Developing advisers' soft skills will be addressed at an upcoming CISI financial planning conference.
The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment conference – which runs over three days at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales, from 25 to 27 September – will cover a wide range of topics, organisers said.
Key among these topics will be a consideration of the people skills needed by those looking to make it in the post-retail distribution review world, which has seen advisers having to manage the shift away from product recommendation to financial planning.
With the focus now on offering clients a comprehensive financial plan to help them navigate life's challenges and changing priorities, honing one's interpersonal skills is seen as key to the survival of the 21st century financial adviser.
In April, the Equity Release Council recommended that advisers looking to tap into the growing equity release sector polish up their soft skills if they hope to engage better with older clients and understand their needs and circumstances.
Darren Cooke, Red Circle Financial Planning director, said the best way to develop as a financial planner was to speak to other advisers about their experiences, particularly now that financial planning is "at the forefront in relation to how we get paid".
He said: “I am interested in acquiring more skills and more knowledge and listening to other practitioners to find out how they do it.”
Another key area at the conference is technological change.
Mr Cooke said that it was important that technology came to the aid of what the financial planner does, rather than letting the technology dominate how advisers worked.
He added: “Some people barely use technology and others have let it take over. There has to be a balance in the middle where you use technology to enable what you do with the clients.
Steve Webb, former pensions minister and Royal London director of policy and external communication will be one of headline speakers.
