How to Become a Great Communicator

Your interpersonal skills: career maker or breaker?

Experts agree that your professional success depends primarily on your human relations skills.

In one information-packed day, learn to…

• Recover quickly from a blunder and respond appropriately when someone else makes a mistake.
• Fit in with any group of business people, no matter how little you may have in common.
• Manage difficult situations that cause frustrations.
• Make a lasting, positive first impression using our four-minute strategy.
• Engage in small talk with new business acquaintances in unfamiliar settings.
• Craft your messages for crystal-clear communication with business contacts.
• Use business etiquette to your career advantage.

To see the truth in this, consider the "fast-track" professionals you know. It's not necessarily technical expertise, hard knowledge, or even superior intelligence that makes them so effective in their roles. It's their exceptional skill in handling people and situations — the kind of skill that propels careers, boosts productivity, and ensures job satisfaction.

Attend this powerful one-day seminar, and you'll be empowered to …

• Increase the level of help and support you get from your employees, coworkers and managers
• Project an impressive image of self-confidence, professionalism and competency
• Gain more satisfaction from your job and increase your sense of achievement at work
• Reduce the stress resulting from difficult behaviors and negative situations
• Experience acceptance of your ideas and opinions, see them acted on and implemented
• Positively influence decisions concerning your promotions, raises, responsibilities and career path

Whether you work with only a few people or manage hundreds, the down-to-earth principles you'll learn will enable you to handle anyone in any situation with more dexterity and skill.

Making a Positive Impression on Others

• How to incorporate vital interpersonal skills into your professional style
• Be in control of how people respond to you — inspire positive responses
• Become aware of the 15 essential “people skills” and discover your hidden strengths and weaknesses

Understanding Interactions: Tailoring Your Approach to Individuals

• The “unwritten” behavioral rules in your workplace: how to determine what’s acceptable and what’s not within your organization
• How to fit in with any group of people — no matter how little you may have in common
• Personal and confidential: what to do if others expect you to keep something quiet or cover up for them at work
• Strategies for dealing with people and situations you cannot change

Ensuring an Unforgettable First Impression

• The art of small talk: tips for conversing easily in unfamiliar settings or with new acquaintances
• The way to meaningful conversation by listening instead of talking and how master conversationalists use this fantastic technique
• How to start off on the right foot every time, within just four minutes of meeting someone
• The subtle moves that draw people in: eye contact, gestures and physical “aura”
• How to shake hands flawlessly using techniques that boost your professional image
• Name power: step-by-step methods to remember and use people’s names, and guarantee that others will remember yours

Dealing with Difficult Behaviors and Negative Situations

• How to know whether to agree, disagree or remain neutral when facing complaints
• Precise parameters for handling complainers diplomatically
• Seven approaches to avoid at all costs when faced with complaints
• When you’re wrong: how to admit mistakes and errors without losing respect or reputation
• The secret to saying “no,” when to provide reasons and how to preserve good relations
• Criticism or insult: how to respond, hold on to your self-esteem and keep the peace
• Specific tips for dealing with the most difficult office behaviors

Communicating: A Two-Way Street

• Communication cues: how to recognize implicit verbal cues and nonverbal signals
• Ways to use the principles of body language to multiply your communication effectiveness
• How to direct the flow of communication: whether you want to move it up, coax it down or get it across!
• Practical strategies for sending and receiving crystal-clear communication
• How to maximize feedback between you, your employees, peers and managers
• How to learn from constructive criticism and survive destructive criticism
• The power of silence: how to communicate while saying nothing

Selling Yourself and Your Ideas

• Specific ways to gain support for your career aspirations
• Build and enhance key professional relationships
• The basics of negotiation: how to hammer out agreements that make everyone feel like a winner
• Strategies for presenting your ideas so that you get credit without creating jealousy or resentment
• How to open closed doors by proposing new alternatives

Polishing Your Image: Etiquette Guidelines for Professionals

• The right way to introduce people in business situations with on-the-mark tips for first names, titles, formal introductions and more
• Six ways to create empathy and foster professional relationships
• Key etiquette differences between business functions and social functions and how to tailor your behavior accordingly
• Enhance your professional image and make others feel great through thoughtful correspondence
• The ABCs of business entertaining: how to be a thoughtful host and a gracious guest
• How to abide by your company’s policies and “unwritten” rules on giving and receiving gifts in business situations
• The etiquette of appointments: simple guidelines that ensure respect for each other’s time
• When you’ve said the wrong thing — how to recover from a verbal gaffe and mend fences quickly