Maggie Starkey
Knowledge Management Specialist. Maggie is a change agent and culture enthusiast with a master’s degree in Knowledge Management, specializing in problem-solving and advancing organizational knowledge practices.

The rise of technology and AI has created a significant gap in real human
interaction, which was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic increased reliance on technology for communication, and
even post-pandemic, the shift towards virtual interactions remained.
Despite the benefits of flexibility in remote work, people miss in-person
interactions.

Knowledge management (KM) thrives on human connections, and in a virtual world, this demands enhanced effort and strong people skills. KM professionals need to build trust within their teams and promote continuous learning. To achieve this, we must:
1. Build Relationships: Go beyond the basics to establish trust with teams and encourage them to do the same internally.

2. Communicate Purposefully: Effective communication requires frequent, varied, and purposeful messaging. Avoid unproductive communication and ensure messages resonate with the audience.
3. Collaborate: Due to limited resources in KM teams, collaborating both internally and externally on KM concepts boosts value. Encouraging team collaboration fosters idea sharing and diverse perspectives.
4. Actively Listen: Listen actively to understand expressed and unexpressed needs and issues. Unlike AI, humans can discern nonverbal cues and implied concerns. This skill is vital for identifying and addressing real problems, enhancing business value.
5. Problem Solve: Use the aforementioned skills to identify organizational pain points and gaps, and devise solutions. Demonstrating KM’s value through problem-solving builds trust and underscores the importance of human-centric approaches.In the AI era, mastering these interpersonal skills is crucial.
While AI enhances our capabilities, prioritizing human elements ensures we remain connected and effective.

Keywords: human interaction, people skills, relationship building, knowledge management, collaboration.