How Do You Effectively Train Senior Management in Essential Soft Skills?

Hi all, I am currently working on training program assignments for senior management. The assignments require training in soft skills such as customer service orientation, concern for quality, and initiative for the senior management to prepare them for top management roles. Could any professionals provide me with some guidance on how to train these soft skills? Are there any specific programs or activities recommended?

Thank you.

Before you talk about training any employee or individual, you need to carry out a Training Needs Analysis (TNA). Did you do that? If not, kindly do it. It's not about HOW TO TRAIN; it's all about WHAT TO TRAIN, WHY TO TRAIN, and WHEN TO TRAIN.

Kindly share more about your current role, designation, expertise, etc.

With profound regards

I fully concur with Skhadir. The selection of training programs cannot be based on what the learners think they would like or what the training department feels is beneficial, but must be based on an analytical process that investigates and determines specific needs in terms of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that require training interventions.

Training Needs Analysis

In short, a Training Needs Analysis has to be carried out. If a full or proper TNA process is not possible, then at least carry out a simple TNA. Please see the attachment for the TNA Summary Process, which may be of help.

Training Programs for Soft Skills

Training programs for soft skills require the must-know concepts, tools, and processes to enable participants to apply what they have learned. If one of the must-know criteria is missing, there will be zero transfer. Evaluation of soft skills programs, in most cases, is restricted to reaction criteria, which has no bearing on training effectiveness. Trainers need to measure the amount of learning, transfer, and the results by making it compulsory for participants to do a project. Otherwise, soft skills programs are faddish.

Regards.

Could you be kind enough to share your project guidelines for soft skill participants and the evaluation or assessment form for measuring what one has learned, knowledge transfer, etc.?

With profound regards,

Can you provide more information in your Training Needs Analysis (TNA) associated with any module on which you have worked? Kindly share your knowledge and help others benefit from it.

With profound regards,

Recwaits had requested "some clue regarding how to train their soft skills," and we both agree that a proper TNA should be conducted rather than just identifying some training programs without appropriate analysis. A proper TNA is important, but it is laborious and time-consuming. Depending on the size of the organization, it could take between one to three months. If the TNA is to be conducted in-house, the staff need to be trained (a TNA course is between 2-3 days with skills training), and there must be adequate personnel to conduct the TNA process. This is the reason why some organizations engage external consultants to conduct the TNA, but some organizations may not be prepared to pay. Consequently, some organizations choose the easy path to do some basic research or interviews and identify what they think are suitable training programs.

In many cases, this ad-hoc identification of training programs in lieu of a proper TNA will eventually prove to be inadequate.

Steps to Conduct a Simplified TNA

What I suggested is that, if a proper TNA is not possible for whatever reasons, then do a simplified TNA. I wish to provide further explanation of this simplified TNA process which consists of 6 Steps:

Step 1 - Business Needs

- Identify what are the business needs for the Organization, Business Unit, or Department.

Step 2 - Performance Needs

- Identify what are the performance needs to achieve the desired results and business targets.

Step 3 - Performance Issues

- Identify what are the performance issues/problems that are hindering the achievement of the Business and Performance Needs.

Step 4 - Competency Needs

- Identify what competencies the performer needs to do the job/task.

Step 5 - Learning Objectives/Needs

- Identify what knowledge, skills, and beliefs they must learn to reduce the competency gap.

Step 6 - Learning Solutions/Programs

- Identify what learning programs need to be designed or sourced, and delivered to meet learning needs.

Thereafter, prepare the Training Calendar for the year.

I have attached herewith the simplified TNA together with an example.

Hope the above is of help.

Regards,
Wong Yew Yip