For the better part of the day, we communicate to and with others. Whether it's the speech you deliver in the boardroom, the level of attention you give your spouse when he / she is talking to you, or the look you give the cat, it all means something. On the surface, communication seems pretty simple. However, like most things in life, communication is far more complicated than it seems. We often do not perceive the most common barriers to communication and thus face strained relationships at home and office. Professionals who fail to develop communication skills often have their careers stagnate or plateau in the mid-range. At an organizational level, research shows that failed projects, low performance, low employee engagement, retention and lost sales worth thousands of dollars have roots in giving communication skills a back-burner treatment. However, these costs seldom reflect in the corporate balance sheet and hence the problem lingers on.

In an increasingly complex global and local environment, where professionals need to cope with varying audiences and abundant information, effective communication is a crucial life skill. Deficiency in communication skills is a real business challenge with significant consequences with ripple-effect and compounding prices. Effective communication is the foundation on which great businesses are built. If you can get your message across in the right way and at the right time, half your work is done!

Communication strategies taught in this workshop will help you master the art of communication - from kicking off conversations, to building engagement and winding down. Understanding different communication mediums and their usage based on audience and situation, will help you overcome most communication barriers. Manage tricky conversations and communicate persuasively to enable action, cultivate influence and develop your personal brand as a 21st century leader. This strategic course will equip you with a practical roadmap to promote trust, clarity and goodwill in the professional context. The effects will percolate to your personal lives through healthy relationships, more self-confidence and impactful social presence, for holistic success.

• Understanding the what and how of communication including external factors that affect communication
• Understanding Communication barriers
• Paraverbal Communication Skills
• Non-Verbal Communication
• Speaking like a STAR
• Listening Skills
• Asking good questions
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Mastering the Art of Conversation
• Advanced Communication Skills

1. What communication is and its sphere of influence in life.
2. Identify conventional and unconventional communication mediums and how factors like. medium, audience numbers and profile, drive communication.
3. Increase know-how on various communication barriers.
4. Develop your non-verbal and paraverbal communication skills.
5. Explore quasi-verbal elements of communication.
6. Understand and utilize the STAR framework for impromptu speeches.
7. Guidelines on how to listen actively and effectively.
8. Ask impactful questions to procure complete and correct information.
9. Use appreciative inquiry as a communication tool.
10. Adeptly converse and network with others.
11. Identify and mitigate precipitating factors.
12. Establish common ground with others.

• Insights into overcoming typical communication barriers like language, culture, and location.
• Tips for using cultural differences to your advantage.
• How to message powerfully through the pitch, tone, and speed of your speech.
• Building on creating a positive, authoritative tone.
• Understanding common interpretations of body language/gestures.
• Aligning your non-verbal and verbal communication.
• Gaining confidence in communication skill by using proven frameworks across situations like compressing for quick conversations, or expand for lengthy presentations.
• Understand the toolbox for open and closed questions for great conversation starters, fact finders, communication enhancers, nailing down vague statements and winding down conversations.
• Reflect on the art of listening, which plays a far more significant role in communications, than talking.
• Practice questioning techniques to amplify your communication process.
• Avoid fatal barriers like assumptions and jumping to conclusions to comprehend the full story.
• Mastering the art of conversations – from getting started to being an active listener, to being an engaging converser, with an objective outline to stay out of sticky situations.
• Networking tips to adjust your communications at various phases, maximize your impact and minimize your nerves.
• Empower yourself by de-personalizing negative comments and adjust your communications through precipitating factors.
• Offering constructive feedback through ‘I’ messages.