Seizing opportunities: importance of soft skills

11th April 2025
  • Locked
Stavroula Gkioni's profile
Stavroula Gkioni

Software Quality Assurance Lead

Seizing opportunities: importance of soft skills image
A free account is required to view this content
Talk Description

Stavroula Gkioni emphasises that while technical testing skills are important, it's the soft skills that often make the biggest difference in a tester’s impact and growth. Drawing from her own experience in a test management role at a European agency, she highlights the tester’s central role in cross-functional communication, noting how misunderstandings can escalate when messages aren’t tailored to different stakeholders. Through examples, she encourages testers to ask clarifying questions, share insights with the team, avoid assumptions, and actively participate in discussions to ensure everyone stays aligned.

Stavroula also dives into the nuance of prioritisation, showing how seemingly minor tasks can have major consequences depending on context and dependencies. She shares a story of a female testing leader who gained respect by asking well-timed, knowledgeable questions, reinforcing the idea that expertise and clear communication can earn influence. Ultimately, she urges testers to step out of their comfort zones, continuously develop their soft skills, and take ownership of their work—because these are the traits that open doors and drive meaningful change in any team or organisation.

Stavroula Gkioni
Stavroula Gkioni
Software Quality Assurance Lead
Stavroula Gkioni
Stavroula Gkioni
Software Quality Assurance Lead
More Talks
The Augmented Tester: How AI is Transforming the Tester's Profession by Tarek Temimi (Ar) Tunis

0h 41m 12s

Software Testing Careers: The Roadmap by Oleksandr Romanov for MoT Tunis Tunis

0h 35m 18s

Shop 'till you DROP; Software Testing Live: Episode 03

1h 27m 28s

Subscribe to our newsletter
We'll keep you up to date on all the testing trends.