1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,640 I am a recovering people pleaser so I have a hard time saying no 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:07,520 to people often. I've worked on this and gotten 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:11,480 so much better after reading the Boundary Boss book and other 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:14,240 things like that. Understanding my weak points and 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,120 that I have a tendency to not say no when I need to. 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:22,800 So in the past, I would not say no, and then I would really be 7 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,960 grudgingly be going through this project where nobody was happy 8 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:30,640 because I didn't want to do it or it was being rushed and I 9 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,080 knew I couldn't do my best work under those circumstances. 10 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:39,080 And so learning to say no when you need to and doing it 11 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:43,120 gracefully so as not to burn any bridges is a really important 12 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,640 skill to have. You're now listening to Design 13 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,760 Curious, a place where you, creative one, are here to learn 14 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,800 about what it really is like to be an interior designer. 15 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,040 And I'm your host and mentor, Rebecca Ward. 16 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,760 If you're worried about how to succeed in a creative career, if 17 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,640 you're ready to learn your next steps to become an interior 18 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:09,000 designer, and if you want the satisfaction of doing something 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,400 you love every day, you are in the right place. 20 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,880 Grab a coffee, a notebook, and let's dig into today's episode. 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:23,160 Hello, and welcome to episode 173 of Design Curious Podcast. 22 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:28,040 Today on the podcast, we are starting a new series of solo 23 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,640 episodes and this is all about design skills. 24 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:36,480 I'm really excited about this series and today's topic is soft 25 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,680 skills. If you don't know what that is, 26 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,760 I'm going to get into it in the episode. 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,800 But before we get there, I just want to remind you, New Year, I 28 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,400 have people starting the boot camp and we will probably 29 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,960 relaunch that for sure next January if you missed it this 30 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,280 year. But I'll think about maybe doing 31 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,000 it 1 mid year. So stay tuned for that if you 32 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,320 missed getting into launch your business boot camp. 33 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,760 But of course, I do have my design mentor, which is 34 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,080 available to you all the time year round. 35 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:10,160 You can get in there and get mentorship from me and all of 36 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:11,920 the great things that you might need. 37 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:14,840 Especially we can work on developing your soft skills as 38 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:16,360 well if that's something that you need. 39 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,800 So let's get into today's episode and learn a little bit 40 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,200 more about soft skills. I'm excited about this series 41 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,680 gets a very important topic and some of the skills that we're 42 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,040 going to talk about in this series might be surprising to 43 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,480 you. We're not just talking about CAD 44 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:39,000 drafting and selecting fabrics. There's a lot more that goes 45 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,720 into the skills that you need as a designer than just your 46 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,200 practical skills. Although we will talk about 47 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,720 practical skills and I'll just give you a quick overview of 48 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,000 some of the things we're going to talk about over the next 49 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,800 couple of solo episodes that will cover skills. 50 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,040 So today, like I said, we're talking about soft skills in the 51 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:00,840 industry that can help you thrive. 52 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,800 And I'll get into more of that in a minute. 53 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,400 And then we're going to talk about skills that you need 54 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,040 beyond the design degree. So even if you didn't get a 55 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,240 design degree, these are things that you might get outside of a 56 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,200 course and things that you're going to need going forward that 57 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,200 they don't typically teach you in school. 58 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,600 And then we are going to touch on practical skills, some of the 59 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,360 more important ones that I think that will come up along the way 60 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,400 in your projects. And then we're going to talk 61 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:35,800 about ractical business and project skills, working with 62 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,360 trades and things like that. And then the last episode in the 63 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:44,160 series, we'll talk about putting all of those skills together to 64 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,400 make you the best designer you can possibly be. 65 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,760 OK, so let's get into the soft skills topic. 66 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:57,240 You might even be asking me what are soft skills? 67 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:02,400 Maybe that's not a term that you're here very often or even 68 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,480 know about, and why do they matter? 69 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:10,920 So soft skills really has to do with personal attributes, 70 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,880 character traits, interpersonal abilities of communication like 71 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,040 teamwork and problem solving. These are things that are 72 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,520 learned and really you can develop and grow and you start 73 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,160 in a certain place based on your personality and you're 74 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,840 responding to other people's personalities around you. 75 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,400 Emotional intelligence comes into play here, which is 76 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,520 self-awareness, self regulation, having empathy for others, your 77 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,800 work ethic, your leadership skills, problem solving, 78 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:45,920 adaptability and flexibility on the job, your time management 79 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,560 and organization, and your communication I'd say is 80 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,120 probably #1 and then how you can collaborate with people. 81 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,000 So all of these are examples of soft skills. 82 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:01,040 A study or an article written by the US Department of Labor says 83 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,280 that soft skills can really give you the competitive edge. 84 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:09,040 So whether you are looking to have a competitive edge as a 85 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:13,520 business, as an interior design firm, or even if you're looking 86 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,440 to be employed by an interior designer, these soft skills are 87 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:19,440 really going to help you stand out. 88 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:24,600 One of the things that employers look at as being very important 89 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:28,840 when they're looking to hire, they might, yeah, say the 90 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:31,560 minimum practical skills that you need. 91 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,920 And some of those can be fine-tuned and taught a little 92 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,040 bit more. Like say, you know, a certain 93 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,040 computer program, but you need actually a different one for 94 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,280 this job. Well, they could probably train 95 00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:45,600 you on that, but the soft skills is a lot harder to train people 96 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,560 on and it can take more time to develop. 97 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,440 So if you have a lot of soft skills going into the job, then 98 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:54,680 that's going to put you so much farther ahead of other 99 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,400 candidates. This study from the US 100 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,320 Department of Labor says that the top ones that employers seem 101 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,080 to identify as of what they're looking at in our modern 102 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:09,560 workplace is networking. So your ability to talk with 103 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:14,760 other people and interact and promote the business or yourself 104 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:19,160 among others, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise 105 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,880 and building relationships. Another soft skill is 106 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,080 enthusiasm. Every employer wants you to have 107 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,200 enthusiasm in the workplace. Once you're employed and taking 108 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:35,120 initiative, seeking new and challenging work and continuing 109 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:39,520 to rise in the workplace. Professionalism is another way 110 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:41,520 you know you want to dress to impress. 111 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,520 Dress for the job that you want. So dressing properly is a part 112 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,280 of professionalism. Arriving on time, time 113 00:06:48,280 --> 00:06:52,760 management, staying productive, turning off your cell phone and 114 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,480 not being on your phone all the time during breaks and the way 115 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,080 that you use your computer, the way you speak to others in 116 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:05,880 respectful manner, all of that goes into professionalism, which 117 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:09,680 is a high skill to have. And then of course your 118 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,880 communication skills is really important. 119 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:17,280 We're always communicating verbally and non verbally to 120 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,200 other people. And so how you communicate and 121 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,680 get across and read other people, your emotional 122 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,720 intelligence, reading the room is really important. 123 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:28,880 And then of course, teamwork. Almost always you're going to be 124 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:33,400 working on a team and so you want to be able to share the 125 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,840 workload, help other people out when they need it, ask for help, 126 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:42,240 and be very collaborative, not bringing anything negative to 127 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,120 the interactions. And then of course, they want 128 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,040 you to be problem solving, critical thinking, forward 129 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:52,240 thinking, coming up with a solution before you bring the 130 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:57,040 problem to your supervisor is always a recommended path. 131 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,200 So those are things that soft skills that the US Department of 132 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,600 Labor recognizes. But now let's talk about it as 133 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:07,080 most interior designers do own their own businesses. 134 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,600 Let's say you are an interior designer and you have your own 135 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,320 company. What kind of soft skills are you 136 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:17,680 going to need in the workplace to set you apart? 137 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,960 First, let's look at emotional intelligence. 138 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:27,000 As a designer superpower, it's really important to understand 139 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:31,920 your own emotions in client dynamics and try to understand 140 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,159 your client's emotions. Emotional intelligence is 141 00:08:35,159 --> 00:08:38,280 something that comes up if you ever take the disk assessment 142 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,480 with Sierra Collins. It gives you an emotional 143 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:47,600 intelligence score as well to help you to understand how good 144 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,640 you are at reading other people, reading the room and sensing 145 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,320 overwhelm or hesitation or frustration from your clients. 146 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:58,720 This is really important when you're in the presentation 147 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:04,320 phase, showing them different items and picking up on probably 148 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,760 non verbal as well as verbal cues of how they're reacting to 149 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,320 it. And you can adjust your 150 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,920 technique to present it to them in a different way. 151 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,400 Perhaps it's just, you know, they might have a gut reaction, 152 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,400 they're not in love with it, but there could be some great 153 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:21,560 reasons behind why you selected that. 154 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:24,080 So you can see that their hesitation and then you can 155 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,200 pivot and talk to them in a different way or present a 156 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,360 different way or present a different solution to the 157 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,160 design. And then being very empathetic 158 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:37,240 with your client can help build trust and elevates the client 159 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,440 experience. It's really important to 160 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,800 understand, of course, the needs of your clients going into the 161 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,360 project. Each project has different 162 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:48,160 needs. Each client has different needs. 163 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,800 And being really understanding and empathetic with what is 164 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,840 their struggle in their life. And that's why you're there to 165 00:09:55,880 --> 00:10:00,200 help improve it. And so really being genuine and 166 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,480 trying to understand what they're feeling, perhaps they're 167 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:07,680 feeling frustration at a certain part in the design process and 168 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:09,720 you don't want to be defensive about it. 169 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:14,720 You want to listen to them and then provide a path out of that. 170 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,960 You need to guide them through that and then assure them that 171 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,640 of course, everyone feels frustration in the remodel phase 172 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:23,560 or, you know, under construction. 173 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:26,280 It's hard to live there if you are things like that. 174 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:30,640 And so having emotional intelligence is really going to 175 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:35,120 be your first thing you want to focus on as developing your soft 176 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:37,480 skills. And how do you increase your 177 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,840 emotional intelligence? There's a couple different ways. 178 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,560 So you can focus on self-awareness, which you can do 179 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:49,640 by journaling and mindfulness. You can work on self regulation. 180 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:54,600 So that's pausing before you react to manage your stress can 181 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,800 be good and empathy. So being an active listener and 182 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:00,720 seeing other people's perspectives. 183 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:04,960 These are all things you have to practice and do in real life in 184 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:07,560 real time in order to get better at it. 185 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:11,120 Any skill you need to work at to get better AT and your social 186 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,360 skills. So you might be also seeking 187 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:16,080 feedback from people get clear communication. 188 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,880 Ask your friends and family like hey, think back on a situation 189 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,280 where or maybe we had a disagreement. 190 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,080 How do you think I handled it? Do you think I could have 191 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:27,920 handled it better? Just getting some self-awareness 192 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,040 about how you interact with people so you can start 193 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:34,680 improving it. OK, let's move on to the next 194 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:38,360 soft skill that I want you to be working on and that would be 195 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:43,440 your communication techniques. So you want to make sure you're 196 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:47,600 communicating in order to build trust with your clients. 197 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:51,920 Trust is the foundation of every relationship, so you can 198 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,680 practice this not only with your clients, but with your friends 199 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:59,920 and families, people who are close to you, maybe people that 200 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,400 you mentor. You want to be sure that you're 201 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,120 communicating with clear explanations. 202 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:09,000 Not a lot of jargon. So interior designers can have 203 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,440 our own language. Sometimes we we can talk about 204 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:14,520 things that people don't quite understand. 205 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:19,280 Color, value, hues and things like that are really more 206 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:24,520 specific to our industry and not in every person's vocabulary. 207 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:28,920 You can use these words, but then go on to explain what we 208 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:31,480 mean by undertones or things like that. 209 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:34,800 Leading the client through decision process. 210 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,320 So you want to be a clear communicator as they're trying 211 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,880 to decide to move forward with anything that you're presenting 212 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,680 to them. Ask them questions and make sure 213 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:48,000 that their hesitations are heard. 214 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:52,200 Communication is actually one of the things that worked on a lot 215 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,000 and I get really good feedback from clients. 216 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,000 They say that we're really good communicators. 217 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,680 We're in constant communication, regular communication with the 218 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:06,160 client throughout the project, that we seem to listen really 219 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:09,760 well, that we can then repeat back to the client. 220 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,960 Once we've been listening, we repeat back to them what we 221 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,800 heard and make sure that we're hearing them well. 222 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,400 And then if they need to correct us or say, oh, that's not 223 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,560 actually what I meant. I really need this. 224 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:26,320 So it's really good to take the time and be patient through the 225 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,200 communication process to hear and understand what they're 226 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:32,200 saying. Don't assume that you know what 227 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,640 they're saying. Of course, whenever you assume, 228 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:39,800 we all know that that phrase, but it is really going to cause 229 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,800 you problems. Every time that I have done just 230 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:46,080 jumped ahead and assumed that they knew this or that they were 231 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,040 OK with this, it has come back to bite me. 232 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,240 So you really want to make sure that you take the time to do 233 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:54,960 back and forth. Even if it seems like you're 234 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,400 over clarifying. It's better to have that than to 235 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:00,400 have a mistake that you have to pay for later. 236 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,200 And then how gentle and grounded are you with your communication 237 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:07,120 style? And here, of course, we'll refer 238 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:10,840 back to the disk style. Again, you can go back and 239 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,000 listen to episodes with Sierra Collins. 240 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,120 We talk about the disk assessment, which is really just 241 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:21,640 understanding the four different communication styles that people 242 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,760 tend to have, understanding what yours is, but then also 243 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,320 understanding what your clients. And so I've been able to apply 244 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:31,840 this really well. We went over this retreat last 245 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:37,240 November with my designers here locally and it was just a great 246 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,400 learning process of eye opener for a lot of people to 247 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,720 understand that their communication style is probably 248 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:46,160 different than their client or they'll have different clients 249 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:47,800 come through that have different styles. 250 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,280 And so somewhat really direct communication, no fluff, just 251 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:55,280 give me the facts. Others want you to call them on 252 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,760 the phone. Others want you to e-mail them. 253 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,480 Some really need you to get personal 1st and ask them how 254 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,920 their day was and how their family reunion went and that 255 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,520 their recent trip before you get down to business. 256 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:13,440 So really being cognizant of your clients communication style 257 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,840 is going to help you here. It's a really great skill to 258 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:18,960 have and the clients really appreciate it and they're more 259 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,880 likely to give you referrals if they think that you are a good 260 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,680 communicator. All right, the next soft skill 261 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,920 you need to have is understanding boundaries and 262 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:31,880 having professional poise in this. 263 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,960 You're going to learn how to say no gracefully. 264 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:40,320 So they could be saying no to a project that's not a good fit. 265 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,880 Well, first let me preface that I am a recovering people pleaser 266 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,360 so I have a hard time saying no to people often. 267 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,880 I've worked on this and gotten so much better after reading the 268 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:54,480 Boundary boss book and other things like that. 269 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:58,360 Understanding my weak points and that have a tendency to not say 270 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:02,280 no when I need to. So in the past, I would not say 271 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:06,600 no, and then I would really be grudgingly be going through this 272 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:09,640 project where nobody was happy because I didn't want to do it 273 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:14,360 or it was being rushed and I knew I couldn't do my best work 274 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:19,400 under those circumstances. And so learning to say no when 275 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:23,400 you need to and doing it gracefully so as not to burn any 276 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,320 bridges is a really important skill to have. 277 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:31,040 Also, you're going to need to learn to say no to a client's 278 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:35,440 request sometimes in order to protect the design that you put 279 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:37,400 forward. Of course, you're designing with 280 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:42,080 their best interest in mind, but sometimes clients will go rogue 281 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:47,320 and they'll see, you know, maybe some ad was targeted to them on 282 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:52,480 TikTok or something and they really want to buy this vibrant 283 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,200 metal art that they want to put on the wall where you have some 284 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,320 wallpaper. And you might need to tell them 285 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:03,320 no gracefully. That's not going to be the 286 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:05,960 location for the art. They can certainly buy it if 287 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,680 they want to, but we will have to find another place for it. 288 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,920 And they should be able to respect that now. 289 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:16,400 But you don't need to like have a temper tantrum and just put 290 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,960 your foot down with the client and just say no, no, no. 291 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:20,920 Like that's not in a million years. 292 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:22,240 Like you don't need to offend them. 293 00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:25,480 But learning to say no gracefully, is it really 294 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,920 valuable soft skill to have. And then also navigating 295 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:33,720 conflict with diplomacy. This is going to be great in all 296 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:37,360 areas of life. Navigating conflict, seeking to 297 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:41,080 be more of a mediator and standing ground where it's 298 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:46,120 important, but also doing it diplomatically and preserving 299 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:47,840 the relationship whenever you can. 300 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,080 And then learning the boundaries of protecting your time, your 301 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,680 profitability and your mental well-being. 302 00:17:54,720 --> 00:18:00,240 So making sure that your time is being accounted for on the 303 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:05,320 project and not just saying yes to scope creep that you're not 304 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:07,200 getting paid for. So you need to protect that 305 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,680 time. Time is so valuable and you need 306 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:11,680 to protect the profitability of the job. 307 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:15,600 So making sure that your business model that you have set 308 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:20,440 up depending on how you bill for your time and for your product, 309 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:24,880 that you are protecting that and you need to have a sustainable 310 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,640 business model and you have a right to that. 311 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,400 And so you don't have to acquiesce to every request of 312 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:33,000 the client. And most of the time they're 313 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,880 reasonable and we'll understand why you have it set up that way. 314 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,320 And then protecting your mental well-being, if a client or a 315 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:45,400 project is really just in over your head or you're just done 316 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:50,440 with it, then gracefully bowing out of the project is probably 317 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,080 the best thing you can do because nobody wants you to be 318 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,080 frazzled and have a mental breakdown. 319 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:59,320 And so learning what your boundaries are and when to say 320 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,920 no is going to be a really useful soft skill to have. 321 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,320 All right, And then let's talk a little bit about the skill of 322 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:10,360 leadership that can often get overlooked by designers. 323 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:15,200 As a designer, you are a leader to your client and to your 324 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:21,160 contractors, trades and on the project and so having the time 325 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,360 working on and developing your leadership skills is very 326 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:26,280 important. So don't shy away from those 327 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,440 books or podcasts about leadership because whether you 328 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:35,040 recognize it or not, you are a critical leader in your work. 329 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,040 You can help to build confidence in your projects without being 330 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:43,520 domineering on the job site. And soft leadership can create 331 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,360 smoother installs and fewer delays. 332 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:50,840 And so being able to lead is a great soft skill to have. 333 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:55,000 Also personality awareness. And so we talked about the disk. 334 00:19:55,720 --> 00:20:00,040 You can also look at Enneagram insights that you might want to 335 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,160 try. Understanding about yourself and 336 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:06,880 about other people. I have studied the Enneagram and 337 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:10,240 it really, it is helpful sometimes to identify people who 338 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:14,960 might be a six or A5 or you know, it's, it's very similar to 339 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:18,120 the disk and understanding what they need to hear in order to 340 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,640 feel confident to move forward with the design. 