Business in the Eye of the Storm, broadcast on The Discovery Channel, America’s largest cablevision network dedicated to non-fiction entertainment, featured Walter Rogers, Baker Communications President and CEO, on its Friday, September 7 edition. During the program, Rogers outlined the ways in which effective corporate training can help businesses thrive and grow as the world’s economy shifts from a focus on technology to an emphasis on knowledge and services.

“It was certainly an honor to be invited to come on the program and talk about something that I am so passionate about; namely, the way that effective training can help companies in any industry sector provide needed skills to their employees, so they can flex and grow as the world’s economy continues to expand.”

Business in the Eye of the Storm is an integrated thought leadership program launched last spring by professional services firm UHY Advisors, Inc. In addition to the weekly television show that is broadcast by the Discovery Channel every Friday morning at 6:30 am (ET), the show also publishes a monthly magazine, a highly-interactive website and a webinar series.

During the interview, Walters specifically highlighted the need for companies to sharply increase their emphasis on the development of so-called “soft skills” in their employees.

“For much of our nation’s corporate history, employee proficiency has been measured in hard skills, which might be characterized as the skills required to work with products,” explained Rogers. “Soft skills– by contrast – are the skills you need to work with people. Soft skills are what it takes to effectively build rapport and trust with people, so you can communicate with them, learn to understand their needs and provide for them the necessary level of support and feedback to create a successful, productive business relationship.”

Rogers believes that as the worldwide economy continues to transition from an emphasis on technology to an emphasis on knowledge and service, companies must do more to prepare their employees to compete in this new arena.

“Going forward, the success of a company is going to rest less on the quality of its products -- because the market is flooded with great products -- and more on the quality of its internal and external relationships,” declared Rogers. “Companies that make a commitment to train employees and reinforce the value of exceptional soft skills, or professional skills, in every level of the organization will gain that extra bit of competitive edge to reach the top and stay there.”

Baker Communications is one of the fastest growing corporate training companies in the United States, with over 800% growth since 2004. Baker Communications has 1000 corporate clients, including 50% of the Fortune 500, and a network of senior instructors and instructional designers across the United States, Latin America, and Asia. Their training products and services have been used on six continents in over 25 countries.