Business Communication. Sharpen your communication skills.

In business, relationship management is the key to your success. If you have strong relationship-building skills, you can work cooperatively with colleagues, resolve conflict and create a great impression on your customers.

Find out what it takes to achieve relationship success in this introduction to positive workplace communication. Hear how to build constructive relationship dynamics, actively shape positive conversations, build trust and sort out disagreements collaboratively.

This introductory level communication course is suitable for anyone who wants to contribute positively to a team or build effective client relationships.

Aims

The overall aim of this course is to provide you with a toolkit for shaping positive relationship dynamics. The techniques covered in the program are evidence-based tools from positive psychology.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• create healthy relationship dynamics by boosting the positivity ratio of your interactions
• avoid four behaviours which negatively impact relationships
• take a strategic approach to fostering positive relationships at work
• take an 'active constructive' approach to communicating with your peers and contacts
• build trust by adopting behaviours that boost credibility, reliability and intimacy
• use a four-step process to sort out conflicts, disagreements or difficult situations.

Content

The program is highly interactive, with an emphasis on practical activities and class exercises. You will get hands-on experience using positive communication techniques, in addition to covering key theories relevant to building positive work relationships. Topics you will cover are outlined below.

Building healthy relationship dynamics

Creating positive relationships involves influencing relationship dynamics. In this session, we will:

• explore a model of relationships developed by John Gottman
• discover which behaviours can damage a relationship and how to avoid these
• learn to use three key elements - autonomy, respect and attentiveness - to build a foundation for relationship success
• assess your own behaviours and develop a plan for building positive relationships - even when you don't experience a natural 'click' with someone else.

Taking a constructive approach to relationships

Customers, suppliers and co-workers are all essential for your success and you need to notice and respond positively to their bids for attention. In this session you will:

• learn to deepen connections by using active constructive responding techniques
• track and improve your 'positivity ratio - so you can build and sustain healthy and constructive relationships in a range of professional contexts.

Building trust

What’s the single, most important ingredient in a successful relationship? Social psychologists have shown that it is trust. In this session, you will assess your own ability to build trust, using the trusted advisor model. You will also learn to apply behavioural strategies for increasing credibility, reliability and intimacy in professional relationships – so you are perceived as a trusted advisor or associate.

Improving difficult relationships

Successful relationships are based on collaborative behaviour. When relationships become strained, you need to know how to sort things out. In this session, you will learn to:

• reframe your thinking about ‘difficult people’ so you can set appropriate boundaries
• use a four-step model to focus on the issue, not the person
• uncover and address the issue which is triggering challenging behaviour
• explore the other person’s needs, as well as explaining yours
• use solution-focused questions to sort out problems
• create an agreement so you can move forward after conflict.

Intended audience

This introductory course is suitable for team members, frontline supervisors, customer service professionals and individuals wishing to enhance their relationship–building skills.

Delivery modes

• Face-to-face, presenter-taught workshop
• Online workshop via the platform Zoom

Delivery style

This course is highly interactive and focuses on applying concepts from positive psychology to the task of shaping relationship dynamics. You will get the most from the program if you are:

• willing to contribute to group discussions about your real-life experience
• confident communicating verbally in small groups
• comfortable participating in role-play style activities.

You’ll learn through a variety of methods including:

• mini–lectures
• video presentations
• Q & A sessions
• demonstrations by the trainer
• practical group activities
• individual planning activities.