Maria Walley

In an AI world, soft skills aren't soft anymore. They're the hard requirements.

The Hard Truth About Soft Skills (And How AI Can Help)

Comfortable learning might feel harmonious, but research says it doesn't stick. In this sequel to one of ATD's most popular Democasts, "Not Another Video," we show why the best L&amp;D leaders are making training — especially for sales, management, and customer service — "uncomfortable" on purpose, with real results from the public sector to Fortune 500. All registrants receive the opportunity to experience a (free) sales training course (for three months), which may or may not throw your team into uncomfortable roleplays.

Key Takeaways:


	How “discomfort” works: See real data from hundreds of coaching sessions showing why learners who were challenged, not coddled, achieved nearly 5X better training-to-practice conversion than industry benchmarks.
	Where it’s happening: Hear how the public sector used AI roleplays to train leaders on firing, hiring, and retention conversations they’d been avoiding for years.
	Build it live: Watch us construct an “uncomfortable” AI roleplay for sales from scratch—one that pushes back, challenges assumptions, and simulates the tough conversations your team has been avoiding—in under 10 minutes.
	 


DEMO: Make Your Training Uncomfortable with AI Roleplays

What if you could practice a tough conversation in a mirror... but the mirror talked back? Industry leaders are using “Executive AI Coaches” to do just that—achieving 100% completion and 3.5X deeper engagement than ChatGPT. In this live demo, see how to build these high-stakes roleplays yourself, along with integrated simulations. Learn to create AI agents that use “productive friction” to push back like skeptical stakeholders, forcing learners to earn their answers and master critical human skills.

During this event, you will learn about the following:
•    The Engagement Shift: See how leading companies are achieving more than 3X deeper engagement than ChatGPT by moving from passive consumption to active simulations. 

•    Live Build: Watch a demo on creating AI agents that push back like real humans—using "productive friction" to build resilience and critical thinking.

•    Human Skills at Scale: Learn how to configure automated feedback that helps learners master nuances like empathy, influence, and leadership—while gamifying the whole experience. 
 