Building Better Work Relationships: New Techniques for Results-Oriented Communication

Introduction

We have all heard the phrase, “It’s not what you say but how you say it that counts.” But how many people really know what that means? In this seminar, you will discover the importance of effective communication and how to be sure that the message you are sending out is what you really want to communicate. You will become more of a “conscious” communicator – one who knows exactly what you want to say every time you communicate…. as well as knowing the impact your message has on the listener.

After only five days, you will enhance your ability to truly understand other people – to empathize with them, relate to them and influence them. You will become a model communicator, an effective listener, motivator who influences others, and be able to assess your communication competencies.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for all managers, supervisors, and leaders who want to communicate more effectively and with more confidence. It is for all individuals who need to maintain productive working relationships with their bosses, colleagues, and direct reports. The course is especially beneficial to those managers and leaders who want to advance in their organizations by learning the “people” skills necessary to succeed at higher levels.

Aims and Objectives

• Develop flexibility in actions, thoughts, and feelings to better handle any situation
• Enhance your ability to understand another person – whether he or she is from the same department or not
• Identify and avoid communication mistakes such as misinterpreting others
• Become an active listener by letting the other person know that they are being listened to
• Determine when your behavior is congruent with your verbal messages
• Learn how to build rapport and trust with others
• Work on ways to change other people’s perception of you
• Find out if the messages you are sending are really the ones you want to send
• Create ways for you and your team to be motivated
• Be able to communicate using different styles

Seminar Outline

Day 1 and 2

Active Listening and Effective Communication

• Why listening is such a difficult skill
• Internal and external noise factors
• Different styles of listening: comprehensive, fact finding, directive, empathetic, appreciative
• The eleven habits of highly effective listeners
• The active listening responses: maintaining congruence, self-disclosure, clarifying, acknowledging
• Nonverbal communication and body language
• Communicating with diverse cultural backgrounds

Day 3

Essential Attitudes and Attributes for Successful Managers and Leaders

• Avoiding the one thing not to do as a manager
• The benefits and downfalls of a directive/controlling management style
• Determining your managerial style and how to recalibrate it
• Developing a proper attitude toward managing and working with others
• Examine the expectations of both upper management and your employees
• Troubleshoot various difficult situations that managers face
• Defining your own managerial and leadership philosophy

Day 4

High Octane Motivation

• Analyze what actually motivates employees – rather than what managers often presume motivates
• Utilize a Professional Preference Questionnaire to determine what motivates you and members of your workgroup
• Explore the seven motives and needs of anyone in the workplace
• Determine how to make your employees motivated through positive versus negative reinforcement
• Consider when it is necessary to reward your employees – and how to do this to raise their motivation
• See how delegating and developing are tools of motivation
• Avoid rewarding poor performance and punishing excellent performance

Day 5

Managing perceptions and assumptions and being a team player in order to build better working relationships

• Perception and assumptions and communicating with others
• How to check to make sure you are not misperceiving others
• Your own self concept and successfully managing others
• The communication needs of teams
• Eight steps to productive leadership of teams
• Being able to make consensus decision with your team members
• Course summary, application, evaluation and action planning