Communication Training
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Why communication training is important
Communication training is a funny one. Ask an employer what they want in an employee, and effective communication is often near the top of the list. It’s widely accepted as a skill that is key to a productive workplace. And yet so many organisations seem happy to “live with” bad communication habits, such as:
- Copying people on emails “just in case”, so important messages get lost in the clutter.
- Using phones or laptops to catch up on work whilst sitting in a meeting.
- Adopting non-committal language to avoid responsibility for action.
- Avoiding important conversations and failing to communicate at all.
Poor communication habits have the potential to disrupt performance. They undermine the stability of teams. They erode trust in leaders and managers.
Our approach
We deliver communication training that challenges people to rethink how they connect with each other. Breaking down the perceived barriers that prevent open and honest communication.
Our workshops allow you to bring current organisation challenges into a safe space. We select the most appropriate communication tools, techniques and models for your organisation. Together, we reframe challenges as purposeful conversations, leading to better communication, stronger teams, improved performance and more effective leadership.
Coaching plays a key role in our approach to communication training. It allows us to explore personal challenges and help you gain a better understanding of your communication styles.
Some examples of what we do
We don’t do ‘off the shelf’ courses. To give you a flavour of what we’re about, here are some examples of the kinds of communication training that we develop:
The language of performance
This works as a half-day or full-day session. It is designed to help teams or managers who want to improve productivity. Often, this is linked to setting clear tasks and conversations about performance or behaviours. We look at: purposeful conversations, great questions that unlock potential, effective listening techniques, the purpose of feedback, how to give and receive feedback effectively, and conversations that lead to accountability.
It’s just a word mate!
This is a half-day session that has proved quite popular. It goes down well with teams who work in construction or manufacturing – the kinds of environments where the language can get colourful. We explore the impact of words on emotions, how emotions interfere with effective communication and the impact it has on performance. We talk about weasel words, negative language and show how you can use words to make communication positive.
Presentation skills
A day-long session aimed at improving confidence when making business presentations. These sessions tend to cover: planning to communicate, getting your message across, communicating with visual impact, speaking with confidence and handling the audience. We also share tips for getting the most out of PowerPoint. We have also run this training as a two-day event, providing plenty of opportunity for you to gain practical experience of delivering presentations.
Communication with a focus on English
We have over 25 years’ experience supporting non-native speakers of English and have developed a range of sessions to enhance their skills in the workplace. Improving how you use the kind of English that isn’t taught at school or college. Our courses with a focus on English are ideal if you:
- Are a non-native speaker of English who uses your English most of the time. Often, at a very high level.
- Need language to help you get the best out of an international team.
Examples of the types of things we do include:
Dealing with Small Talk
Several cultures just don’t use small talk the way we do in England. It can cause barriers to getting on in the workplace. This session explores: why we use small talk, how to use it and some of the weird and wonderful phrases that we use to express ourselves.
The language of presentations
Similar to our Presentation Skills session but placing an emphasis on developing language. This can often include areas such as: development of pronunciation, slowing down speech and using appropriate terminology.
Not sure if your employees have a language need? Let us have your number and we’ll drop you a line. Let’s talk.