Developing Soft Skills Helps Business Analysts Become More Agile
25 Oct 2016 01:16 PM
Business analysts can increase effectiveness most by developing soft skills to compliment traditional tools and techniques - according to the latest book published by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
NLP for Business Analysts: Developing agile mindset and behaviours - by Peter Parkes, illustrates the application of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) in developing agile behavioural competencies which are transferable across project types and industry sectors.
Peter, who is a NLP Master Practitioner, explains: “As a business analyst, you can increase your effectiveness most by developing your soft skills, recognising that finesse can be more effective than force. Once developed, you will find that with these skills - you are better equipped to communicate across cultures, reframe problems, manage stakeholder groups, resolve conflicts, motivate teams and become an even better leader.”
He offers the following top ten tips for Business Analysts:
- Understand your key behaviours and how to flex them to become more agile
- Practise controlling how you think feel and act in a range of contexts and situations
- Learn how to discover and understand other people's maps of the world
- Practice techniques to build rapport with a range of stakeholders
- Tailor your words to your audience
- Learn to get better answers through better questions
- Create and sell a compelling vision
- Discover ways to be more creative
- Understand and motivate effective team behaviours
- Understand how the BA and PM can work better together
The only book on NLP specifically for business analysts, it will help BAs and those involved in change management to develop behavioural competencies and agile thinking to become even more effective in delivering successful outcomes.
Paul Matthews, NLP trainer, MD of People Alchemy, author of Capability at Work: How to Solve the Performance Puzzle says: “Peter has done a great job of bringing the generic tools of NLP into a pragmatic framework to help with business analysis.”
Marc-Andre Langlais, Senior Business Engagement Manager, CN adds: “As the role of BA is growing to be more and more strategic, effective use of soft skills and stakeholder management will distinguish great BAs in the near future. The approaches proposed in this book definitively benefit the development of these required skills.”
About the Author
Dr Peter Parkes progressed to Head of IT and CIO roles via delivery of technology enabled transformational change. He is a member of IIBA and a Chartered Fellow of BCS. Since his first training in NLP in the mid-nineties, he became an NLP Master Practitioner, a Coach and a certified Trainer, delivering pragmatic workshops around the world.
About the Book
ISBN: 9781780172811
Format: Paperback
Publication date: OCT 2016
Price: UK: £29.99 EU: €39.99 USD: $46.99
Available from the BCS bookshop: bcs.org
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