I am a recovering people pleaser so I have a hard time saying no
to people often. I've worked on this and gotten
so much better after reading the Boundary Boss book and other
things like that. Understanding my weak points and
that I have a tendency to not say no when I need to.
So in the past, I would not say no, and then I would really be
grudgingly be going through this project where nobody was happy
because I didn't want to do it or it was being rushed and I
knew I couldn't do my best work under those circumstances.
And so learning to say no when you need to and doing it
gracefully so as not to burn any bridges is a really important
skill to have. You're now listening to Design
Curious, a place where you, creative one, are here to learn
about what it really is like to be an interior designer.
And I'm your host and mentor, Rebecca Ward.
If you're worried about how to succeed in a creative career, if
you're ready to learn your next steps to become an interior
designer, and if you want the satisfaction of doing something
you love every day, you are in the right place.
Grab a coffee, a notebook, and let's dig into today's episode.
Hello, and welcome to episode 173 of Design Curious Podcast.
Today on the podcast, we are starting a new series of solo
episodes and this is all about design skills.
I'm really excited about this series and today's topic is soft
skills. If you don't know what that is,
I'm going to get into it in the episode.
But before we get there, I just want to remind you, New Year, I
have people starting the boot camp and we will probably
relaunch that for sure next January if you missed it this
year. But I'll think about maybe doing
it 1 mid year. So stay tuned for that if you
missed getting into launch your business boot camp.
But of course, I do have my design mentor, which is
available to you all the time year round.
You can get in there and get mentorship from me and all of
the great things that you might need.
Especially we can work on developing your soft skills as
well if that's something that you need.
So let's get into today's episode and learn a little bit
more about soft skills. I'm excited about this series
gets a very important topic and some of the skills that we're
going to talk about in this series might be surprising to
you. We're not just talking about CAD
drafting and selecting fabrics. There's a lot more that goes
into the skills that you need as a designer than just your
practical skills. Although we will talk about
practical skills and I'll just give you a quick overview of
some of the things we're going to talk about over the next
couple of solo episodes that will cover skills.
So today, like I said, we're talking about soft skills in the
industry that can help you thrive.
And I'll get into more of that in a minute.
And then we're going to talk about skills that you need
beyond the design degree. So even if you didn't get a
design degree, these are things that you might get outside of a
course and things that you're going to need going forward that
they don't typically teach you in school.
And then we are going to touch on practical skills, some of the
more important ones that I think that will come up along the way
in your projects. And then we're going to talk
about ractical business and project skills, working with
trades and things like that. And then the last episode in the
series, we'll talk about putting all of those skills together to
make you the best designer you can possibly be.
OK, so let's get into the soft skills topic.
You might even be asking me what are soft skills?
Maybe that's not a term that you're here very often or even
know about, and why do they matter?
So soft skills really has to do with personal attributes,
character traits, interpersonal abilities of communication like
teamwork and problem solving. These are things that are
learned and really you can develop and grow and you start
in a certain place based on your personality and you're
responding to other people's personalities around you.
Emotional intelligence comes into play here, which is
self-awareness, self regulation, having empathy for others, your
work ethic, your leadership skills, problem solving,
adaptability and flexibility on the job, your time management
and organization, and your communication I'd say is
probably #1 and then how you can collaborate with people.
So all of these are examples of soft skills.
A study or an article written by the US Department of Labor says
that soft skills can really give you the competitive edge.
So whether you are looking to have a competitive edge as a
business, as an interior design firm, or even if you're looking
to be employed by an interior designer, these soft skills are
really going to help you stand out.
One of the things that employers look at as being very important
when they're looking to hire, they might, yeah, say the
minimum practical skills that you need.
And some of those can be fine-tuned and taught a little
bit more. Like say, you know, a certain
computer program, but you need actually a different one for
this job. Well, they could probably train
you on that, but the soft skills is a lot harder to train people
on and it can take more time to develop.
So if you have a lot of soft skills going into the job, then
that's going to put you so much farther ahead of other
candidates. This study from the US
Department of Labor says that the top ones that employers seem
to identify as of what they're looking at in our modern
workplace is networking. So your ability to talk with
other people and interact and promote the business or yourself
among others, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise
and building relationships. Another soft skill is
enthusiasm. Every employer wants you to have
enthusiasm in the workplace. Once you're employed and taking
initiative, seeking new and challenging work and continuing
to rise in the workplace. Professionalism is another way
you know you want to dress to impress.
Dress for the job that you want. So dressing properly is a part
of professionalism. Arriving on time, time
management, staying productive, turning off your cell phone and
not being on your phone all the time during breaks and the way
that you use your computer, the way you speak to others in
respectful manner, all of that goes into professionalism, which
is a high skill to have. And then of course your
communication skills is really important.
