Course Objective:
The 3day program empowers people to use their communication skills effectively and appropriately in all situations. This program makes people more aware of the world around them and focusses on a very underdeveloped human skill – listening! It covers the fundamental concepts of interpersonal skills that will have a profound effect on your success through improved workplace and personal relationships and life in general.
Objectives:
Upon the completion of this course, the participant will be able to:
• Develop a stronger awareness of your own communication style as well as understand others better
• Develop your ability to be clearer and more precise in your communication
• Develop your ability to use good questions
• Handle different communication styles
• Effectively deal with difficult communication situations
• Use your voice and language and body language in a way which promotes a positive message.
Target Audience:
Anyone in a front facing role.
Course Details:
Participants will be evaluated on an on-going basis on each of the skill set taught.
Learning and training is facilitated through a variety of learning activities: pair work, group work, presentations, case studies and discussion groups. Case studies are used to illustrate or reinforce learning objectives. Our approach is to have interactive learning sessions, where all participants have the opportunity to take part in discussion and ask questions.
Program Contents
Module 1 – A Great Communicator
Want to be an Inspirational communicator? Take a lesson from the experts!
- Exercise - Who would you say, that you know, have met or seen, who is a great communicator? What makes them GREAT?
Module 2 – Communication in action
The puzzle game and describing shapes in different ways under different rules
- Exercise - The trainer will give you a puzzle set and explain the rules. Happy communicating!
Module 3 – Brain Think – Key Purpose
Communication serves many purposes, in a whole range of situations – do you think about what you are trying to achieve first, BEFORE communicating?
- Exercise - Think about different situations and the purpose of communication:
When a fire is going on – what’s the purpose of the communication?
Module 4 – The flow of communication
Communication is like water, it flows in a direction, to your goal or flows down a hole. Do you want to hit your goal more times than you do get it down the hole?
- Exercise - Put the boxes in the right order of the flow. See how the flow works in Chinese Whispers!
Module 5 – The backbone of communication
Your history, your upbringing, your culture, all contribute to the way you think. How can you be a better communicator? Understand and appreciate different points of view, we call these filters.
- Exercise – Speed dating! Tell a few things about yourself, perhaps that no one else knows!
- Exercise - Your history makes a difference – what are your views on these statements
Module 6 – Smile and be happy
Changing the negative to the positive – how to refocus your communication to benefit all.
- Exercise – Choose some difficult situations and add something in that is positive:
Module 7 – 4 Communication Styles
Communication is about being flexible and adapting to others. This is how you get better and be understood by more people.
- Exercise – How should we communicate to these 4 very different styles?
Module 8 – Your Voice is Power
How can you be more effective as a communicator? Inspire confidence and people to listen to you, be more influential?
- Exercise - Read a story and practice the vocals to change it! Create your own story (in Arabic if you wish) and practice with your telephone, record it and play it back to yourself.
Module 9 – Emotion under pressure
Being polite and use helpful words that don’t offend, even when you are busy.
- Exercise - What words or phrases work best? Create some of your own
Module 10 – Hands and Knees
Body Language is a powerful thing. Are you congruent? How to make sure your body language matches your words.
- Exercise - Draw or create some open and closed body language examples.
Module 11 – Assumptions
Whenever we communicate we automatically make assumptions. We can’t help. We should of course make good assumptions. How do we know the difference?
- Exercise – Can you help me put on my socks and tie up my shoelaces?
- What key questions should we think about BEFORE communicating our message?
- What typical assumptions do we make? (Stereotypes)
Module 12 – Eye Contact
Can you deliver the right amount of eye contact? Are you missing an important opportunity or would you offend?
- Exercise – In different situations what is the right amount?
Module 13 – Barriers
Many barriers to communication, noise, space, environment, furniture in the way, how can we create the best environment?
- Exercise – The barrier game! How can we create as many barriers as possible
- Draw all the other barriers to communication – but how do we fix them
Module 14 – The games we play (roles)
In communication situations, we end up playing roles, knowingly or unknowingly of Parent, Adult and Child according to Eric Burne (from his famous book – the games we play). Which role is right at which time?
- Exercise – Create some conversations using different styles:
- Be the parent (critical or supportive)
- Be the adult
- Be the child (selfish or free)
Module 15 – Vision Up!
How good is your memory over what is in the communication process?
- Exercise – Draw out what you remember in the communication process.
Module 16 – Watch it!
Timing and communication can make a big difference. Do you know when the time is right?
- Exercise - Draw your graph of when you are full of energy and when you aren’t. Think about 4 communication situations where timing is important:
When is the right time to communicate information? And, what is the right information to communicate?
Module 17 – Heart – feeling the emotions
How to communicate in difficult situations – calmly and professionally.
- Exercise –
- What difficult people do you come across?
- How do you feel?
- What could you say different to change it/handle it
- What difficult situations do you come across?
- How do you feel?
- What could you say different to change it/handle it
Module 18 – Stomach Churning
Are you a good negotiator and can handle conflict well? Or does it upset you? Are you just a walk over?
- Exercise – Read the Charity donation brief for more information.
Module 19 – Being Assertive
Being assertive is being alive. We end up compromised if we are not able to be assertive enough to express our views in the right way, not just shouting or getting angry. That is not what being assertive is about
- Exercise – Review the statements the trainer will give you and see how you can reply in an assertive way!
Module 20 – Do you need a kick?
Different points of view are interesting. Can you get everyone to agree?
- Exercise – Organise a group meeting to discuss the following and see if you can get everyone to agree:
Module 21 – Be confident – be resilient
Mirror, Mirror on the wall – am I the most confident of them all?
- Exercise – How do you view the following?
- Challenge
- Commitment
- Personal Control