Soft Skills Solutions for Today's People Problems

1.  Insight into powerful personal beliefs which motivate their behavior;
2.  Understanding of employers’ unspoken expectations;
3.  Emotional self-management skills to recognize triggers and remain calm under stress;
4.  Communication skills to express themselves in difficult social interactions; and
5.  Problem solving skills to resolve interpersonal issues rationally, rather than impulsively. 

1.  The content is based upon the needs of employers, the delivery style upon sound andragogical learning principles, and the conceptual approach upon evidence-based cognitive behavioral programming, an intervention approach supported by three decades of empirical research.  The Workin’ It Out program series uses content drawn from the demands of employers, and has been revised several times based upon feedback from actual customers. Trainers, who must be certified to deliver the program, are taught to use a multimodal approach proven to be most appropriate for adult learners from challeging backgrounds.  Finally, the methodology used closely follows instructional practices pioneered by cognitive behavioral leaders such as Arnold Goldstein and Barry Glick, lending it a great deal of face validity.

2. The Workin’ It Out program was the subject of a 4-month evaluation conducted by James Nimmer in Denver, CO in 1999.  Nimmer evaluated the program using a 4-level evaluation model developed by Donald Kirkpatrick (1994), assessing participant reactions, actual learning, generalization to workplace settings, and actual results.   Trainers participating in the 1999 study provided anecdotal information about the class, as well as class evaluations from their customer/participants, the vast majority of which suggested a  tremendously positive reaction to the content.  In addition, more than 90% of the participants successfully passed the written test and demonstrated the practical skills taught in the class, indicating a high level of learning as well.

Nimmer discovered that once on the job, customers who completed the program were more aware of employers’ expectations, and rated their own employment experience as more satisfactory. They were also rated by their supervisors as less problematic and as having better attitudes than those in a comparison group.  These two factors suggested a successful transfer of training from the classroom to the work setting.  Unfortunately, the scope of the study did not allow for any significant measure of more tangible results, such as higher wages, increased retention, and career advancement, but it is reasonable to expect that a program such as this, used with a variety of other employment and social support services, might lead to those results.

3. Anecdotal evidence collected over the past 14 years from agencies, customer/clients, and employers continues to support the value of the program as perceived by all three sets of stakeholders.

For example:
James (23), a telecommunications worker: "It makes my job more enjoyable. I can handle stress better. I have a choice."

Joanne (38), a certified nursing assistant: "I've learned how to calm people down so I get treated more respectfully.... I'm easier on my co-workers. I don't stress out over lousy workers."

Valeria (31) completed a WiO program at a community based organization: "This is the most important class I've ever taken. I've learned to stop and think before I react to things. To me the most important change I've made is that I haven't yelled at my daughter since I started the class!"

Workin' It Out Clients