We're always communicating verbally and non verbally to
other people. And so how you communicate and
get across and read other people, your emotional
intelligence, reading the room is really important.
And then of course, teamwork. Almost always you're going to be
working on a team and so you want to be able to share the
workload, help other people out when they need it, ask for help,
and be very collaborative, not bringing anything negative to
the interactions. And then of course, they want
you to be problem solving, critical thinking, forward
thinking, coming up with a solution before you bring the
problem to your supervisor is always a recommended path.
So those are things that soft skills that the US Department of
Labor recognizes. But now let's talk about it as
most interior designers do own their own businesses.
Let's say you are an interior designer and you have your own
company. What kind of soft skills are you
going to need in the workplace to set you apart?
First, let's look at emotional intelligence.
As a designer superpower, it's really important to understand
your own emotions in client dynamics and try to understand
your client's emotions. Emotional intelligence is
something that comes up if you ever take the disk assessment
with Sierra Collins. It gives you an emotional
intelligence score as well to help you to understand how good
you are at reading other people, reading the room and sensing
overwhelm or hesitation or frustration from your clients.
This is really important when you're in the presentation
phase, showing them different items and picking up on probably
non verbal as well as verbal cues of how they're reacting to
it. And you can adjust your
technique to present it to them in a different way.
Perhaps it's just, you know, they might have a gut reaction,
they're not in love with it, but there could be some great
reasons behind why you selected that.
So you can see that their hesitation and then you can
pivot and talk to them in a different way or present a
different solution to the
design. And then being very empathetic
with your client can help build trust and elevates the client
experience. It's really important to
understand, of course, the needs of your clients going into the
project. Each project has different
needs. Each client has different needs.
And being really understanding and empathetic with what is
their struggle in their life. And that's why you're there to
help improve it. And so really being genuine and
trying to understand what they're feeling, perhaps they're
feeling frustration at a certain part in the design process and
you don't want to be defensive about it.
You want to listen to them and then provide a path out of that.
You need to guide them through that and then assure them that
of course, everyone feels frustration in the remodel phase
or, you know, under construction.
It's hard to live there if you are things like that.
And so having emotional intelligence is really going to
be your first thing you want to focus on as developing your soft
skills. And how do you increase your
emotional intelligence? There's a couple different ways.
So you can focus on self-awareness, which you can do
by journaling and mindfulness. You can work on self regulation.
So that's pausing before you react to manage your stress can
be good and empathy. So being an active listener and
seeing other people's perspectives.
These are all things you have to practice and do in real life in
real time in order to get better at it.
Any skill you need to work at to get better AT and your social
skills. So you might be also seeking
feedback from people get clear communication.
Ask your friends and family like hey, think back on a situation
where or maybe we had a disagreement.
How do you think I handled it? Do you think I could have
handled it better? Just getting some self-awareness
about how you interact with people so you can start
improving it. OK, let's move on to the next
soft skill that I want you to be working on and that would be
your communication techniques. So you want to make sure you're
communicating in order to build trust with your clients.
Trust is the foundation of every relationship, so you can
practice this not only with your clients, but with your friends
and families, people who are close to you, maybe people that
you mentor. You want to be sure that you're
communicating with clear explanations.
Not a lot of jargon. So interior designers can have
our own language. Sometimes we we can talk about
things that people don't quite understand.
Color, value, hues and things like that are really more
specific to our industry and not in every person's vocabulary.
You can use these words, but then go on to explain what we
mean by undertones or things like that.
Leading the client through decision process.
So you want to be a clear communicator as they're trying
to decide to move forward with anything that you're presenting
to them. Ask them questions and make sure
that their hesitations are heard.
Communication is actually one of the things that worked on a lot
and I get really good feedback from clients.
They say that we're really good communicators.
We're in constant communication, regular communication with the
client throughout the project, that we seem to listen really
well, that we can then repeat back to the client.
Once we've been listening, we repeat back to them what we
heard and make sure that we're hearing them well.
And then if they need to correct us or say, oh, that's not
actually what I meant. I really need this.
So it's really good to take the time and be patient through the
communication process to hear and understand what they're
saying. Don't assume that you know what
they're saying. Of course, whenever you assume,
we all know that that phrase, but it is really going to cause
you problems. Every time that I have done just
jumped ahead and assumed that they knew this or that they were
OK with this, it has come back to bite me.
So you really want to make sure that you take the time to do
back and forth. Even if it seems like you're
over clarifying. It's better to have that than to
have a mistake that you have to pay for later.
And then how gentle and grounded are you with your communication
style? And here, of course, we'll refer
back to the disk style. Again, you can go back and
listen to episodes with Sierra Collins.
