--- title: "Daily Buzz: Bridge Your Industry’s Soft Skills Gap" id: "45707" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-bridge-your-industrys-soft-skills-gap" published_at: "2019-02-15T21:09:24+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T23:40:36+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/02/15/daily-buzz-bridge-your-industrys-soft-skills-gap/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/02/15/daily-buzz-bridge-your-industrys-soft-skills-gap.md" excerpt: "Your members’ employers no longer just prefer someone with soft skills—they’re a requirement. Develop a training curriculum to help members drive the industry forward. Also: the one trait missing from your content strategy." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Employee Training" - "Leadership" - "Professional Development" - "soft skills" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Bridge Your Industry’s Soft Skills Gap Think soft skills aren’t worth developing? Think again. In the 2017 edition of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ [CEO Survey (opens in a new tab)](https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/2017/deep-dives/ceo-survey-global-talent.pdf) [PDF], 77 percent said the biggest threat to their businesses stems from underdeveloped soft skills. Similarly, [LinkedIn’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report (opens in a new tab)](https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report-2018) says the top priority for talent-development teams is training workers in leadership, communication, and collaboration. This presents a special opportunity for your association to step up and bridge the soft skills gap in its respective industry. “Employers in your industry need your association’s help,” [writes the WBT Systems team in a blog post (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wbtsystems.com/learning-hub/blogs/skills-gap-soft-human-skills) . “They can attempt to offer effective training in human skills or send their employees to generic training classes in leadership, communication, negotiation, or conflict resolution. But there’s a better option: Your association can partner with employers to design and deliver industry-specific training in human skills.” So, find out what soft skills are important to your members and the organizations they work for. Then work with your team to develop curriculum to fill that skills gap. “Human skills aren’t usually a part of an association’s certification or licensing curriculum, but they’re necessary for career advancement—and this type of training fits your mission,” the team writes. “A digital badge program in industry-specific human skills will help your association bridge industry skills gaps, strengthen relationships with industry employers, and provide essential training for volunteer leaders and association staff.” ### Connected Content > “When an association adopts a holistic, organization-wide content strategy, its content can become connected both to the organization’s strategic goals and to the audience.” [@hilarymarsh (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hilarymarsh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > questions our content strategy effectiveness at [https://t.co/Y2q2kAa7Ew (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/Y2q2kAa7Ew) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnprof (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnprof?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/XYlafCHysx (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/XYlafCHysx) > > — Sidecar (@sidecarglobal) [February 14, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/sidecarglobal/status/1096046154339500032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Yes, your association has a content strategy.** But how does it connect to the organization’s mission overall? “The concept of connection is at the core of everything an association offers,” [says Hilary Marsh (opens in a new tab)](http://associationsuccess.org/article/the-best-content-is-connected) on *Association Success*. “Every association has a core set of topics it works on that transcend and cut across all offerings … Those topics serve to link the organization to the industry it serves—and if the organization operates effectively, they can be a lens through which the association sees all of its work.” When developing your content strategy, Marsh suggests diving deeper into members’ needs and pain points. How can your content connect with these issues and act on your association’s goals at the same time? “When an association adopts a holistic, organizationwide content strategy, its content can become connected both to the organization’s strategic goals and to the audience,” she says. ### Other Links of Note **For many members,** the chapter experience brings the most value. The BillHighway blog explains [how to share chapter value with your association’s C-suite (opens in a new tab)](https://www.billhighway.co/article/how-to-bring-the-chapter-value-conversation-into-the-c-suite) . **Want to boost creativity?** These [three rituals will inspire innovative ideas (opens in a new tab)](https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/3-brilliant-ways-to-make-you-more-creative-that-actually-work/) , says *Creative Boom*. **Confused by Windows 10 updates?** *ZDNet* [breaks down new changes (opens in a new tab)](https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-just-made-windows-10-updates-a-little-easier-to-understand/) . (designer491/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Employee Training](https://associationsnow.com/tag/employee-training/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Professional Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/professional-development/) [#soft skills](https://associationsnow.com/tag/soft-skills/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoWelcome to ASAE AcademyMarch 19, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/19/welcome-to-asae-academy/) - [ArticleWhy Soft Skills Matter More NowSeptember 5, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/09/05/why-soft-skills-matter-more-now/) - [VideoAmerican College of Emergency Physicians: ACEP Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation ProgramSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-college-of-emergency-physicians-acep-geriatric-emergency-department-accreditation-program/) - [VideoDJ Johnson Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/dj-johnson-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F02%2F15%2Fdaily-buzz-bridge-your-industrys-soft-skills-gap%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !