Soft skills, those non-technical and non-scientific understandings that help a person effectively interact and communicate, are based on knowledge that is completely separated from what work goes on in the laboratory. But they are often key to a project’s success or failure. If the end user of the data does not understand the data or the caveats that are part of it (uncertainty, accuracy, etc.) then the explanation is the problem. That is an issue of communication or people skills. If the work requires planned and coordinated efforts and these fail, it is an issue of communication or people skills. A laboratory encounters many such things every day.

Areas Covered

Speaking skills, listening skills, time management, planning, and running effective meetings.

Who Should Attend

Everyone.

Why Should You Attend

From a recent American Chemical Society posting about non-scientific job skills that are effective in job permeance: With traditional research jobs becoming more uncertain, alternative career paths are gaining popularity. Check out these stats on the most valuable non-technical skills for scientists based on interviews with thirty-seven senior executives from the chemical and pharma industries.

   - 51% - Collaboration
   - 42% - Communication
   - 41% - Creativity
   - 30% - Intellectual Curiosity
   - 24% - Innovative Spirit

Some of these, like creativity, are blends of being able to think scientifically at a very high level and being able to articulate those ideas clearly to others. This blend of skill types is common. The proportions depend on many factors, including the type of work task, the number, and types of people involved, being able to speak clearly, being able to listen with an open mind and with focus, and being able to plan and schedule the sequence of tasks in a way that has a smooth transition from one work task to another and being able to prioritize and Adapt as timing, cost, and other factors modify the timing and priorities needed.