Advanced Communication and Problem Solving Course

Introduction

This highly interactive course will look into the tried and trusted management processes, procedures and methodology used by many companies to build productive and cohesive units whilst establishing strong working relationships.  It will explore: behaviour; communication; leadership styles; problem identification to solution generation; evaluating creative techniques; how to challenge more ‘outcomes thinking’.

Excellent communication is essential for the creation of a highly effective and productive organisation; building rapport with people develops trust, openness and meaningful relationships. Decision making and problem solving represent the most important of all managerial and leadership activities; making timely, well-considered and informed decisions, will lead your team and organisation to deserved success.

This course will feature:

• The psychology of personality and how this influences the solutions we select ensuring greater understanding of the behavioural traits of yourself and others
• The application of whole brain thinking to the problem solving process in order to balance the logical and creative dimensions of problem solving
• Assessing personal creativity and challenge the mental blocks that limit our thinking
• Practical solutions to work related issues through Neuro Linguistic Programming, Emotional Intelligence and psychometric profiling
• Advanced communication and motivation models essential to modern day business units that will greatly enhanced leadership skills

Objectives

• Determine pragmatic methods for effective problem solving.
• Appreciate the impact of personality on creativity, decision making & problem solving process.
• Develop strategies for creating a positive work environment.
• Recognise differing behavioural styles & learn to adapt to build lasting rapport.
• Understand your key roles in encouraging & developing your staff thru the power of personal motivation & effective communication.

Contents

Module 1: Advanced Communication Interpersonal Skills Day One

How to Build Lasting Rapport

• The art of building lasting rapport
• How to identify behavioural traits and react to them
• How to modify your own behaviour to match other’s
• Sharpen your senses to the signals others are sending you
• Connect with colleagues and clients at a level that creates deeper trust and commitment
• Read body language in order to understand how others are thinking and responding to you

Day Two

Self-Awareness: How to Gain a Greater Understanding of Yourself

• Key concepts of NLP and Emotional Intelligence
• Connecting your feelings for greater self awareness
• Eliciting emotions
• Noticing your unconscious messages and following your intuitions
• Self-talk  and what it means
• Internal and external referencing

Day Three

Crystal Clear Communication

• Powerful listening and questioning techniques
• Thinking and language patterns
• Sub-modalities
• Perceptual positions
• Climates of trust
• Well formed outcomes

Day Four

Empathy: The Ability to Understand Situations from Another’s Perspective

• Review how to sharpen your senses to the signals others are sending you
• Communicating first impressions - the secrets of body language
• How we communicate
• Filters to communication
• Learning Styles
• Modelling: how others do things

Day Five

Motivation: How to get the most from Yourself and Other

• Logical levels of change
• The importance of values in motivation
• Eliciting values for yourself and your organisation
• Setting goals that motivate
• Creating a positive future for your organisation
• Testing your well-formed outcomes

Module 2: Advanced Problem Solving & Decision Making Day Six

The Psychology of Problem Solving and Decision Making

• Introduction: Why study problem solving and decision making
• A synopsis of psychological thought
• Values, Problem Solving and Bias in Decision Making
• Psychological type and Lateral Thinking for Problem Solving
• Psychometric assessment on your problem solving preferences
• Using a team approach to encourage structured and lateral thinking

Day Seven

Problem Solving, the Cognitive Process and Whole Brain Thinking

• Problem solving: the highest order cognitive process
• Split brain theory to make informed and balanced decisions
• Developing openness to new ideas in making decisions
• The model of creative problem solving
• Lessons in facing the unexpected events
• Decision Making and the Management of Change

Day Eight

Creating Continuous Improvement in the Workplace

• Encouraging creative problem solving for continuous improvement
• Appreciative Enquiry and a focus on positive dialogues
• Solution focus methodology: a radical transformational approach to solving problems
• Diagnostic tools for organisational improvement
• Using techniques to innovate and improve process and product
• The Disney Creative Thinking Strategy

Day Nine

Building Creative Capability in Self and Removing Mental Block

• ‘How creative am I’? Challenging self-imposed assumptions
• Thinking outside the box and ‘Imagineering’: current examples from technology
• ‘Curiosita’: using the multiple intelligences of Leonardo da Vinci
• A model for organisational innovation
• Organisational culture and its influence on the creative organisation
• Creative leadership in times of crisis: the role of emotional intelligence in decision making

Day Ten

The Creative Leader in the Innovative Organisation

• Leadership style and decision making activities
• Enhancing Serendipity
• Ensuring alignment with corporate mission
• Assessing creativity in your organisation
• Creating "innovation champions" as a strategy for fostering change
• Developing a personal action plan for the workplace and assessment guidance