Course Outline
Day 1
INTRODUCTION
- Background context
- Defining roles
- The importance of soft skills
- Perception, numerical literacy, and human nature
- Financials, metrics, and market dynamics
1. COMMUNICATION – PARADOX, PURPOSE, AND INTENTION
- The goals and intent behind communication
- Education
- Information sharing
- Persuasion
- Key takeaways
2. UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE
- Identifying your listeners
- Perspectives, frameworks, and mental models
- Navigating jargon and diverse groups
- Geographic and national contexts
- Levels of abstraction
3. COMMUNICATION METHODS AND TOOLS
- Available tools
- Screen-based writing and summarization
- The power of the rule of three
- Using examples and analogies
4. THE POWER OF STORYTELLING
- Storytelling instincts and their universality
- Applying narratives in a professional setting
- Structuring a compelling story
- The role of non-verbal cues
- The lasting impact of well-told stories
Day 2
5. PRESENTING DATA AND INFORMATION
- Distinguishing data from information
- Determining the appropriate level of detail
- Sourcing credible data
- Visualizing data and insights
6. INTERPRETING DATA
- Addressing confirmation bias
- Clarifying communication intent
- Assessing communication status
7. GIVING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK
- Established feedback frameworks
- Situation, behaviour, and impact (SBI) model
- The Sandwich feedback model
- Pendleton feedback model
- Situation, task, action, and result (STAR) model
- SAID feedback model
- Strategies for soliciting high-quality feedback
- Practicing active listening
- Techniques for delivering effective feedback
- Providing constructive criticism
- Key conclusions
Day 3
8. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLABORATION
- The benefits of working together
- Defining true collaboration
- Fostering a collaborative culture
- Summary of key points
9. COLLABORATION TOOLS
- Popular collaboration platforms and suites
- MS SharePoint
- Google Workspace
- Atlassian
- Kahootz
- HighQ
- Criteria for selecting the right collaboration tool
10. ASSESSING YOUR COLLABORATION SKILLS
- The Johari window model
- The value of conciseness
- Developing assertiveness
- Foundational assertion techniques
- Employing empathic assertion
- Using consequence-based assertion
- The discrepancy technique
- The repetition technique
- The fogging technique
11. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN TEAMWORK
- Cultivating self-awareness
- Mastering self-management
- Enhancing social awareness
- Improving relationship management
12. BUILDING PERSONAL BRAND
- Managing disclosure and intent
- Developing your personal brand strategy
- Step 1: Define your objectives
- Step 2: Align with broader goals
- Step 3: Identify your audience and purpose
- Step 4: Engage effectively
- Defining brand characteristics
13. CULTIVATING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
- The origins of Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
- Embracing a 'can-do' mindset and faith
- Strategies for sustaining a positive outlook
- Embodying refined positivity
- Final thoughts
14. EFFECTIVE NETWORKING
15. RECAP AND FINAL CONCLUSIONS
Requirements
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
No specific prerequisites are required for participation; however, having some professional experience in any discipline is beneficial.
Target Audience
This course is typically suitable for professionals with a few years of experience, though its universal principles can be applied across most industries. It is particularly valuable for specialists who frequently need to explain complex or niche concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Testimonials (3)
Managing difficult conversations
Kgaogelo Ratau - City Lodge Hotels
Course - Effective Communication in the Workplace
Meeting efficiency is something that's fairly "basic", but not thought about a lot and with really large implications on people/company time. Understanding these best practices and keeping them top-of-mind will be of immediate help.
Dan Moffatt - Chris Courtemanche
Course - Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings
interaction and discussion with each other in different groups, together with some games.
