Communication Skills
We have many unique workshops available to you. These workshops cover a variety of subject areas. Each month we select and run a number of workshops on a public schedule but will also run courses on demand by arrangement. Click here to view the current training schedule for public workshops.
All of our workshops can be delivered in-house and can be tailored to your organisations needs. If you are interested in a specific topic area you can browse for a workshop using the categories below or contact us for further information.
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Communications Skills Courses
Communication Skills
The ability to communicate effectively is critical in the modern business world. Our customers are concerned with not only what we say but how we say it and what we really mean. We send a series of messages in any communication and unless we are aware of these we cannot be sure what the impact of our communication will be.
Communication Skills is typically run as an in-house workshop. Acorn meets with your organisation to assess your individual needs. Topics can be selected from the course outline to customise a workshop to suite your organisation.
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Negotiating Skills
All staff are involved in negotiating with colleagues, customers and clients. When we are effective negotiators, we can organise a better outcome for ourselves and our organisation. We also are better able to service our customers and clients as we look for Win: Win situations. This workshop raises issues such as;
- Arguing with a purpose and overcoming deadlock.
- Gaining agreement and the after agreement commitment, &
- Separating the people from the problem.
Communication & Negotiation Skills
Everyone negotiates. Everyone communicates with colleagues, customers and clients. Effective negotiators get a better outcome for themselves and their organisation. This workshop will help you communicate more effectively with workplace and client stakeholders while increasing your confidence when negotiating. Participants will earn how to:
- Build rapport with open and confident body language.
- Acknowledge and accommodate cultural differences into the way they communicate.
- Identify different negotiating styles, develop strategy and tactics to achieve an outcome.
- Separate the people from the problem and create a win/win situation.
Productive Meetings and Minute Taking
Are you tired of meetings that achieve nothing? Do you wish that you had a magic wand and could abolish all meetings? Do you have a fantasy of attending a meeting that actually achieves something useful and helpful? Attend our Productive Meetings and Minute Taking workshop or send your staff (or bosses) and learn how to tur your fantasy into a reality. Whatever your role this one day workshop will help you be a more effective contributor to meetings.
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Dynamic Presentations
Being an interesting and dynamic presenter is a valuable skill for everyone in the workplace. This one day practical workshop will provide you with the skills to become a more effective presenter in both formal and informal situations.
Some of the topics covered in the workshop are how to conquer pre-presentation nerves, planning your presentation, speech structures and choosing material to connect with your audience.
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Powerful Presentations
Professional people are called upon to speak in many contexts. Professional people speak at staff meetings, staff inductions, client consultations, proposals, policy briefings and debriefings, teleconferences, group presentations, media interviews and training, to name but a few. If as professionals we are consistently required to address others, it is imperative that we do so with confidence and presence. Participants of this workshop will critically observe their current presentation style in order to identify weaknesses and areas which they could improve. This workshop covers how to:
- Prepare effectively for formal speaking situations
- Structure your material to grab and hold peoples attention
- Control the room, your body language and create a powerful commanding
presence.
Professional Speaking Skills
A professional sounding voice is a stepping-stone to career success while weak, sloppy speech is often associated with sloppy work practices. If you run meetings, address the public, engage in teleconferencing or speak to the media you simply must attend this workshop. This workshop teaches you simple, yet powerful techniques to;
- Sound clear, polished and sincere;
- Unlock the power of their natural voice;
- Captivate attention with colourful speech, &
- Exude energy, enthusiasm and charisma.
Presenting Complex Content Clearly
We have all had the experience of attending a workshop or presentation where you can barely keep your eyes open or you have to stifle constant yawning or you are so bored you have no idea what the presenter is talking about.
Some of us have been a presenter and have encountered members of the audience nodding off or yawning or being completely disengaged.
This workshop will help you discover how to communicate with clarity, engage your audience and be comprehensible and memorable.
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Influencing Skills for the APS
Influencing Skills is a practical one day workshop that provides you with the tools and techniques to become an influential, confident and persuasive communicator! We show you how to build rapport and to develop structures that you can use to get a clear message across in any situation. You will develop skills to think quickly and express your thoughts with clarity. Learn how to control anxiety and respond to questions with fluent conviction.
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The Voice of Leadership
Break free from the psychic-vocal-culture of our culture by attending The Voice of Leadership . Do you think of your voice when you think of your communication skills, presentation skills or leadership ability? In this one day workshop you will learn the skills to help you sound better and feel more confident in your presentations: understand how the voice works, know how to manage vocal fatigue in long meetings, realise there are strategies for producing voice, learn the strategies for instilling confidence in your employees and see how voice can be managed in presentations. You will also practise the skills of connection in presentations, meetings an one-on-one meetings. This workshop is suitable for beginners to advanced presenters.
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Closing the Generation Gap in the Workplace
There are currently five generations in the workplace – Silents, Baby Boomers, Xers, Ys and Millenials. This one day workshop will help you understand the generation gap issues and where they impact the modern workforce, understand and apply language that is specific to each generation, explore organisation strategies that overcome gap issues and evaluate the effectiveness of recruitment, retention and succession planning in the context of the generation gap.
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Persuading and Influencing Through Writing
This is a one-day workshop that provides a sound basis for developing high
level writing skills. This workshop is particularly valuable for those people
who need to achieve changed outcomes through written submissions and proposals;
prepare effective promotional material including brochures and press releases;
and write inspiration.
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Business Etiquette and Personal Brand
This is an one day workshop for busy professionals who need to improve their
presentation, personal brand and communication skills to give themselves the
best opportunity to make a positive lasting impression. Dealing with Difficult
Clients, Colleagues and Situations Do you have to deal with difficult clients,
customers, team members, subordinates, supervisors or family members? If the
answer is yes then this practical one day workshop will help you to understand
and manage difficult people and situations.
This workshop covers the following: things that typically annoy your customers
or clients, why complaints are useful, how to calm an upset person a practical
six step model for difficult people, ways to deal with abusive clients and
customers, how to control your feelings, stress management techniques and
situations that upset people. It is suggested that attendees bring some real
life examples with them.
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Telephone Techniques
The telephone is the basic tool of the modern white collar worker. Some
people have a professional presence on the phone. Others falter. This
workshop teaches key skills to ensure that you can use the telephone to your
advantage. Practical examples are used to help you apply skills to your
workplace. This workshop covers;
- Handling difficult customers
- Telephone irritants what actions contribute to customer dissatisfaction?
- Answering the telephone preparation, greetings, multiple calls, &
- Positive attitude can do phrases
Conflict Management
The ability to deal with difficult people and resolve conflict will make you feel more in control and less stressed. This workshop is designed to extend participant's awareness and understanding of the issues involved in managing conflict and in particular dealing with difficult people. The workshop will draw on participant's own examples of conflict and will provide insights into what motivates the different players ina conflict and the most effective strategies for negotiating effectively with them. Conflict Management explores;
- Establishing effective boundaries for working relationships.
- Identifying the sources of conflict.
- Choosing the right response for the behaviour.
- Strategies for creating goodwill, understanding and collaboration.