Communications

Improve your ability to effectively communicate your ideas, get your message across and influence others by developing skills in Interpersonal Communications, Negotiation, Presentation Skills, and through all forms of Written Communications.


Advanced Communication Skills

  • Communicating with Data
    • Communicating with Data

      Course Number:
      4-14-JC 
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Intended Audience: Business Analysts, Project Leaders/Managers, System Analysts, Data Analysts

      Course Overview

      An increase in the volume and velocity of data has spurred a need for new techniques to understand and convey its meaning. Storytelling provides a structure for communication.  Data visualizations are graphical means of summarizing and describing data. This course describes various types of visualizations and teaches participants how to link the data they have and the message they want to deliver to the appropriate visualization.

      Objectives/Topics

      As a result of taking this course, you will learn to:
      • Structure a story and decide on compelling and supportive visualizations.
      • Apply a set of data visualization principles that maximize the ability to use numbers to tell a story.
      • Utilize a process to critique and refine visualizations.
      Prerequisites: None

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  • Communication for Future Leaders
    • Communication for Future Leaders

      Course Number: 4-10-KM
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Course Overview

      This course looks at communication as a core skill of leadership effectiveness and teaches that great communication involves both great speaking and great listening. The goal is to learn how to proactively share your messages with others and also how to actively listen to others as they share their messages with you. The most effective communicators seek to understand – not just to be understood. In fact, much of our interpersonal conflict with others can be traced to the fact that we tend to be better speakers than listeners.

      Assessments and Resources Used

      As a result of completing this course, participants will:

      • Learn to be clear as to the intent of their communications.
      • Understand the two parts of every communication.
      • Learn how to select the appropriate channel for different types of messages.
      • Learn to achieve congruence of content, body language, and tone.
      • Learn to manage interference for clear communication.
      • Learn to strengthen presentation performance.
      • Practice multiple levels of listening.
      • Employ reflective listening for effective leadership interactions.
      • Explore the role of listening as it relates to team communications.
      • Learn to identify and remove personal filters that block true understanding.
      • Learn to bolster understanding by applying empathy to conversations.
      • Reduce interpersonal conflict and create more cohesive team relationships.

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  • Effective Telephone Communications
    • Effective Telephone Communications

      Course Number: 4-5-GO
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Intended Audience: All Employees

      Course Overview

      This course provides practical and realistic strategies, methods and techniques for providing effective and efficient service when conducting business over the telephone.

      Objectives

      As a result of taking this course, you will learn to:

      • Utilize practical telephone techniques to provide more effective customer service.
      • Answer phones, screen calls, take complete messages and be professional when conducting business over the telephone.
      • Handle difficult callers to diffuse conflict situations. Leave concise and effective voice mail messages. 

      Prerequisites: None

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  • Executive Story Presence
    • Executive Story Presence

      Course Number:
      4-11-RS 
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Intended Audience: Executives

      Course Overview

      Executive Story Presence helps executives become powerful communicators who command respect and build credibility with their clients.

      Objectives/Topics

      This workshop will give you a first-hand practice with techniques that will help your leaders:

      • Project a higher level of confidence and presence.
      • Understand how to tailor messages to their audience.
      • Use personal stories and metaphors to make their messages stick.
      Prerequisites: None

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  • Meeting Facilitation
    • Meeting Facilitation

      Course Number: 4-1-GO
      Recommended Duration: ½ Day or 1 Day

      Intended Audience: All Employees

      Course Overview

      Helps participants to facilitate meetings and or groups to achieve maximum results.  They will examine how to prepare for, conduct and follow-up from a meeting, energize the group, generate involvement in the agenda and get the group focused on the business of the meeting.

      Objectives

      After taking this course, you will learn to:
      • Effectively plan for, conduct and follow-up from business meetings.
      • Encourage balanced participation.
      • Handle difficult participants. 
      Prerequisites: None
       

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  • Stand and Speak: The Art of Effective, Impromptu Communication
    • Stand and Speak:  The Art of Effective, Impromptu Communication

      Course Number: 4-6-WK
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Intended Audience: All Employees

      Course Overview

      A class utilizing improvisational techniques to increase interpersonal business effectiveness.

      Objectives/Topics

      As a result of taking this course:
      • Participants will learn that they have more options available to them for dealing with situations that arise in the business setting than previously believed.
      Prerequisites: None

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  • Business Presentations - Virtual and Face to Face
    • Business Presentations - Virtual and Face-to-Face

      Course Number: 4-2-TD
      Recommended Duration: 2 Days

      Intended Audience: Individuals and Managers Who Deliver Presentations

      Course Overview

      In this course, participants learn how to address the specific audience needs, structure the information to fit each of their learning styles, and tailor the presentation to specific outcomes. Additionally, participants will learn how to focus their listening skills on the various types of presentations; executive updates, persuasive presentations, status reports, as well as various other forms.

      Objectives

      As a result of taking this course, you will learn to:
      • Identify, gather, and organize the information required to develop an effective presentation – quickly
      • Use appropriate formats (templates) for structuring your presentations
      • Tailor a presentation to the specific needs and learning styles of your audience
      • Transform anxiety into positive, focused energy
      • Use dynamic visual aids to make positive and lasting impact on the audience
      • Deliver a dynamic presentation that achieves the desired business result
      • Guide the audience through the content in a simulated virtual environment
      • Use appropriate gestures, eye contact, and voice inflections to support the content
      • Maintain rapport with the audience when dealing with questions and challenges
      • Analyze presentations and provide actionable feedback/coaching to fellow participants on opportunities for improvement
      Prerequisites: None

      Topics

      • Getting ready
      • Creating the presentation
      • Rehearsing the presentation
      • Delivering an effective presentation

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  • Dancing on the Glass Ceiling - Presentation Skills for Women
  • Impactful Presentations
    • Impactful Presentations

      Course Number: 4-3-GO
      Recommended Duration: 2 Days

      Intended Audience: Those individuals needing to deliver effective presentations.

