I’ve been involved in networking and network security for more than 13 years. During that time, I mostly focused on my technical knowledge. I’ve passed so many exams and certifications that I can’t even remember all of them. I’m well aware of how much I still don’t know from a technical perspective. Now, I realize that I made a mistake for many years. Why? Because I was completely unaware of the importance of soft skills until a few years ago.
Why should engineers care about soft skills?
If you’re thinking about career development, relying only on technical skills will limit you to strictly technical roles, where you’ll interact only with technical people. Higher-level positions usually require communication with business professionals. Business people don’t understand technical jargon and often aren’t concerned with the technical aspects. They care about how a solution will benefit the business. Therefore, when speaking with business professionals, a completely different language is needed.
I often support sales teams, and I frequently speak with business people, so I need to understand their perspective. Additionally, you could be the best expert in your field, but if you don’t know how to present yourself, no one will know about your expertise. It’s essential to know how to market yourself.
Presentation skills
This is a broad topic. The reality is that 95% of presentations are bad. One of the most common mistakes is having too much text on the slides. When people see a lot of text, they start reading instead of listening to the speaker—it’s just how the brain works. Presentation should serve as a background to your speech, with the speech being the most important part.
You also need to engage your audience so that they follow your story. One technique I often use is called “World 1 and World 2.” In “World 1”, I describe current problems, and in “World 2”, I describe life without those problems. After this introduction, people usually become curious about how to move from World 1 to World 2, and then I explain the solution. This technique helps grab their attention from the start. There are many other techniques out there, and I’m still learning. It’s also crucial to tailor your presentation to your audience. For instance, a presentation on a solution should be different for technical people than for business people.
Public speaking
People are often afraid of public speaking. Usually, we think of public speaking as giving a speech to a large audience at a conference. But public speaking also includes talking to a few people at a meeting. There are many situations where engineers need public speaking skills, such as delivering training or presenting solutions. In my case, this skill is essential. I often train other engineers and deliver presentations at conferences or webinars.
To summarize
I used to focus solely on technical skills. For the past few years, I’ve started treating soft skills as equally important, and recently, I’ve even begun prioritizing them. For example, to practice my public speaking and presentation skills, I joined a local Toastmasters group. There, I’m learning a lot and getting regular feedback on how to improve. Each speech is evaluated by other members, so I know my weak points and can work on them.