Author: Al Duncan

• Communication

  

  [VIDEO] Dealing With Disrespectful Body Language

  A few years ago Dr. Michelle B. Lee told me the following story: I was talking to a coworker the other day and she asked me for some advice about her supervisor. She said every time she’s talking in a meeting, her supervisor is doing weird things like picking his… Read more
• Communication

  

  [VIDEO] 18 Examples of Business Writing

  “Give me some examples of business writing skills.” I was in the middle of doing some training on the first cluster in the Five Soft Skills Clusters framework, Communication: the ability to send and receive clear messages. Business writing is a huge part of that cluster. Responses started popping up… Read more
• Decision-Making & Problem Solving

  

  Behavioral Interview Question of the Week 9/15/24

  This week’s behavioral interview question mainly focuses on the second cluster in our Five Soft Skills Clusters framework, Decision-Making & Problem Solving: the ability to recognize, create, and choose effective options and solutions. Tell me about an experience you’ve had dealing with irate customers or clients. What did you learn… Read more
• Self-Management & Professionalism

  

  [VIDEO] What are Your Weaknesses?

  What are Your Weaknesses? That question or some version of it will come up during most interviews. Your answer will shed light on your willingness to be transparent and authentic. I would even say, to a certain extent, it provides a glimpse of your ethics. Years ago, when I was… Read more
• Communication Self-Management & Professionalism Teamwork & Collaboration

  

  [VIDEO] A Quick Lesson on Email Terms for Students & Young Professionals

  Conducting training sessions on fundamental business writing skills for young professionals has helped me realize one thing: half of y’all don’t even know what the basic email terms and functions are. Do you? Let’s do a quick review. What does Cc stand for and what is its function? Cc stands for carbon copy. When… Read more
• Communication Decision-Making & Problem Solving Leadership, Influence, & Persuasion Self-Management & Professionalism Teamwork & Collaboration

  

  [VIDEO] Is Getting a Driver’s License a Soft Skill?

  A few years ago, during Skill Talk Ep. 1, Dr. Michelle B. Lee told me about an article she was reading. “I found it interesting that they listed a driver’s license as a soft skill,” she said. At one point in time, before I developed the Five Soft Skills Clusters… Read more
• Communication Self-Management & Professionalism

  

  [VIDEO] The Impact of Business Writing Skills on the Perception of Who You are as a Professional

  Is perception reality? Well, not literally, but perception does play a big role in your reality as a professional. That’s why it’s not unusual to hear someone say, “Perception is reality.” Duncan Nugget® #359: When you communicate, you shape a person’s perception of who you are. The first cluster in… Read more
• Decision-Making & Problem Solving Self-Management & Professionalism

  

  A Few Questions to Ask Yourself at the Beginning of the Semester

  Are you starting a new semester with the same old bad habits? I hope not. If you are going to start, make it a good start. I know… “Duh!” Who doesn’t know that, right? But yet and still many people fail to set themselves up properly for success. Here are… Read more
• Communication Decision-Making & Problem Solving Leadership, Influence, & Persuasion Self-Management & Professionalism Teamwork & Collaboration

  

  [VIDEO] Soft Skills are the Foundation of Success

  Million-Dollar Question: What do successful people do on a daily basis that helps them to achieve their goals?   During training sessions, I frequently ask people some version of that question. The vast majority of the time they respond with something related to soft skills and a routine. In fact, you… Read more
• Self-Management & Professionalism

  

  Does Enthusiasm Strengthen or Weaken Your Personal Brand?

  It’s International Enthusiasm Week so, let’s talk about the pros and cons of enthusiasm. The word “enthusiasm’ was borrowed from the Greek enthousiasmos, meaning “inspiration or possession by a god.” Ok, the “inspiration” part sounds like a good thing, right? It makes people think words like energetic, initiative, and motivated.… Read more
• Communication Decision-Making & Problem Solving Leadership, Influence, & Persuasion Self-Management & Professionalism Teamwork & Collaboration

  

  [VIDEO] Soft Skills Have Been Around Since the Dawn of the Human Race

  During a virtual training for a group of young professionals, I asked, “What are technical skills or hard skills?” Donna, who was unmuted, responded first, “You know how to use a certain software or a lab machine. Something like that.” Michael, Tara, and Ashley put their answers in the chat:… Read more
• Tools & Downloads

  

  Duncan’s 5 Soft Skills Clusters

  In order to facilitate training, development, practice, and application of soft skills across various areas of life—not just career development—Soft Skills for STEM uses a simple framework: The Five Soft Skills Clusters and Key Behavioral Indicators. For a few years I actually tried to create a list or directory of all the… Read more
• Communication Self-Management & Professionalism Tools & Downloads

  

  Million-Dollar Networking Questions for Business Events, Conferences, College & Career Fairs

  Strong professional relationships are resources that can give you a competitive advantage in the 21st Century and one of the best ways to start building professional relationships is with great networking questions. We have created a list of 10 powerful networking questions and variations to keep awkward silence and fruitless… Read more
• Self-Management & Professionalism Tools & Downloads

  

  Your Personal Brand Statement Template

  PERSONAL BRAND STATEMENT TEMPLATE: HOW TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF THE EASY WAY Now you can download one of our most popular training tools for free. 1. This is a great response to “Tell me a little bit about yourself.” You can also use it in professional networking situations or whenever someone asks, “Who… Read more
• Tools & Downloads

  

  [DOWNLOAD] Your Soft Skills Success Plan

  [Download the S3 Plan]   If you are like other smart, ambitious people then you already know that your personal and professional development planning are mainly self-directed activities… there is only one person who can do the work—YOU. The Soft Skills Success (S3) Plan is a valuable tool that will help you… Read more