Business programmes > Improving communication in organisations

Difficult Conversations Training

What is this about?

Avoiding difficult conversations regarding behaviour and performance in organisations can lead to workplace stress, inefficient working practices, poor staff morale and ongoing performance related issues that become harder to face and tackle the longer they go on.

This popular and innovative training programme offers your managers the essential, practical communication tools, useful structured frameworks and techniques to have these difficult conversations early on, before lack of productivity and focus become an organisational nightmare.

What delegates will learn

• Increase managers confidence to tackle difficult subject areas with staff
• Practical tools and techniques to help structure a conversation, and how to deal with negativity and poor behaviour should the conversation go awry
• How to use positive language to be clear what is OK and not OK at work
• How to keep staff 'on side' whilst having difficult conversations
• How and what to properly prepare for difficult conversations
• How to ensure follow up on action plans

How this will help your organisation

• Managers equipped properly to face tough performance related discussions with staff
• Increase in effective managerial communication skills
• A structured way of approaching performance review discussions that encourages respect and willingness to have difficult, yet vital conversations
• Potential reduction in time and money in formal performance measures
• Potential increased efficiency and work place morale

Programme details and length

There are half and full day options for this programme according to your organisational needs. Particular organisational or team bad habits can be addressed sensitively as part of that flexible approach.

The half day programme covers essential communication structures and techniques and tools. The full day programme covers these more in depth, and also works on the manager's resilience in delivering vital messages and holding people to account.

Leadership coaching on a one to one, or peer group basis also works very well with this programme to embed learning into practice in a positive and supportive way. Please contact Christine to discuss your needs and a provisional quote.

Influence and Negotiation Training

What is this about?

As different public sector organisations merge, and other NHS and public sector structures are reviewed and reorganised , the potential for different organisational cultures and ways of working confounding people's best efforts to work efficiently together increases.

This flexible and well evaluated programme offers simple, introductory tools and processes to assist influencing and negotiation in the workplace. It is extremely useful for people who need to influence peers, and negotiate without formal power. It is based in theory and research and its focus is practical skills development.

What delegates will learn

• How to develop practical skills to negotiate and influence effectively without alienating others
• How to feel confident when faced with negotiation
• Less stress in meetings where negotiation is a feature
• Increased confidence in your own ability to negotiate without giving in
• Increased satisfaction of a job well done when all parties are happy with the outcome

How this will help your organisation

• Faster decision making
• Increased workforce competence in an essential business skill
• Less money spent in waiting for decisions on projects, which traditionally stalled due to lack of agreement or compromise
• Quicker arrival at mutual agreement to move work programmes faster
• Improved working relationships between teams/organisations
• Improved methods of communicating in delicate, business critical situations
• Clarity of understanding between organisations, sectors, divisions and teams

Programme details and length

These two half day sessions are spaced approximately a month apart, to allow for new learning to be integrated into the workplace and issues or questions brought to the second session to increase the practical application of communication skills associated with influencing in the absence of formal power and negotiation with peers. Optional group or individual coaching can also be purchased as part of this course. Please contact Christine for pricing and further details on making this programme fit your organisational needs.