The Unmeasurable Problem: Soft Skills and Real Evidence

It all started with the BIG question on the table. How do we measure the unmeasurable—those soft skills that don't fit neatly into a spreadsheet?

 

This Coffee Chat tackled one of the trickiest challenges we face: proving that leadership development, communication training, and other "fuzzy-edged" programs actually work. We moved beyond completion rates and smile sheets to explore what real evidence looks like when the numbers just don't tell the story.

 

The struggles came fast. Financial acumen training where clients want proof it makes people more money. Leadership programs where stakeholders won't touch 360 feedback. The classic problem of one person messing up, so now all 50 people need mandatory training. The group shared stories of self-assessments where the most confident people scored the lowest, and programs where leadership only cares about completion percentages.

 

We explored practical approaches to gathering evidence when traditional metrics won't cut it. Anecdotal stories from learners and stakeholders, discussion boards that show what people are taking away, and post-training check-ins that nudge application while measuring retention. One clever idea: have learners submit real scenarios anonymously, then use those examples throughout training to build relevance and buy-in.

 

The conversation turned to asking better questions upfront. Not just "What does success look like?" but "What's happening right now that's making us have this conversation?" and "What will this look like in the wild?" Because if you don't know what success sounds like and looks like before you build the program, you can't look for evidence of it afterwards.

 

We also tackled an uncomfortable truth: sometimes we're order takers whether we like it or not. Leadership says "build this course" and strategic partnership isn't happening today. But that doesn't mean you can't still ask questions or look for evidence in the wild—even when leadership doesn't want formal metrics. Just because they say "I don't want you to measure X" doesn't mean you can't ask the question and build toward it anyway.

 

Soft skills come with actions. Communication done well has body language, tone, and specific phrases. Leadership development shows up in how managers handle conflict. If you can describe what it looks like and sounds like when it's done well, you can watch for those signals after training. That's your evidence.

 

So what does success actually look like in the wild for your soft skills training?

 

Stay curious! -Shannon

 

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Transcript Summary

 

Resources: The Learning Rebels Podcast ft. Kevin Yates Will Thalheimer's Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model

 

Books:  Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learningby Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III , Mark A. McDaniel

 

Proving the Value of Soft Skills: Measuring Impact and Calculating ROI by Patricia Pulliam Phillips, Jack J. Phillips, Rebecca Ray

 

Map It: The hands-on guide to strategic training design by Cathy Moore (More Affordable Option) Design Thinking for Training and Development: Creating Learning Journeys That Get Results by Sharon Boller, Laura Fletcher   Be part of the Community. Gain more valuable resources to build your skills! Learn more here.   Join the conversation  Be part of the live chat! Sign up here.     Hire Learning Rebels  When you need learning that sticks, we’ll fight to make performance results happen. Visit the Learning Rebels website to learn more   Host: Shannon Tipton  Podcast produced by: Obsidian Productions