What do you think? Do soft skills trainings really benefit corporates? Can corporate training companies really create that much of a difference?
Well, I know what you’re thinking. You yourself wanted to know and hence clicked on this article. And I’m asking you back!
Actually, rather than giving you the answer, I would like to share an experience with you. And probably after reading it you will be able to answer it yourself!
So, here goes…
The Induction Training Program
Recently, we conducted 13-day induction training program for a US based accounting firm which has newly set up base in India. We were to train their first ‘India employees’, a team of 10 chartered accountants. And this was to be done before the official launch of the firm in India. We were to train this newly formed team on various soft skills and make them ready for the handling the Indian branch all by themselves.
So, we went about creating a plan to take the team through the required soft skills training journey. And conducted various soft skills trainings over the two weeks prior to the launch. We spent this time helping the team in understanding the importance of soft skills and seeing the difference they can make in their work and interactions. We also helped them practice the concepts they had learned so that they could use them in their day-to-day life, professionally as well as personally.
The Result
By the end of the two weeks, the team was very well bonded. They were also motivated to take on the responsibility for setting up the new business. The US team was in turn extremely happy with the corporate training program of the India team and were eagerly waiting to start work with them.
We could also see a visible difference in the behaviour and confidence of the participants. Looking back at the first day of the induction and their first interaction with us, the team had come a long way. Not just us, even the participants could feel the difference in each other and the team on the whole. Many of them had started the induction being apprehensive of how much a soft skills training could help. However, they came out with a very different opinion! They all agreed that soft skills are extremely important in getting work done and growing as a team and organisation.
Hmm…So, what are your thoughts on soft skills training now?