Communication Skills Workshops

Communicating with Emotional Intelligence

Workshop Overview

At work we need the skills to be able to say what we think, ask for what we need, give feedback, deal with disagreements and set expectations, in a way that is respectful and kind. This can be problematic for many and can lead to people feeling frustrated, not in control, unable to get what they need and to build effective relationships. This workshop can help break this cycle.

To do this people need to build a deeper awareness of how they and others think, the emotional responses that reduce effective communication and heighten conflict and how communication is the vehicle of emotional intelligence. This set of skills, as well as building your assertiveness skills, will also help in dealing with conflict, managing relationships, influencing, negotiating and building emotional intelligence.

Workshop Outcomes

Understand that communication is the vehicle for sharing our emotional world and learning about others.
Learn assertiveness and responsive skills; saying what you think, backing up your views with reasons, voicing feelings when appropriate, giving incentives, setting expectations, actively listening, asking open questions, and building common ground.
Understand the impact of the flight and fight response on our communication
Understand the beliefs and assumptions that hold you back from being assertive and communicating well.
Understand how our experiences, beliefs and assumptions influence our communication.
Learn how to disagree well, have difficult conversations and deal with conflict with aplomb and so create powerful relationships at work.

Further Details

This workshop is for all employees though essential for leaders.
Day workshop (can be tailored to half day or hour sessions)

Relationships at Work

How to Manage Relationships at Work with Emotional Intelligence

Workshop Overview

Managing relationships is key to our success in the workplace and our mental and emotional health. Research show that poor relationships impact significantly on people’s stress and happiness. However they are often fraught and mixed up with the emotional and relationship baggage we all bring to work. Without this understanding it is hard to for leaders to manage well and get the most of our their people and for all to create collaborative and effective working relationships with all.

Workshop Outcomes

Understand how past experiences shape our interactions in the present.
Understand the impact family relationships mould our relationship styles at work.
Understand the sponge effect and how we soak up or project emotions.
Develop techniques for building relationships, understanding behavior of others and how to get the best out of people.
Understand differences in the way people work and communicate and therefore how to influence them.
How authentic connections, a non judgemental approach and care can build deep relationships.
How to hold boundaries with support and respect.

Further Details

This workshop is for all employees
Day workshop (can be tailored to half day or hour sessions)

Conflict and Differences

Managing Conflict and Differences

Workshop Overview

Managing conflict is a key skill needed to work effectively with others, as differences of opinion are an inevitable part of all human relationships. However, we struggle to do so and often either withdraw or do not say anything.

To make it even harder we are not equipped with the communications skills to deal with conflict as often our conversation is littered with our judgements, beliefs and ways of seeing the world. When we become upset or cross we find it even more challenging to deal with disagreements as our rationale brain switches off and we are more prone to the above. We need to learn tools and techniques so we can have more productive conversations and bring up difficult subjects or feelings in a constructive way. The results can be dramatic for you and your working relationships.

In this workshop we start by working out why we find disagreements, communicating bad news, asking for the things that we want or giving feedback so challenging. We explore what conflict brings up for us based on our personal histories and strategies that we have learnt to deal with it that can often be unhelpful. We look at a useful model to help you have difficult conversations and introduce a set of preparation questions to ensure you get the best out of these interactions.

Workshop Outcomes

Understand our emotional responses to conflict and differences.
Explore our personal histories of conflict and our coping strategies.
Learn how to have open and honest conversations that build effective relationships.
Improve communication skills in asking open questions, listening effectively, empathising, explaining the reasons behind your thinking, and finding the best option for all.
Reduce conflict and disagreement.
Increase your ability to influence and work well with others.