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As an occupational and environmental health and safety professional, you likely have a degree in a relevant field. You may also hold a certification, such as the CIH or CSP, that conveys to employers, clients, and other professionals that you have expertise in occupational health and safety. There’s no doubt that your employer or clients value your technical skills.

But your “soft” skills, such as communication, leadership, and teamwork, are equally valuable. Soft skills are universally applicable and easily transferable between fields, yet difficult to obtain and demonstrate. They are typically not taught in classes or supported by certifications. Barbara Dawson, CIH, CSP, FAIHA, remarked in a 2019 AIHA webinar that although most employers assume job candidates have appropriate technical competence, “what’s a little bit harder for employers to gauge are the soft or the power skills, like the ability to communicate well.”

In an AIHA Connect 2024 educational session, Alex Cardone, CIH, referred to a survey by Zip Recruiter that found more employers were practicing skills-based hiring with a focus on soft skills. Almost half of respondents had eliminated degree requirements for some roles. Employers “need people who can not only effectively listen but can also voice their opinions and thoughts in a coherent manner,” Cardone explained.

Evy Poumpouras wrote in an email to SynergistNOW that her AIHA Connect 2025 closing keynote will not be “centered solely on the job” but “focused on people.” That is, although being an OEHS professional requires a great deal of technical skill, it is still ultimately based on interpersonal relationships. “Regardless of the task at hand, it is people you need to learn, understand, and deal with so that you can make things happen,” Poumpouras wrote. “You are in the business of people. Period. If you can master that, you can master anything.”

Techniques for Effective Communication

Poumpouras is the law enforcement contributor for NBC and an adjunct professor at the City University of New York—two roles in which communication skills are obviously important. But her ability to communicate effectively was just as necessary in her previous careers as a New York City police officer and Secret Service agent.

In Poumpouras’ TEDx Saint Louis talk, given in 2016, she described a course in police science she had attended as an NYPD cadet. “If you will go through your entire career, and you never have to use your weapon, then by my account, you’ve had a great career,” her instructor had told her. “Because this is your most powerful weapon,” Poumpouras added, indicating her mouth. An effective officer cannot only be an intimidating presence. They must have good interpersonal skills when interacting with suspects, witnesses, and members of the public.

As a Secret Service agent, Poumpouras had two missions, protection and investigation. In her protection role, “I protected current and former presidents, as well as foreign heads of state. My task was to keep them alive and safe, as well as protecting the public around them,” Poumpouras wrote to SynergistNOW. “As an investigator, I worked countless crimes, operated undercover, and conducted interviews as a polygraph examiner.”

When Poumpouras interviewed people, her goal was to elicit information about crimes she was investigating, including from suspects and others with reasons not to give evidence to law enforcement. “At the end of the day, it all came down to communication,” she said in her 2016 talk.

In the talk, Poumpouras described some of her interviewing techniques. The “fundamental principle” of communication, she said, is listening. She advised audience members to listen more and speak less. “We think that if we speak more, we can control the conversation,” she said. “And it is the exact opposite. It’s the person who speaks less who’s actually in control.”

Active listening requires paying attention to body language. Poumpouras prefers not to conduct interviews with a table between herself and her interviewee. “I want to see what every part of your body is doing because then I can understand you, and when I can understand you, I can begin to communicate,” she explained.

She also helps the other person feel “special”—that is, worthy of her undivided attention. “You have to make them feel that they’re the most important person you are dealing with at that moment,” Poumpouras said. This means monitoring your body language—don’t check your watch or phone during the conversation—and referring to the other person by name. “When you can remember somebody’s name, that speaks volumes. That is the ultimate compliment, to remember somebody’s name.”

It’s critical to adopt your audience’s perspective and understand what language is likely to resonate with them. In her TEDx talk, Poumpouras related an incident in which she had worked with staff at a facility to ensure an important person was protected during an event. Poumpouras tried to compromise her focus on security with the staff members’ goal for the event to be a success. This compromise was endangered when a facility staff member told Poumpouras, “You’re acting as if somebody is going to fly a plane into this building.”

The staff member had unwittingly said something extremely tactless. “I was in the World Trade Center on September 11th. I lost colleagues and a friend,” Poumpouras explained. “Several of my colleagues and I stayed behind to help evacuate people, to set up a triage, and we were caught in the collapse of the towers. By the grace of God, I was able to go home that night.”

“In hearing him speak, he had damaged those lines of communication,” Poumpouras said of the thoughtless staff member. “And although I continued to work with him and stay open and receptive, without realizing, he had sabotaged something.” Effective communication requires you to take care in your choice of words.

It also requires self-awareness in how you behave and appear to others. “You need to know yourself first before you can maneuver and deal with others,” Poumpouras wrote in her email. She explained in her TEDx talk that how you carry yourself and how you dress influences how people see you. Criminals tend to target people who look as if they lack confidence because they seem less likely to fight back. In less dire situations, people are more likely to listen to those who give an impression of self-assurance and who look the part they play in their organization.

“How you carry yourself, how you portray yourself, that’s communication,” Poumpouras said.

How to Build Communication Skills

Poumpouras honed her communication abilities in her previous high-stakes career. But if, like most OEHS professionals, you’re not a former Secret Service agent, how can you build your soft skills?

Dawson, in her webinar, recommended seeking out volunteer opportunities that will allow you to gain experience in leadership, teamwork, and communication. You may find these through AIHA’s technical committees, special interest groups, local sections, or Future Leaders Institute, but your volunteer work “doesn’t just have to be industrial hygiene-related,” she said. “You can do some things in your community.”

Religious organizations, sports teams, historical societies, and social clubs may post volunteer opportunities on in-person or virtual bulletin boards. Scouting organizations and local political offices present other chances to practice soft skills. “All these different experiences are going to help you in the workplace,” Dawson added.

Tim Paz, CIH, who co-presented with Dawson, said that when he had restarted his OEHS career after leaving the profession for a few years, he had also looked for chances to practice his communication skills. “I wanted to find ways that I could volunteer, not only outside of my job but also within my job,” Paz said. He recommended joining your organization’s interview panel to observe other people’s interview skills.

Cardone volunteered with AIHA’s Noise Committee to give tours and briefings to other organizations. This led to him giving a training session on dosimetry to Workplace Health Without Borders, presenting a pop-up session at AIHce EXP, speaking at the U.S. Army and Navy’s joint environmental health and safety conference, and being invited back to AIHA Connect as a special guest speaker.

“Soft skills, unlike hard skills, don’t have a cap,” Cardone said. “We can always improve.”

Evy Poumpouras will give the closing keynote at AIHA Connect on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Central time. AIHA Connect 2025 will be held May 19–21 in person at the Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, Missouri, and virtually. To learn more about the keynote sessions, view the conference agenda, or register, visit the conference website.

The webinar “Take Charge of Your IH Career: Road Map to Success” presented by Barbara Dawson, CIH, CSP, FAIHA, and Tim Paz, CIH, as well as the AIHA Connect 2024 educational session “Soft Skill Development Will Attract and Retain Talented Personnel,” presented by Alex Cardone, CIH, is available in the AIHA Marketplace.