We talk about the disk assessment, which is really just
understanding the four different communication styles that people
tend to have, understanding what yours is, but then also
understanding what your clients. And so I've been able to apply
this really well. We went over this retreat last
November with my designers here locally and it was just a great
learning process of eye opener for a lot of people to
understand that their communication style is probably
different than their client or they'll have different clients
come through that have different styles.
And so somewhat really direct communication, no fluff, just
give me the facts. Others want you to call them on
the phone. Others want you to e-mail them.
Some really need you to get personal 1st and ask them how
their day was and how their family reunion went and that
their recent trip before you get down to business.
So really being cognizant of your clients communication style
is going to help you here. It's a really great skill to
have and the clients really appreciate it and they're more
likely to give you referrals if they think that you are a good
communicator. All right, the next soft skill
you need to have is understanding boundaries and
having professional poise in this.
You're going to learn how to say no gracefully.
So they could be saying no to a project that's not a good fit.
Well, first let me preface that I am a recovering people pleaser
so I have a hard time saying no to people often.
I've worked on this and gotten so much better after reading the
Boundary boss book and other things like that.
Understanding my weak points and that have a tendency to not say
no when I need to. So in the past, I would not say
no, and then I would really be grudgingly be going through this
project where nobody was happy because I didn't want to do it
or it was being rushed and I knew I couldn't do my best work
under those circumstances. And so learning to say no when
you need to and doing it gracefully so as not to burn any
bridges is a really important skill to have.
Also, you're going to need to learn to say no to a client's
request sometimes in order to protect the design that you put
forward. Of course, you're designing with
their best interest in mind, but sometimes clients will go rogue
and they'll see, you know, maybe some ad was targeted to them on
TikTok or something and they really want to buy this vibrant
metal art that they want to put on the wall where you have some
wallpaper. And you might need to tell them
no gracefully. That's not going to be the
location for the art. They can certainly buy it if
they want to, but we will have to find another place for it.
And they should be able to respect that now.
But you don't need to like have a temper tantrum and just put
your foot down with the client and just say no, no, no.
Like that's not in a million years.
Like you don't need to offend them.
But learning to say no gracefully, is it really
valuable soft skill to have. And then also navigating
conflict with diplomacy. This is going to be great in all
areas of life. Navigating conflict, seeking to
be more of a mediator and standing ground where it's
important, but also doing it diplomatically and preserving
the relationship whenever you can.
And then learning the boundaries of protecting your time, your
profitability and your mental well-being.
So making sure that your time is being accounted for on the
project and not just saying yes to scope creep that you're not
getting paid for. So you need to protect that
time. Time is so valuable and you need
to protect the profitability of the job.
So making sure that your business model that you have set
up depending on how you bill for your time and for your product,
that you are protecting that and you need to have a sustainable
business model and you have a right to that.
And so you don't have to acquiesce to every request of
the client. And most of the time they're
reasonable and we'll understand why you have it set up that way.
And then protecting your mental well-being, if a client or a
project is really just in over your head or you're just done
with it, then gracefully bowing out of the project is probably
the best thing you can do because nobody wants you to be
frazzled and have a mental breakdown.
And so learning what your boundaries are and when to say
no is going to be a really useful soft skill to have.
All right, And then let's talk a little bit about the skill of
leadership that can often get overlooked by designers.
As a designer, you are a leader to your client and to your
contractors, trades and on the project and so having the time
working on and developing your leadership skills is very
important. So don't shy away from those
books or podcasts about leadership because whether you
recognize it or not, you are a critical leader in your work.
You can help to build confidence in your projects without being
domineering on the job site. And soft leadership can create
smoother installs and fewer delays.
And so being able to lead is a great soft skill to have.
Also personality awareness. And so we talked about the disk.
You can also look at Enneagram insights that you might want to
try. Understanding about yourself and
about other people. I have studied the Enneagram and
it really, it is helpful sometimes to identify people who
might be a six or A5 or you know, it's, it's very similar to
the disk and understanding what they need to hear in order to
feel confident to move forward with the design.
And you can adjust that style depending on what the client is
needing and what they respond to.
And then another secret soft skill that doesn't get talked
about a lot is holding space for client transformation.
So clients often come with emotions tied to their homes.
It's very personal project, which is why I like residential.
It is very personal. I like working with clients and
understanding their emotions that are tied with their homes,
but some designers don't love that.
So that's where you might want to transition more into
commercial design, hospitality, things that deal more with
committees and not necessarily a person's emotions, especially
when you're dealing with remodels and you're coming with
grandma's furniture or this house has, you know, been in the
family for years or this is just the way it has been since their
kids were little. And it's hard for them to let go
of these things. And some people are like, OK,
I'm I'm done. Like it's ratty now.
