"Practicing healthy dialogue helps to develop emotional intelligence; attributes such as awareness, empathy and resilience, the foundations of cooperation, collaboration and engagement. Of getting things done and making things happen..."
Why Does This Workshop Matter?
Why do some people just seem unnecessarily rude? Why do we seem to be arguing with some people even when we are agreeing? How can I break bad news without being seen as the villain?
Communication challenges lie at the heart of many issues in organisations. Lack of clarity in objectives, roles and goals, priorities and requirements — not to mention people butting heads merely because they have different styles — mean delays, cost overruns, stress and anxiety. And stressed people tend to leave, costing even more in the time, resources, training and money to recruit a replacement and bring them up to speed. This workshop aims to address the root causes of these issues.
The other side of the coin is that practicing healthy dialogue helps to develop emotional intelligence; attributes such as awareness, empathy and resilience, the foundations of cooperation, collaboration and engagement. Of getting things done and making things happen.
What Makes This Workshop Unique?
This workshop draws on an exceptional combination of approaches, including NLP, group dynamics, storytelling, non-verbal communication and non-violent communication. Jim's workshops are also known to be highly participative and interactive, engaging, memorable and effective.
Not only has Jim been teaching and coaching communication skills since 2001, he also has years of personal experience leading cross-functional, multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental teams in defence, aerospace and telecoms, and working as a coach and trainer for clients including some of the most prestigious professional services firms in the world. He knows first-hand what it can be like when communication issues raise their head, and the real cost to the business if people don't have the strategies they need to resolve them elegantly and effectively.
This unique combination of resources, style and experience make this workshop a transformational event.
Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is aimed at business professionals in the early and middle stages of their career, including:
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Line Managers wishing to improve the flow of information in their function and between their function and the wider business.
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Team Leaders wishing to improve the performance of their team and connect more effectively with the wider business.
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Team members expected to move into management and wishing to start off on the right foot.
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Members of teams wishing to improve performance by streamlining communication within the team and with the wider business.
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Business professionals wishing to deepen their ability to communicate effectively at all levels in the business, and across the business.
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Client-facing staff who wish to deepen their ability to communicate effectively with clients.
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Supplier-facing staff who wish to deepen their ability to communicate effectively with suppliers.
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Graduate trainees wishing to build s solid foundation of professional skills early in their career.
The workshop can also be adapted and run specifically for senior teams who wish to enhance the communication flow within their team and across the businesses
What Difference Will It Make?
This workshop aims to help minimise avoidable business costs due to productivity issues, workplace stress and anxiety, and staff turnover, caused by interpersonal communication challenges:
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Disconnects and misunderstandings will be fewer as people become more flexible and responsive in their ability to engage with each other, and everyday communication becomes clearer, more purposeful, more transparent and more robust.
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The process of delegation will become more effective and robust as requirements are more clearly agreed, priorities more clearly established and resourcing more clearly managed.
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The quality and timeliness of activities will improve not only due to more robust delegation, but also as a consequence of more focus on mentoring to help ensure things are done right first time, on time, every time.
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Communication challenges will become less personal and no longer risk spiralling out of control as people improve in their ability to handle disagreements, conflicts and difficult situations.
Workshop Content
The workshop content comprises four main topics that dovetail to create a comprehensive approach to the purposeful, productive, healthy communication needed to get things done:
The Foundations of Interpersonal Communication:
Core skills that underpin healthy communication between individuals:
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The true meaning of all communication.
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Behavioural preferences, flexibility and choice.
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Building rapport and developing healthy working relationships.
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The seven levels of connection and how to use them.
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Thinking styles.
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Non-verbal communication and its influence on dialogue.
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Non-violent communication.
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How to stay safe in difficult conversations, whichever side of it you are.
Effective Delegation
Delegation unavoidably falls into two parts: how to delegate, and how to receive delegated activities. If the two don't work hand-in-hand, there will inevitably be problems. There is a good deal ov overlap, of course, but it is important to look from both sides at the potential issues and how to handle them:
— How To Delegate:
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Delegation v 'throwing it over the wall'.
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Delegation and negotiation.
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CRACIE.
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Specifying outcomes and setting expectations.
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Managing progress.
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Dealing with conflicting priorities and resource constraints.
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Feedback.
— How To Receive Delegated Activities:
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The 'handshake'.
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Commander's intent.
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Pushing back.
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Setting expectations.
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Managing progress.
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Dealing with conflicting priorities and resource constraints.
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Completion.
Mentoring:
Delegation can only be successful if both the the person delegating and the person receiving are confident the desired outcome will be delivered right first time, on time, every time. The only way this can happen is when both are confident in what they can expect from the other. And the only way that can happen is when there is a mentoring relationship between the two parties, and not a blind expectation that they are both on the same page:
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Mentoring v Coaching.
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Mentoring v Micromanaging.
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The mentoring relationship and the role of the manager as mentor.
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Inter-departmental mentoring.
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The four stages of mentoring.
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Active listening.
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Giving feedback.
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Stepping away.
Format and Delivery
This is a highly participative, interactive one-day in-person workshop. Participants will be working together in pairs and small groups in exercises designed to give as full an experience as possible of using of the ideas, tools and strategies in practice.
As well as the trainer sharing content, there will be group discussions and time to reflect on how the ideas, tools and strategies can be integrated into their everyday working activities, and the difference they will make.
There will be 15 minute breaks for coffee and tea, and a 1-hour break for lunch.
This workshop can be delivered in-house for clients, and may also be made available as an open (public) workshop.
In-house deliveries can be held in a suitable space on the client's premises, or off site.
What's Included
The workshop includes:
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Workshop handbook.
There is the option for online group integration coaching following the workshop, to help ensure the ideas, tools and strategies are fully embedded into the participants' working lives.
Pricing and Booking
If you would like to run this workshop in-house for your teams, or you have any questions, please contact me on +44(0)20 3397 4407 or [email protected].
If you are interested in open (public) course dates, please let us know or click the button:
"Fun, interesting, unusual..."
"Fun, interesting, unusual - a worthwhile day. I will be taking away a few of these tips at my next meeting!"
CM
Consultant
"Really enjoyable..."
"Inspiring, helpful, easy (once you did it!), challenging (to start with) and useable. Best aspects were learning about body language, how to sound authoritative and how to work with groups. Really enjoyable!"
LP
Consultant
"An illuminating day..."
"Engaging, stimulating, relevant, worthwhile. I have had an illuminating day - and learned how better to approach something I felt intimidating previously."
RP
Consultant
"Should have more workshops like this one..."
"Great insightful information. Should have more workshops like this one. Useful, clever, energetic, challenging."
LP
Consultant
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