As technology has evolved, soft skills or interpersonal/communicative interactions, have as well. Eye contact, heartfelt responses and borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbor have been replaced with text messages, emojis and Instacart. It has created a soft skills gap. In a digital age, there is fear that technology will replace our humanity, and robots or machines will take away our jobs. But is technology really the enemy here?
Research shows hard skills may get the headlines, but soft skills are responsible for 90% of what makes people move up the success ladder (Daniel Goleman). 93% of communication is nonverbal and soft skills are what makes a person memorable. The only differentiator against automation as humans is: soft skills. Technology has made communication between people more efficient, but it has also created a disconnect. This raises the question: if we continue at this pace, will soft skills eventually become extinct?
Using the examples of Larry Kimura, the grandfather of the Hawaiian language, and James Heckman, Nobel Prize Winner and University of Chicago Economist, this talk will address how we can proactively develop strong soft skills through teaching and modeling to the next generation. Together, if we choose to invest in people, we can prevent soft skills from extinction. Scott Asai has been developing leaders for 20+ years through speaking, training and coaching. As the owner of Leadership Muscle he hosts a monthly speaker series with General Assembly and an online university.

Scott’s background includes: a B.A. in Psychology, M.A. in Organizational Leadership, Certified Professional Coach & Certified Strengths Coach. His latest book, The Startup Church: Reaching Millennials Where Faith Meets Business, is available on Amazon.

In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, working out and going to Disneyland on a weekly basis. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx