How to Train Technicians and Engineers on People Skills: Three Critical Success Factors

Nick was the CEO of a manufacturing company in Lenexa, Kansas. I sat next to him on a flight out of Kansas City. As often happens, we talked about what we do for a living. “I work with IT people on people skills,” I said. Nick jumped in, “You can’t teach people skills. Someone’s either got ‘em, or they don’t!” 

This happens so often. I hear IT managers, CIOs, and MSP owners say they hire for people skills, not tech skills, because they say you can’t train on people skills. Like Nick, they say you either have ‘em or you don’t. 

That’s not true. First, think of Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, Stephen Covey, and Brene Brown, all wildly successful teachers on how people can successfully work with each other. In my own experience, I’ve received comments and emails from people around the world thanking me for my Compassionate Geek books and training.

Read more just below the video.

If people skills can’t be taught, then leadership can’t be taught, customer service can’t be taught, communication can’t be taught, and conflict resolution can’t be taught. Of course they can be taught. Human behavior changes all the time. People learn how to communicate differently, manage emotions better, listen more effectively, and work more professionally throughout their lives and careers. Technical professionals learn complex systems, processes, and troubleshooting methods every day. People skills are also skills. They require awareness, practice, coaching, accountability, and repetition, just like technical skills do. 

People can change. You can change. I can change. You can help your team change. We can all become a better version of ourselves. Of course, it may be easier for some than others. And yes, you must want to change, but think about the person you were five, ten,  or twenty years ago compared to the person you are today. Odds are, you have changed from that person of years past. Hopefully, you’ve changed for the better!

So, how can you help your team learn and improve their people skills? Here are three critical success factors:

Model the Behavior You Want from Your Team

Model the behavior you want from your team. IT teams watch their manager constantly, especially under pressure. If you want technicians and engineers to communicate respectfully, stay calm with frustrated users, collaborate well, and act professionally, you must demonstrate those behaviors yourself. Remember, people don’t do what you say; they do what you do. That means you listen without interrupting, treat others with dignity and respect, admit mistakes, handle conflict professionally, and stay composed during outages or stressful situations. It also means you show empathy while still maintaining accountability. Your behavior becomes the unwritten standard for how the team believes it’s acceptable to act. Yeah, I know. It sucks when everyone’s watching what you do!

Explain the why (with thanks to Simon Sinek)

Technical professionals are far more likely to embrace people skills when they understand that those skills directly affect project success, customer satisfaction, teamwork, and career growth. If people skills are presented as “being nice,” many IT professionals will dismiss them. Instead, show how poor communication creates escalations, delays, mistrust, and unnecessary conflict, while strong communication makes troubleshooting, collaboration, and leadership opportunities easier. Teach these skills through real-world IT examples, coaching, role-playing difficult situations, post-incident reviews, and consistent discussions during team meetings and one-on-ones. The goal is to connect people skills to practical outcomes they experience every day. 

Hold Accountable

Reinforce and consistently hold people accountable for people skills.

People skills improve only when they become part of the team’s expectations, not just occasional training topics. Reinforce them by discussing communication, teamwork, professionalism, and customer interactions during one-on-ones, performance reviews, and post-incident discussions. Recognize technicians who handle difficult situations well, not just those with strong technical skills. Coach poor behavior immediately and specifically, instead of ignoring it because someone is technically talented. Be patient. Make “easy to work with” part of your team culture. IT professionals naturally focus on what leadership measures, rewards, and corrects consistently over time. 

So, I disagree with Nick. I’ve watched people change throughout their careers, including many in highly technical professions. I’ve seen technicians become better listeners, engineers become stronger collaborators, and IT leaders become calmer, more empathetic communicators under pressure. No, not everyone changes at the same pace, and no training can help someone who refuses to grow. But to say people skills cannot be taught ignores both human experience and the countless professionals who have intentionally improved how they work with others. Technical skills may solve problems, but people skills determine how successfully we solve them together.

Next Level IT Customer Service Training

Enroll your team now in Compassionate Geek IT online customer service training so they can work together, get things done, and take care of customers.