Why Professional Presence Group? Because soft skills have never mattered more.

Bobbie Turner, business etiquette and soft skills trainer and speaker

A steady stream media coverage has caught my eye over the past year about strife in the workplace, with a lack of soft skills noted as a significant culprit. A recent headline from The Times in London reads, “Lack of ‘Soft Skills’ Blamed for Fueling Youth Unemployment Crisis.” From Business Insider, “Employers Are Begging Colleges to Help Zoomers Learn How to Talk.” And, my personal favorite from The Wall Street Journal, “Tech Bros Are Going to Etiquette School.” 

My Nieces and Nephews Weigh In

On vacation in Maine with my family this past summer, I asked my 20-something nieces and nephews who work in New York and Boston what they were seeing. One nephew described a new hire on his Big-4 consulting firm team walking up to a managing partner at a networking event and downloading her laundry list of complaints and suggestions for what needed to change.

A niece spoke of being in a board room with a co-worker who had both feet on her chair during the meeting. These are both bad moves—the first ignoring concepts of earned respect and power-distance in a formal setting, the other simply choosing comfort over professionalism. I’m guessing if you’re in corporate America these days, you’ve got stories of your own (if so, I’d love to hear them!).

How did we get here? The answers will vary depending on whom you talk to. I suspect too much screen time is taking a toll on us all, and especially if you’re a digital native, but there are plenty of other factors at play as well.

What's Next?

Our younger generations are smart, innovative and thoughtful. If we are to continue as a high-functioning society, we need them to be able to lead and succeed. With this in mind, I believe there needs to be more soft skills training at all levels.

This is why I’ve started Professional Presence Group. Soft skills have never mattered more, but they’re also not rocket science. They are skills that can and must be taught, and that’s the work I’m committed to doing.

Let's Stay in Touch

I hope you’ll join me on my journey to learn more about the challenges facing both the younger generations in the workforce and the older generations managing them. Are you as excited about this topic as I am? If so, please subscribe to this blog.

If your team could use soft skills training, reach out to me. I’d love to get your people the soft skills training that will build confidence and drive personal and corporate growth.