Training
Communication and Influencing Skills Training
Successful communication and influencing skills help to improve organisational and personal performance by building trust, better relationships and providing clarity and direction. On the flip side poor communication can have significant negative and demotivational effects.
Communication and influencing skills are complementary disciplines that can be used to good effect in a variety of functions including the delivery of organisational vision and strategy, team motivation, project management, negotiation and sales, personnel interviewing and selection and so on.
Influencing Skills Training Objectives
This course aims to provide participants with a clear understanding of:
- The different type of communication styles and the process of communication
- How to present oneself for successful communication
- Understanding how to read and manage behavioural cues
- The theories of influence and persuasion
METHODOLOGY
The course will enable participants to develop their communication and influencing skills through a combination of trainer led instruction, facilitated discussion and practical exercises.
COURSE CONTENT
Understanding the process of communication
An introduction to the seven C’s of communication; For effective communication the message has to be clear, correct, complete, concrete, concise, considerate, and courteous.
Emotional intelligence
The ability to understand, manage and use one’s own emotions effectively to communicate. This will introduce Daniel Goleman’s five elements of emotional intelligence.
Different types of communication style
Providing an introduction to non-verbal and verbal communication and the four basic communication styles; passive, aggressive, passive -aggressive and assertive.
Adjusting communication style
Looking at the principle of adjusting communication style according to circumstances and the audience
Non-verbal communications and behavioural cues
Providing a more detailed look at the behavioural indicators or cues that people display under elevated stress and the impact of these on communication. This will cover the human communication channels of facial, the autonomic nervous system, body channels, voice, interactional style and content.
The use of voice and tone to aid effective communication
Looking at how tone of voice can affect the quality of communication both written and verbal, and the potential negative impact of getting tone or the perception of wrong .
Understanding the audience (individual or group)
To effectively communicate is to understand the audience, the context and the environment. This session will cover audience centered communication.
Effective listening
The importance of effectively absorbing information and demonstrating listening and interest, and the negative impact of not doing so.
Types of cognitive bias
Understanding personal bias and how biases affect us is an important factor in achieving successful communication. This session explores cognitive bias including; anchoring, confirmation, choice supporting, survivorship, information, ostrich effect, selective perception and blind-spot bias.
The influencing factors
Introducing the six principles of influence as described by Robert Cialdini: reciprocity, liking and being likeable, empathy, authority, scarcity, commitment and consistency.
Motivational approaches
How effective communication can be used to motivate and inspire individuals or teams. The session will introduce the importance of articulating vision or purpose, providing effective and constructive feedback and rewards.
Rapport building and approach
Rapport building is a major part of effective communication and commences from the first encounter, which could be initial contact on the phone or the first physical meeting and will continue throughout encounter and into future relationships. This session will cover the importance of rapport building from personal contact, type of attire, physical location, and cultural or gender related factors.
Managing conflict
This session will introduce successful models to manage conflict including; avoiding, defeating, compromising, accommodating and collaborating. It will also look at the symptoms of conflict; drop in motivation, changes in behaviour, loss of productivity and employee absence.
Establishing the Facts: Investigative Interviewing and Interpreting Behavioural Indicators.
There are several situations where investigative interviews may be required. Too often, these interviews are conducted without professional training or following a specific methodology, and the risk (and cost) of getting it wrong can be significant.
Our NEW “Lunch and Learn” workshop introducing an investigative interviewing framework is now available for booking.
The 90-minute workshop covers:
- How to create an interview methodology based upon specific objectives
- Behavioural indicators or cues that people display under stress and how to identify them
- How to correctly interpret behavioural indicators that expedite the discovery phase during an interview
- How to clarify and challenge inconsistencies to obtain and accurate account of the facts
- How to summarise or record the interview for compliance purposes
By undertaking an expeditious investigation with the correct interviewing techniques, you install confidence in your processes and people, and protect trust within and outside your organisation.
The workshop can accommodate up to 15 attendees and can be delivered at your location by one of our highly experienced investigative interviewers.
The workshop is suitable for all personnel working within legal and compliance areas or who have an investigative role.