341 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,200 And you can adjust that style depending on what the client is 342 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:26,960 needing and what they respond to. 343 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:31,400 And then another secret soft skill that doesn't get talked 344 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:35,880 about a lot is holding space for client transformation. 345 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:39,840 So clients often come with emotions tied to their homes. 346 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:44,840 It's very personal project, which is why I like residential. 347 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:49,120 It is very personal. I like working with clients and 348 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:53,040 understanding their emotions that are tied with their homes, 349 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:55,160 but some designers don't love that. 350 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:57,840 So that's where you might want to transition more into 351 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,920 commercial design, hospitality, things that deal more with 352 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:07,000 committees and not necessarily a person's emotions, especially 353 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,720 when you're dealing with remodels and you're coming with 354 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,280 grandma's furniture or this house has, you know, been in the 355 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,920 family for years or this is just the way it has been since their 356 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,360 kids were little. And it's hard for them to let go 357 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:22,400 of these things. And some people are like, OK, 358 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:24,400 I'm I'm done. Like it's ratty now. 359 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,360 And we were ready for grown up furniture and we're ready for a 360 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:29,520 grown up house. And so, you know that they're 361 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:31,440 ready from for change and moving on. 362 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,720 But a lot of people have resistance to change. 363 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,880 I had a consultation recently as a one time consultation where we 364 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,480 met with the wife and she's been wanting to remodel this house 365 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:47,680 for like 20 years and the husband was there and he quietly 366 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,520 sat in on the meeting as well. Did not seem like he wanted to 367 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:56,040 be there and was very gruff in his responses. 368 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,720 She's trying to get him to respond, like, do you like this 369 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,000 tile? Do you like this color? 370 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,480 And he's like, you know, just didn't really want to give any 371 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,440 responses. And he could tell he just liked 372 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:08,960 things the way that they were. Now, he didn't see a need for 373 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:11,640 change. And so my designer and I walked 374 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,680 away from that consultation. We did the best that we could to 375 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,200 work with her. Trying to give her a plan to 376 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,880 move forward for a remodel if she wants to is a beautiful 377 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:26,880 plan, but my designer and I were pretty aware that it's likely 378 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:31,000 not going to happen because both parties were not ready for 379 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:35,280 change and there's too many emotions tied up in that remodel 380 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,360 for that change. So you might come across that 381 00:22:38,360 --> 00:22:40,960 sometimes and if you're going into that not just as like a one 382 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:44,080 time consultation, but as like a project starter and you're 383 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,480 trying to get that project off the ground, that would be a huge 384 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:51,320 red flag that you wanted to listen to and understand that 385 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:56,320 that partner is not going to come around very easily or 386 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:58,640 anytime soon. And you might be hitting your 387 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,600 head against a brick wall and trying to get this remodel off 388 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:05,200 the ground. So maybe it's, you know, taking 389 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:11,080 the the time to listen and then understand that and and explain 390 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,280 to them that like, I don't think that you're ready as a couple to 391 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,760 move forward with this remodel and you can come back when you 392 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:20,920 you are agreeing that and excited both of you excited 393 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:25,200 about this remodel. So that is kind of a great skill 394 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,960 to have is to hold that space for the client to understand 395 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,600 their emotions and also just process their emotions. 396 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:35,040 Yet there are going to be different things that change and 397 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:36,760 it might be hard for them to change. 398 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,400 They might be willing to go through it, but they need some 399 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,040 time sometimes. And so you can help them move 400 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:46,000 through the change by building trust with them. 401 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,080 That's going to be the biggest asset because they're trusting 402 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,680 you with their money and with the complete change of what they 403 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:56,360 know and are used to. I actually have a course for 404 00:23:56,360 --> 00:24:02,600 this for homeowners who have struggles with change and trying 405 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,440 to think outside the box when it comes to their own home. 406 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,680 I always think it's difficult to like look at your own space and 407 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:11,920 see the potential that could be there. 