachel Osterman
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — Ryan Neary never liked to speak in front of groups. But when his boss said he could use some improvement in the area, Neary got serious.
In a daylong course on giving presentations, the technology analyst learned the importance of relaxing his arms, walking confidently to the lectern and controlling his vocal tones.
With payrolls shrinking, workers like Neary are finding that it's never been more important to command the soft skills — those nontechnical abilities such as speaking in front of groups, working in teams and inspiring the confidence of supervisors.
Employees looking for that extra edge are driving demand for training that teaches them how to stand out with personal, as opposed to practical, qualities.
"I have a lot of interaction with different business users," said Neary, who works at Aon Corp. "Trying to articulate and be more confident is important. Public speaking is hard to convey over a résumé, but even your body movement and vocal quality are going to play a big role in whether or not they like you."
Neary attended a workshop led by Kirsten D'Aurelio, an actress who helped to launch VoiceScape, a small, presentation skills company that uses the techniques of theater to help people perform in the business world.
On a recent weekday, D'Aurelio instructed her attendees to form a bond with the audience when they give presentations, to make their gestures purposeful and, above all, to relax.
"Channel your adrenaline as a performance enhancer," D'Aurelio instructed.
Before standing in front of a large group, D'Aurelio suggested, presenters should check their posture, make sure their feet are shoulder-width apart, loosen their knees, distribute their weight equally, and straighten their heads so that they don't tilt to one side.
"These are the little things that can really matter when you're standing up there and whether people decide to be impressed with you," D'Aurelio said.
Labor market experts say the kind of self-presentation skills D'Aurelio emphasizes are just what employers look for.
"A lot of employers think that the soft skills are more important than the hard skills. If someone has the right attitude, comes to work on time, is a good team player — that's more important than knowing how to use the right software," said Wilhelmina Leigh, a senior research associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C.
Soft skills are so important in the workplace, a survey by two University of Massachusetts economists found, that 86 percent of employers considered them to be among their most important hiring criteria.
For Steve Armstrong, vice president of Kelly Services, one of the country's largest temporary employment agencies, that's because a prospective employee's soft skills often better determine whether or not he will fit into the job environment than do his hard, or technical, skills.
"It's had such a huge impact that it's reworked how we go about looking for employees," Armstrong said.
"You really have to play to peoples' soft skills in where you place them," he said. "When someone leaves an organization, how often do you hear people say 'they just didn't fit in' or 'they just didn't work out.' That's generally speaking to some deficit on the soft-skills side."
Among the unemployed, developing the right communications skills has taken on added urgency.
Ron Taylor, who organizes the Executive Network Group, a local support group for out-of-work executives, invited D'Aurelio to speak to his members.
"The nature of communications and business is something in which you have to be better at than ever," Taylor said. "Good communications can help people get out of unemployment.
"Networking is the way that about 80 percent of employment opportunities come to seasoned managers and executives," he said. "And networking cannot be effective without good communications."
Taylor has become more aware of everyday interpersonal interactions since undergoing training.
"I now answer my phone differently than before. I say, 'Good morning, this is Ron Taylor.' And I don't use a monotone. It's just a little more congenial."
And the results?
"A couple of times," Taylor said, "people have said 'Gee, you have a cheery greeting.' "
Another major player in the soft-skills training field is Second City Communications, an offshoot company of the famous improv comedy club. Second City teaches business people to use the tenets of improvisation to present, collaborate, interview for a job and listen to co-workers.
"The techniques are all about becoming a supremely good listener, finding the right balance of individual and ensemble on stage," said Tom Yorton, president of Second City Communications. "We teach people about finding agreement in ideas. There's a fundamental tenet of improv called 'yes, and.' They agree and then they add something."
