Course Talk: Jon Britain demonstrates the benefits of improving communication in the workplace...
Last week I attended the first presentation of our brand new training course, Communication Skills in the Workplace. The course was delivered by Jon Britain, a Chartered Manager with 25 years of experience as a Learning & Development professional. Jon has worked in many sectors across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.
Who attended the training?
The presentation was delivered at our regular London venue in New Broad Street, close to the heart of the city. There were numerous delegates from a variety of sectors including housing, event management, construction, education, catering and manufacturing. There was also a dynamic mix of job roles including credit control, finance, HR, engineering, account management and company secretaries.
How was the training delivered?
The course used a variety of training techniques, but the demonstration of the principles discussed was through active learning; activities, working in pairs or groups, working with props, writing on post-its/flipcharts, using printed cards and so on. This meant it was a busy day for people attending but that they were fully engaged throughout. This helped to create a relaxed and friendly training experience with plenty of humour and laughter during the day.
One example of this was the use of sets of dominoes which were given to participants divided into groups with one person describing a formation that only they could see and the others trying to precisely recreate the pattern. This is easier said than done and demonstrated the importance of precision and accuracy when communicating instructions to colleagues or customers.
Other interactive and group activities helped Jon to clearly demonstrate the principles of active listening, the importance of questioning and the power of empathy. This is also a powerful way to demonstrate contrasting communication methods, such as written, verbal and non-verbal.
Finally, Jon brought the day to a close by reflecting on the lessons learned and, in particular, what people had learned about themselves and their own communication styles and preferences. He encouraged those attending to complete the Personal Action Plan at the back of the course book, which would enable them to put their learning into practice when they return to the workplace.
What did delegates say?
The feedback for this first presentation was excellent and there were some glowing comments from attendees. The day concluded with a round of applause for Jon as delegates showed their appreciation for a thoroughly enjoyable day.
One person wrote on their feedback form:
"An excellent communication course with lots of things to put into practice, for example the tips and techniques on using empathy more effectively. Jon was very knowledgeable and I enjoyed the interactive participation very much."
In conclusion, the course demonstrated how errors in communication can lead to costly, and sometimes dangerous, mistakes. However, with the use of simple techniques and a sense of self-awareness of your communication prowess it is possible to be an effective and influential communicator.
If you want to improve the way you communicate with others and develop a highly efficient style of communication, which will in turn improve your performance then book your place on our next presentation of this course in London in November – see here for more details.
Written by Paul Murphy
Connect with me on Linkedin here
Follow UK Training on Linkedin here
http://www.uktraining.eu/news-article/course-talk-jon-britain-demonstrates-the-benefits-of-improving-communication-in-the-workplace/159?type%5B%5D=ondemand