Communication Skills workshop

2009
Agenda

Day 1: Influencing Skills (understanding your audience,
preferred communication styles, etc.)

Day 2: Active Listening / Feedback (includes non-verbal
communication)

Day 3: Delivering your message with impact
AIM
To help you communicate more effectively at work

Objectives
Recognise your own preferred influencing and communication
style

Learn how to adapt your style and communication method to suit
your aim, your message and your audience needs

Chair and or participate at formal and informal meetings more
effectively

Articulate your message using clear, concise language

Use feedback to enhance communication
Day 1: Influencing Skills (understanding your
audience, preferred communication styles, etc.)
The art of persuasion
Influencing is about persuading.
Communication is about
persuasion, persuading the other
person or persons to take action
WIFM
Determining the 7 levels of audience!
Openly or actively unfriendly

Unfriendly

Neutral

Undecided

Uninformed

Supportive

Openly or actively supportive
Influencing
Influencing in any situation is about turning

Not sure or No
Into a
Yes
The Four Communication Styles


Style 1

WHAT
Results
Objectives
Achieving
Doing

15

Drivers (ACTION)
Style 2

HOW
Strategies
Organization
Facts


5
PROCESS (PR)

Analysers (IDEA)

WHY
Concepts
Theories
Innovation

11
Style 4

Supporters (PEOPLE)

WHO
Communication
Relationships
Teamwork

8
Style 3

The Four Communication Styles
Recognising your preferred influencing & communication style


Influencing Types

Analysers
Drivers
Supporters
Visionaries

Influencing styles
Analysers
Like facts and figures
Analyse thoroughly before making a decision
Dot the Is and cross the Ts syndrome
Critical, cautious and compliant
Drivers
Results orientated
Task driven
Not detail led
Strong willed, make decisions quickly and dominant

Influencing styles
Supporters
People orientated
Relationships are very important
The harmony of the group is often seen as more important than the task or
debate
Conforming and loyal
Visionaries
See the big picture helicopter view
Creative
Strong values and opinions on the bigger things
Good at seeing alternative ways of doing things which can get in the way of
making a decision
Flexible and spontaneous, motivated.

Day 2: Active Listening / Feedback
(includes non-verbal communication)
Interpersonal Skills

Listening

Questioning

Giving feedback

Language patterns

Non-verbal behaviour
Active Listening
Setting aside ones critical faculties and participating in
the views, ideas and feelings of another
Do not..
Be thinking up replies or counter arguments before someone has
made their point

Interrupt unnecessarily

React emotively

Reject the content because the delivery is poor

Succumb to distractions
Questioning techniques
Open vs closed.

Paraphrasing

Summarising

Reflecting

Probing
Ask a question, listen to the answer, question the answer

Feedback
Feedback is the breakfast of champions

Situation
Behaviour
Impact
Feedback
Situation detail the facts and evidence
Behaviour describe what it looked like
Impact describe what it was like and what
the consequences were, both positive and
negative

Feedback needs to:
Be timely
Be given in private
Be specific
Have the positive and negative impact highlighted
Have improvements suggested

Non verbal communication
Arthur Mehrabian..

What about crossing your arms??
Non-Verbal behaviour

Matching & Mirroring

Body Movement/Posture

Energy Levels

Mismatching

Day 3: Delivering your message with impact
Types of messages
Different communication options

The benefits of matching the communication channel to the
message!
Delivering your message with impact - content
Structured

Interesting

Relevant

Timely

Visuals

Rehearsed!
Making an impact at meetings

Types of Meetings
Intervention Strategies
Where to Sit
Voice Skills
Nerves & Tension
Eye Contact
After the Meeting