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SAY IT! HEAR IT!
The Power of Effective Communication

Workshop

To see a sample of the workshop, click here.

Program Summary

No matter what your life circumstance, the ability to interact effectively with others can have a major impact on your job performance and on the quality of your relationships. 

In today’s high-stress, fast-paced world, it is more difficult than ever to take the time to be a good communicator. Simply hearing someone else is not enough; neither is just talking and assuming others immediately understand what you are telling them. The truth is, old habits are hard to break, and if your communication habits are as unskilled as most people’s are, then there’s a lot of habit-breaking to do! 

In this communication workshop, your participants will learn simple, yet powerful techniques that can immediately enhance their ability to positively connect with others through clear speaking and active listening.

Course Contents

This 3 hour workshop has 10 interactive exercises/activities and is a perfect addition to the other Ensuring Life Harmony – Resolving Conflict and Creating Positive Change products. The information in this three hour workshop compliments, but does not duplicate the products in the suite.

The Say It! Hear It! The Power of Communication workshop covers these topics:

Part I – Communication:

  • Introduction to Communication
    • Beginning to work with the concept of communication.
    • The component begins with an exercise entitled, "What did you say?" This exercise how tricky communication can be, and how easy it is for confusion to creep into our communication efforts.
  • What’s Driving Communication?
    • What is it that we are really looking for when we communicate with each other?
    • This component includes an activity entitled “The Reason We Communicate” where participants explore the one key desire driving our communication with others - to connect. 
  • The Difficulty in Connecting
    • What gets in the way of us connecting with one another?
    • This component includes an activity entitled "Follow My Instructions” where participants explore the difficulty inherent in trying to connect with someone else through only verbal channels of communication.
  • Developing Non-Verbal Awareness
    • We don’t communicate through words alone; what else is in play?
    • This component includes an exercise entitled “Can’t Speak!” where participants explore the difficulty inherent in trying to communicate with someone else through only non-verbal channels of communication.
  • Communicating for Effectiveness
    • Defining what’s essential in all communication interactions.
    • The component includes an exercise entitled "Positive & Negative”  where participants identify examples of positive and negative contributors to communication.  

Part II – Listening:

  • The Art of Listening
    • What makes someone a successful listener?
    • This component includes an exercise entitled “Mini Lecture & Teaching One Another” where the participants demonstrate their ability to listen and then teach what they learned to someone else in the workshop, thus practice both speaking and listening.
  • Paraphrasing: Active Listening in Action
    • How does paraphrasing work and what makes it so powerful?
    • This component includes an activity entitled “What I Heard You Say Is…” where participants will learn and practicing the important active listening skill of ‘paraphrasing.’
  • Effective Use of Questioning
    • Why are questions so important to communication, and what types of questions further communication?
    • This component includes an activity entitled “Keeping Conversations Alive" where participants learn the difference between close-ended questions and open-ended questions and when best to use each.
    • It also includes an activity entitled “The Most Important Idea” where participants develop clarifying questions they would use in a specific conversation.
  • Course Review/Application
    • What in this workshop do I want to take and apply in my life?
    • This component includes an activity entitled “Tying it all Together” where participants integrate what they have learned from each topic and practice using all the skills at once.
    • It also includes a final activity entitled “Four-Square Feedback” where participants reflect on what they have learned and then write about their learnings and how they will apply it to their life going forward.

Learning Outcome

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to communicate effectively with others using both verbal and nonverbal communication skills. They will also be able to enhance their listening skills to avoid misunderstandings. Such improvement in skills will support participants in building collaborative relationships through communication that emphasize mutual trust and respect.

Workshop Benefits

Communication skills are an essential element for every person. Participants in this workshop will gain the awareness of what it takes to initiate and respond successfully in their conversations with others.

The benefits of this workshop include:

  • Recognizing what makes for successful communication.

  • Strengthening relationships in all aspects of life by avoiding communication misunderstandings.

  • Paying attention to verbal and nonverbal cues.

  • Matching body language to the spoken message being delivered.

  • Identifying internal and external factors that impact communication.

  • Listening to the entire message being conveyed.

 

To see a sample of the workshop, click here.