408 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:15,920 I struggle with it in my house, especially like the house that I 409 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,520 grew up in. Like that was just the way it 410 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:20,120 was. And I didn't, you know, even 411 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:22,640 though I identified probably a few things that I'm like, oh, 412 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:26,280 this tile could be updated or whatever, I never really felt 413 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:30,120 like it needed a whole got remodeled because that was my 414 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:31,640 home. That was my childhood home. 415 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:34,080 And I had, you know, I knew all the nooks and crannies. 416 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,760 So it would be hard for me to go back into that house if someone 417 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:42,040 else has bought it and to do a new remodel for them because I 418 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,040 had so much emotion tied to the way that it was existing. 419 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,280 A lot of homeowners are in that place and so they have a hard 420 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:52,800 time visualizing if they've been in the home for years, how it 421 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,480 could change and just be completely different from where 422 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:58,560 it is now. And so I have a course called 423 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:03,120 Shifting Spaces, and it's great for that to help the mindset of 424 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:08,480 the client and to help them maybe identify like a lot of 425 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:13,920 empty nesters have rooms that are in disuse and you're just 426 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,480 have all the square footage in your house that's not being put 427 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:20,120 to use and it's neglected and it's not great energy for 428 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:22,680 anybody. And so I love that the course 429 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:26,680 can help you overcome that and help you to dream and kind of 430 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,240 get prepared before you meet with your designer and really 431 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:34,640 get the vision and excitement to move forward with change in your 432 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:36,800 house. And so I have that course called 433 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,200 Shifting Spaces in my Etsy store. 434 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,720 So I'll put a link to that if that's something you think might 435 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,560 be interesting or maybe a client of yours might need to go 436 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:49,320 through just to help their mindset about shifting their 437 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,320 space. OK, so I'm going to stop there 438 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:54,720 with soft skills. Of course, you could go on 439 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,320 forever. Soft skills really, really 440 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,040 important. Do not neglect soft skill 441 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:02,000 development in your personal development and professional 442 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,640 development. If you see books and courses and 443 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:10,640 seminars and CE us that might develop any of these areas, then 444 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,960 I would encourage you to go for it and help develop those 445 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:15,400 skills. It's just going to make you a 446 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,800 better designer, more marketable to clients or to prospective 447 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:23,520 employers. So work on those soft skills and 448 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:27,840 work on creating a more well-rounded you. 449 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,080 So there you have it, soft skills. 450 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,280 If you didn't know about before, now you do. 451 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:44,440 And next week we're going to have an episode on skills that 452 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:46,480 you need beyond the design degree. 453 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,560 So stay tuned for that. Actually, that will be in two 454 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:51,960 weeks. In the meantime, I invite you to 455 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:56,600 reflect on your strengths and see where you want to grow, see 456 00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,800 where you're already rocking it in your soft skills. 457 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:03,080 And then maybe there's a few places that popped up today as 458 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:07,720 you're listening that you might want to seek out and grow in. 459 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,000 And so if you have any questions about that or any resources you 460 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,400 might want to help you grow, then reach out to me. 461 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,680 I'd love to hear from you. Don't forget we have some great 462 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,840 links for you in the show notes, some free downloads and road 463 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,680 maps to interior design and things I wish I'd known when I 464 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:25,520 started. Don't forget to get all of those 465 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:28,800 great freebies for you. And that's all I have this week. 466 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:32,120 Next week we'll have another great episode and until then, 467 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:35,760 stay creative. Thanks for listening. 468 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,080 If you love this episode, please leave a rating and a review. 469 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,080 This helps me reach other curious creatives like you. 470 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,240 If you have a topic request or would like to contact me, simply 471 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:51,200 head over to my website awarddesign.com or e-mail me at 472 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,880 podcast@awarddesign.com.