Nearly 60 Years of Communication Training... So What Are We Missing?

For nearly 60 years, the human race has been on the “improve communication in the workplace” bandwagon.

See — prior to the 1960s, we were primarily a top-down, listen to me or else society.

Then things started changing.

Psychology began bringing greater attention to the importance of communication in our home lives, relationships and workplaces. Authors began writing more and more books about self-help, self-care, improving communication, improving relationships, teamwork, collaboration... on and on.

By the 1990s, we were full-in on the era of personal and professional development and communication soft skills.

So... what happened over the next several decades?

Organizations worldwide invested billions upon billions of dollars in employee training and development — hiring professional trainers, workshop leaders, consultants, coaches and speakers to help people communicate, collaborate and lead more effectively.

In 2024 alone, the global soft-skills training market — including communication, leadership, teamwork and personal development — was estimated at approximately US$33.4 billion. It is projected to reach approximately US$83.7 billion by 2032.

That's a whole lot of money spent learning how to work better with one another.

And yet...

Here we are in 2026 and organizations continue to struggle with conflict, poor communication, disengagement, misunderstandings, difficult workplace relationships, stress, reactivity and people simply not feeling heard.

So what are we missing?

I have a theory.

Maybe we've been working from the outside in.

For decades, we've learned soft skills through role-playing, simulations and scenarios, interactive exercises, team challenges, case studies, self-assessments, feedback and workshops.

I'm not saying these things have no value.

I was an educator for 25 years. I used them. I saw them. I experienced them.

But there's a difference between KNOWING what good communication is supposed to look like and BEING ABLE TO access those skills when another person pushes one of our buttons.

Soft skills come in play and 'build or burn bridges' depending on how effective we are at self-leadership.

Because...

When I feel criticized.

When I think you aren't listening to me.

When I disagree with you.

When I'm stressed.

When I feel disrespected.

When your reaction triggers mine.

When I'm absolutely convinced that YOU are the problem.

That's where the role-playing exercise ends and real life begins.

What if we went from the inside out?

I believe we need to go much deeper than learning about self-awareness or learning how to become better listeners. We need to practise it. Again. And again. And again. On ourselves.

I call it fierce self-awareness.

It's being willing to discover the beliefs, stories, reactions and patterns deeply ingrained within us.

To recognize what belongs to us — and what doesn't.

To learn how to release and shift what no longer serves us.

To notice when we're reacting instead of responding.

To stop trying to control how everyone else thinks, feels and behaves and begin strengthening our ability to lead ourselves.

And then comes listening.

Not simply “active listening”, but rather power (structured) listening to self and others.

I mean developing the ability to truly be present with another human being without immediately analyzing, judging, criticizing, advising, fixing or filling in the blanks with our own assumptions.

And perhaps one of the hardest skills of all:

Listening to another person's emotions without taking them on as our own.

This is where I believe radical Self-Awareness | Power Listening™ | Emotional Fitness® promotes a strong sense of Self-Leadership & Inner Balance.

Because self-leadership isn't simply about being confident, productive or decisive.

It's being able to recognize what's happening within me, regulate how I respond, stay present with what's happening around me and consciously choose what I do next.

Imagine what happens in a workplace when more people can do that.

Less reactivity. More presence.

Less agitation. More understanding.

Less assuming. More listening.

Less hesitation. More clarity and assertiveness.

Less trying to change one another. More ability to work together despite our differences.

That's when communication becomes more than another soft skill we learned in a workshop.

It becomes something we live and practise daily for ourselves and with others.

Perhaps after nearly 60 years of trying to improve workplace communication, we don't need another technique for managing other people.

Maybe we need to become much better at leading ourselves.

Michelle Gallant-Richards, BEd

Founder of Mindfit4Life™ Academy | Emotional Fitness® Life

Master Instructor of Emotional Fitness | Speaker | Workshop Leader | Coach