Effective Business Communication

In today’s complex and competitive business world, effective communication is the foundation on which companies and careers are built.  Have you every noticed that some people seem to be able to say the right thing, "all the time." They have that special ability to move through stressful discussions with ease and make friends easily.

"Effective Business Communication" is the ideal program for those needing to improve their business communication skills and who want to create win-win situations in their lives.  Whether the audience is an entire organization or a single individual, effective communication requires bringing together different point-of-views and relaying that information without losing clarity or focus. Whether it’s a face-to-face conversation or an email exchange, a meaningful message entails establishing a connection that leaves a powerful impression.

Training Goals
Communication is the foundation for everything we do in the workplace. It happens every day, all the time. It follows, then, that communication problems can have a devastating role in undermining our organizational success. And yet, most employees never receive training in the development of their communication skills. Even more importantly, employees aren’t provided with the knowledge and skills to help them avoid the frequent communication problems that arise. The GOOD news is that the most common communication potholes in the road can be easily spotted and AVOIDED and we show you how.

Training Design Overview
This workshop provides a structured training design to support a fast-paced 3.5 hour workshop to improve your team’s business communication skills.

Learning Points
This workshop addresses the following learning points.

• Communication Quiz
  This quiz shows you how effectively you communicate in a day-to-day business context.  The object is solely self-inventory.
• Statistics and Research
  We review scientific studies and research that break down the components of communication.    
• Miscommunication Story
  A story or exercise will be included in this section as an example of how miscommunication can easily happen.  Participants share their stories, which we revisit at the conclusion of the training session and ask them how they would revise them.
• The Essentials of Nonverbal Communication
  The business communicator that ignores body language and quality of voice as a communication tool is opting to create miscommunication.  Here we help the participants think about, and hone their nonverbal communication. 
• The Quality of Your Voice
  Just like tall people tend to command more authority than shorter people, those with deep voices are generally perceived as more persuasive than those whose voices are relatively high pitched.  This is true for women as well as men.  During this section we examine: tone of voice, pitch and delivery.   (Exercise)
• Building Your Basic Vocabulary
  We examine the words we need to use to quickly create rapport; words that mean inclusion, cooperation and alliance.  Negative words, phrases and limiting words are reviewed to help us steer clear of then. 
• Is Your Message Clear
  Speakers often are not clear themselves about what they mean, which almost assures that what they say will be unclear as well. Even when people know what they mean, they often do not say it as clearly as they should. They may hide their true feelings or ideas intentionally or unintentionally. Either way, people often get confused about other people's messages. This is especially common when people from different cultures try to communicate. Even if their language is the same, culture acts like a lens through which we see and interpret the world. If the cultures are different, it is easy for the same statement to mean one thing to one person and something different to someone else. Therefore, intercultural communication is especially prone to errors.  In this section we review the questioning techniques we can use to ensure we are sending a clear message – all the time.  (Exercise)
• Know the Conversational Boundaries
  Your ability to carry a conversation is crucial in building relationships with fellow employees, but boundaries must exist.  The border separating professional and personal relationships isn't easy to patrol, especially at smaller, informal offices. But conversational boundaries help to determine the reputation of an employee and staff. Simply put, boundaries preserve integrity. Here we examine some of the boundaries we should have in an office environment.
• Is Anyone Listening?
  Listeners also are sources of communication problems. People often fail to listen carefully. They may assume they know what the other person is saying or will say (because they have heard it before, or they assume that one person is "just like" another person from the same group). Also, when people are in conflict, they often concentrate more on what they are going to say in response to their opponent's statement, rather than listening to their opponents' words with full attention. The result, again, is misunderstandings, and often unnecessary escalation of a conflict.  Here we learn “how to” listen effectively.  (Optional: Online Listening Assessment)
• Summary: Principles of How to Make Friends – The Golden Book
  A quick review of “The Golden Book” by Dale Carnegie and we revisit the stories provided by the participants at the beginning of the training program.  We now apply our new communication techniques to the stories. 
• Close the Session
  Participants share what they will do to improve their communication and listening skills.  They will commit to a participating partner, their short and long term goals and make themselves accountable to change.

Benefits and results: The participants will:

• Understand their personal communication style and habits.
• Recognize that clear commllunicat is largely under their control.
• Undersatnd the role of nonverbal communication in the message they are sending.
• Know their conversational limists.
• Know the importance of tonality and its effects in the message they send
• Learn questioning techniques to ensure they are sending and receiving the right message.
• Appreciate the role of listening and its effect in building effective communication.
• Recognize the importance of emphatic listening.
• Be aware of the importance of communicating clearly.
• Assertiveness skills to increase your effectiveness
• Eliminating the nonverbal messages that sabotage your professionalism
  
• Negotiation strategies to help you get what you want
  
• Time management solutions to help you accomplish more
• Using the 80/20 rule
  
• Organizing your work area to improve your effectiveness
  
• Setting self-imposed deadlines
  
• Project management tips you can use everyday
  
• Setting your goals and priorities
  
• How to handle interruptions
  
• The importance of listening skills
  
• Setting your intentions before you begin your work day
  
• Tactfully dealing with the drop-in visitor
  
• Handling work requirement when saying “No” is not an option
  
• Working with multiple bosses
  
• Learn how to delegate – even when you think there is no one to help
  
• Creating a team environment
  
• Identify the most common causes of stress 
• How to avoid job burnout   
• Reduce stress by practicing simple exercises you can do at work