I recently sat in on interviews to replace one of our school employees. One of the questions in the interviews involved the concept that we have shared leadership responsibilities at Cecil Floyd. Shared leadership is something we have slowly developed in our elementary school. In means that decisions are not made by one boss or rule maker, but by representatives of the staff. Parents, community members and, of course, students also have input. We work together to learn from our mistakes and find solutions to improve our environment.
We heard answers from a handful of candidates. Teachers helping in the interviews were concerned when a candidate was too meek, too withholding, or too talkative. At the end of all of the interviews, the question arose about whether a direct answer was better or worse than a story leading to an answer. This reminded me of an article in Inc. magazine (online), headlined Public Speaking Is no Longer a 'Soft Skill': It's Your Key to Success in Any Field. The so-called soft skill of storytelling is discussed. One entrepreneur was quoted as follows:
We heard answers from a handful of candidates. Teachers helping in the interviews were concerned when a candidate was too meek, too withholding, or too talkative. At the end of all of the interviews, the question arose about whether a direct answer was better or worse than a story leading to an answer. This reminded me of an article in Inc. magazine (online), headlined Public Speaking Is no Longer a 'Soft Skill': It's Your Key to Success in Any Field. The so-called soft skill of storytelling is discussed. One entrepreneur was quoted as follows:
If an entrepreneur can't tell a convincing story, I'm not investing. You call it soft. I call it fundamental.
Warren Buffett agrees:
The one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now -- at least -- is to hone your communication skills -- both written and verbal.
The magazine article explains this by giving some examples. One such example compares a worker making $80,000 with another worker, with effective communication skills, who can make $120,000.
In a world built on ideas, the persuaders -- the ones who can win hearts and change minds -- have a competitive edge.
I've never understood the term "soft skills". That term relegates greeting others, getting along, and having the ability to communicate to secondary status, making it less important than other job skills. That said, we must begin to understand that those skills are key to getting the job, keeping the job, working with associates, doing the job well, and advancing.
Calling public speaking a "soft skill" diminishes its value in a world that cherishes the hard sciences. Public speaking isn't soft. It's the equivalent of cold, hard cash.
While the Inc. article focuses on monetary advantages, the social aspects for the job candidate (or the job holder) are advantageous to all. Impress people by keeping up a conversation, and one can master many situations: friendships, dating, and professional.
