I am curious about that too. I'm taking it at face value that "talking to 500 people" is as trivial as setting up a twitter account. Only way I can think of is

I am curious about that too. I'm taking it at face value that "talking to 500 people" is as trivial as setting up a twitter account. Only way I can think of is to do a survey and enlist the help of bored college students to stand in front of of a busy intersection. I'm guessing part of the "soft skill" is recognizing that > 90% of the people walking by won't even be interested in stopping and talking. (Or send an email/twitter/whatever blast somewhere. Or something). But essentially, "talking to 500 people" is not necessarily "talking one-on-one". I think that says a lot more about the difference in mindset between the geek and the suit than anything else.