5 Ways to Develop Soft Skills In Your Team

It’s not just what they do—it’s how they do it.

In today’s workplace, soft skills like communication, empathy, problem-solving, and teamwork are no longer “nice to have.” They’re essential. In a world where customer service is becoming so much more transactional, it’s human connection that will differentiate you from your competition. However, it’s also that much more important to develop those human skills in your team members. 

Here’s the challenge: You can’t build soft skills overnight, and you definitely can’t do it with one learning session. Developing these skills requires intention, consistency, and a supportive environment. 

Over the last 25 plus years, that’s what we’ve been helping people do. Our programs are focused on real behavior change, not just check-the-box training. We recently hosted a webinar that shared 5 Unexpected Ways to Develop Soft Skills In Your Staff. Here’s what we shared. 

1. Set Expectations—and Develop Skills to Match

Soft skills need to be treated with the same importance as technical skills. That means setting clear expectations. You can’t simply say “it’s just common sense” and have people know what you’re looking for. If you expect your staff to actively listen, show empathy, or communicate respectfully, you’ve got to let them know AND help them develop those skills. You must first define what great service and collaboration look like in action, then provide skill-building opportunities to help people meet those expectations.

 Tip: Make soft skills a part of job descriptions, performance reviews, and daily coaching. When people know what’s expected, they’re more likely to rise to the occasion.

2. Remember That Less Is More

One of the biggest mistakes in soft skill development is overwhelming people with too much information at once. A big Power Point presentation with as much information as you can cram into one or two hours is not going to produce results. People learn in chunks. Decide on the one or two most important skills to develop and then build the program around ONLY those skills. 

Tip: Focus on one soft skill at a time, like eye contact or positive tone. Build it into daily huddles or weekly meetings so it becomes part of the culture, not a one-time event.

3. Give People a Chance to Practice

Soft skills are muscle memory. People can’t just hear about a behavior—they need to try it out. A lecture supported by a slide deck or some videos do not produce results. Create opportunities to role-play, reflect on real scenarios, and give peer feedback. The more practice, the more confident and natural the behavior becomes. 

Tip: Use scenario-based learning or “what would you do?” discussions. Invite team members to weigh in and share how they might handle different situations.

4. Create Reflective Space

People learn best when they have time to absorb, reflect, and apply what they’ve learned. If we rush from one thing to the next, we miss the magic of personal growth. Build in moments where people can pause and consider how they’re showing up in their roles. Have people pair up or work in groups to discuss and connect the dots between how the learning point makes sense in their specific situation. 

Tip: Add reflection questions to meetings or post-training discussions, like: “What interaction this week made you feel proud?” or “What would you handle differently next time?”

5. Layer the Learning

Learning isn’t linear. It’s layered. Revisit core skills over time, from different angles, and in different formats—videos, discussions, journaling, live sessions, or online modules. Repetition with variety helps concepts sink in. For instance, we break our leadership program into 6 modules. At the end of each module, the group gets homework and at the beginning of the next one, they all stand up and talk about what they put into action before we dive into the next learning point. 

We tell our clients - the initial training program is the beginning, not the end. It’s the follow-up and continued discussion that will make the difference between getting long-lasting results or looking for the next flavor of the year. 

 Tip: Use a series-based approach—like a weekly soft skill focus—to build momentum and drive real change.

Final Thought:
When you commit to developing soft skills in a thoughtful, layered, and practical way, you don’t just build better team members. You build stronger teams, deeper trust, and a culture where people feel valued. That translates into employee retention, engagement, and customer loyalty.