      Course Overview

      This course enables participants to design and deliver presentations that meet audience needs and deliver desired objectives. Concepts and practice segments will address techniques for small, medium, or larger scale presentations and audience sizes. Participants are encouraged to bring real time topics to the workshop in order to maximize their time and help to prepare for upcoming presentations.

      Objectives

      As a result of taking this course, you will learn to:
      • Deliver effective presentations to a variety of audience types and sizes
      • Utilize either an informative and or persuasive presentation format to craft the message
      • Explain your personal Learning Style and recognize how that impacts both personal presentation style and audience impact
      • Complete an audience analysis to best understand their needs and therefore tailor the message and delivery for impact
      • Select methods of presenting material to appeal to all four learning styles
      • Effectively utilize visual aids and manage logistical requirements
      Prerequisites: None

      Topics

      • Learning styles and their impact on presentations
      • Utilizes Kolb’s learning style instrument
      • Analyzing and appealing to your audience
      • Handling difficult audience members
      • Crafting the message
      • Selecting and utilizing either informative or persuasive format
      • Delivering the message
      • Techniques for various audience sizes and situations
      • Your presentation presence
      • Presenting with confidence and authority
      • Practice presentation skill practice - recorded with live feedback
      • Individual action planning to identify ways to incorporate the new skills and information into the workplace

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  • Presentation Skills
    • Presentation Skills

      Course Number:
      4-4-MS 
      Recommended Duration: 2 Days

      Intended Audience: All Employees

      Course Overview

      Presenting information to a group can be an exciting opportunity to share ideas and information that are important to you. It can also be a significant source of stress if you lack confidence in your ability to plan what to say and how to say it. Many people dread speaking in public, or avoid it altogether, because they are afraid they will say or do something wrong and look silly to people they want to impress. This course helps you gain an understanding of how to prepare a presentation so you can feel comfortable speaking in public and give presentations with confidence.

      Objectives/Topics

      As a result of taking this course, you will learn to:
      • Articulate and apply effective platform presentation skills.
      • Structure and deliver a persuasive presentation.
      • Design and use visual aids to support a presentation.
      • Connect with an audience with credibility.
      Prerequisites: None

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  • Speak for SUCCESS! - The Art of Business Presentations
  • Business Writing Essentials
    • Business Writing Essentials

      Course Number: 4-7-WK
      Recommended Duration: 1 Day

      Intended Audience: Corporate Executives

      Course Overview

      This course is conducted either on-site or online. Along with keeping up with all the many technological advances in today’s workplace, business professionals must also be skilled in the basic ability to communicate their ideas. Effective and concise written documents remain a key ingredient to successful careers. Participants will learn writing skills used by major national and multinational corporations.

      Objectives

      As a result of taking this course, you will learn to:
      • Use fast start-up procedures to organize and plan a written document
      • Employ free writing to stay focused
      • Target specific outcomes that will accomplish desired goals
      • Determine the right tone for the audience
      • Tailor a document to the specific needs of the audience
      • Understand the limitations of spelling and grammar checkers
      • Easily navigate the maze of grammar and punctuation rules
      • Design a document for positive visual impact
      • Identify commonly accepted business document styles
      • Write concisely by clarifying vague words and phrases
      • Use precise language
      • Replace unproductive writing habits with new efficient skills
      • Recognize that business writing is simple and direct
      Prerequisites: None

      Topics

      • Start-up procedures
      • Free writing
      • Outcomes
      • Tone
      • Needs of the audience
      • Spelling and grammar checkers
      • Grammar and punctuation rules
      • Positive visual impact
      • Business document styles
      • Writing concisely
      • Precise language
      • Unproductive writing habits
      • Simple and direct approach

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  • Effective Business Writing
    • Effective Business Writing


      Professionals Course Number: 4-8-WK
      Recommended Duration: 1 month session (approx. 6 hours actual student investment)

      Intended Audience: Corporate Executives  


      Course Overview

      Online business writing class with review by instructor of one student submitted writing sample and one email revision.

      Objectives
      Teach the principles of concise business writing skills from documents to email messages.

       
       

  • Technical Writing for Business Professionals
    • Technical Writing for Business Professionals

      Course Number: 4-9-WV
      Recommended Duration: 2 Days

      Intended Audience: All Employees

      Course Overview

      Many times business professionals (R&D, IT, Operations, and Engineering professionals, and Subject Matter Experts) research and develop processes, procedures, applications, and products only to find that they are not implemented due to lack of effective communication. This class helps students learn to organize their ideas and translate technical terms and themes into cohesive and clear communications. Using technical writing techniques, students will learn to develop easy-to-understand technical documents of various types.

      Objectives

      As a result of taking this course, you will be able to:
      • Categorize your audience
      • Identify the objectives and purpose for your technical documents
      • Recognize various types of technical documents and when to use each one
      • Research, collect, and reuse information
      • Implement technical writing techniques to facilitate creation of different types of effective technical documents
      • Use different writing styles geared to audience need and document purpose
      Prerequisites: None

      Topics

      • Identifying your audience
      • Stating objectives and purpose
      • Recognizing types of technical documents
      • Researching and gathering information
      • Organizing information
      • Writing: Reducing volume without reducing effectiveness
      • Editing, proofreading, and testing documents
      • Organization, formatting, and using layout and design for increased comprehension
      • Producing documents both hardcopy and online

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