And we were ready for grown up furniture and we're ready for a
grown up house. And so, you know that they're
ready from for change and moving on.
But a lot of people have resistance to change.
I had a consultation recently as a one time consultation where we
met with the wife and she's been wanting to remodel this house
for like 20 years and the husband was there and he quietly
sat in on the meeting as well. Did not seem like he wanted to
be there and was very gruff in his responses.
She's trying to get him to respond, like, do you like this
tile? Do you like this color?
And he's like, you know, just didn't really want to give any
responses. And he could tell he just liked
things the way that they were. Now, he didn't see a need for
change. And so my designer and I walked
away from that consultation. We did the best that we could to
work with her. Trying to give her a plan to
move forward for a remodel if she wants to is a beautiful
plan, but my designer and I were pretty aware that it's likely
not going to happen because both parties were not ready for
change and there's too many emotions tied up in that remodel
for that change. So you might come across that
sometimes and if you're going into that not just as like a one
time consultation, but as like a project starter and you're
trying to get that project off the ground, that would be a huge
red flag that you wanted to listen to and understand that
that partner is not going to come around very easily or
anytime soon. And you might be hitting your
head against a brick wall and trying to get this remodel off
the ground. So maybe it's, you know, taking
the the time to listen and then understand that and and explain
to them that like, I don't think that you're ready as a couple to
move forward with this remodel and you can come back when you
you are agreeing that and excited both of you excited
about this remodel. So that is kind of a great skill
to have is to hold that space for the client to understand
their emotions and also just process their emotions.
Yet there are going to be different things that change and
it might be hard for them to change.
They might be willing to go through it, but they need some
time sometimes. And so you can help them move
through the change by building trust with them.
That's going to be the biggest asset because they're trusting
you with their money and with the complete change of what they
know and are used to. I actually have a course for
this for homeowners who have struggles with change and trying
to think outside the box when it comes to their own home.
I always think it's difficult to like look at your own space and
see the potential that could be there.
I struggle with it in my house, especially like the house that I
grew up in. Like that was just the way it
was. And I didn't, you know, even
though I identified probably a few things that I'm like, oh,
this tile could be updated or whatever, I never really felt
like it needed a whole got remodeled because that was my
home. That was my childhood home.
And I had, you know, I knew all the nooks and crannies.
So it would be hard for me to go back into that house if someone
else has bought it and to do a new remodel for them because I
had so much emotion tied to the way that it was existing.
A lot of homeowners are in that place and so they have a hard
time visualizing if they've been in the home for years, how it
could change and just be completely different from where
it is now. And so I have a course called
Shifting Spaces, and it's great for that to help the mindset of
the client and to help them maybe identify like a lot of
empty nesters have rooms that are in disuse and you're just
have all the square footage in your house that's not being put
to use and it's neglected and it's not great energy for
anybody. And so I love that the course
can help you overcome that and help you to dream and kind of
get prepared before you meet with your designer and really
get the vision and excitement to move forward with change in your
house. And so I have that course called
Shifting Spaces in my Etsy store.
So I'll put a link to that if that's something you think might
be interesting or maybe a client of yours might need to go
through just to help their mindset about shifting their
space. OK, so I'm going to stop there
with soft skills. Of course, you could go on
forever. Soft skills really, really
important. Do not neglect soft skill
development in your personal development and professional
development. If you see books and courses and
seminars and CE us that might develop any of these areas, then
I would encourage you to go for it and help develop those
skills. It's just going to make you a
better designer, more marketable to clients or to prospective
employers. So work on those soft skills and
work on creating a more well-rounded you.
So there you have it, soft skills.
If you didn't know about before, now you do.
And next week we're going to have an episode on skills that
you need beyond the design degree.
So stay tuned for that. Actually, that will be in two
weeks. In the meantime, I invite you to
reflect on your strengths and see where you want to grow, see
where you're already rocking it in your soft skills.
And then maybe there's a few places that popped up today as
you're listening that you might want to seek out and grow in.
And so if you have any questions about that or any resources you
might want to help you grow, then reach out to me.
I'd love to hear from you. Don't forget we have some great
links for you in the show notes, some free downloads and road
maps to interior design and things I wish I'd known when I
started. Don't forget to get all of those
great freebies for you. And that's all I have this week.
Next week we'll have another great episode and until then,
stay creative. Thanks for listening.
If you love this episode, please leave a rating and a review.
This helps me reach other curious creatives like you.
If you have a topic request or would like to contact me, simply
head over to my website awarddesign.com or e-mail me at
podcast@awarddesign.com.