Effective Communication Skills

Half or full day | Online or in person

Whether you're a manager, working on a front desk, hidden away in an office or have a job that gets you out and about, almost everyone needs to communicate with others. This course is aimed at everyone to help them explore how to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, suppliers and even friends. It explores how we build relationships based on mutual understanding and get the best outcomes out of conversations, whatever our role, in or out of work.

Even if you consider yourself a natural, effective communication relies on awareness of others and taking into account their perceptions and reactions. This course explores not only how you can communicate your thoughts to others, but also how to understand their behaviour to ensure they are effectively communicating back.

What's Covered

The half day version of this course explores the following topics to varying extents:

  • What communication is: the components of communication and what makes someone good at it
  • The language of communication: choosing our words and exploring questioning techniques
  • Body language: how it can affect face to face communication
  • Understanding others: the power of listening, considering the perceptions of others, and exploring empathy
  • Comminucation at work: Keeping control, being aware of jargon
  • Other media: Telephone, email and social media; how they can limit (or enhance) communication
  • Tips and tricks: How to never say no, how to get your way

The full day version goes into more detail on these topics, with more group activities. It also adds in some material on the following areas:

  • Conflict in communication: being aware of emotions and navigating confrontations constructively
  • After the conversation: Reflecting on interactions, and recognising the value of feedback
  • Personal awareness: a chance to explore our own past experiences with others

This course is intended to be very interactive and driven by discussion, and all attendees will be encouraged to actively engage throughout the session. The format is intended to be informal to foster natural conversation, as befitting the theme of the course.
All course content can be adjusted for you or your organisation. The course descriptions offer an overview of topics and do not represent an exact format or structure. If you need us to focus on a particular area or would like is to include something we don't mention, just let us know and we'll do our best to make it work for you!