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Why are some people so effective in communicating with others?
How can improving communication skills build long term relationship?
Why doesn’t my team talk to me?

I facilitated A Royce & Associates Workshop on Effective Interpersonal Communication with a group of managers who wanted answers to these questions.  The two day program was held over a Friday and Saturday. I was a bit concerned that the participants might want to be somewhere else, especially on the weekend. There was no need to worry as this great group of managers jumped right into the workshop including participating in all the activities I had planned to reinforce learning. 

One of the most popular activities was The Experiential Listening Game.  The key learning from this activity was that through active listening the listener is helping the talker feel valued. When the talker feels valued communication opens up and flows freely, which is vital to solving issues and building relationships.  No one wants to make another person feel undervalued and not important, but that is what we do everytime we check our Smart Phone, PDA, change the subject, appear distracted, or interrupt.  When we don’t use active listening skills,we are sending the message to the other person – YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT.  I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU. Not a great way to build a relationship or to work collaboratively with another person.

If you and your team want to learn how to improve your communications skills to reduce conflict, and increase collaboraton and customer service, contact us now  to book our Effective Communications Workshop. Our workshop can be customized to your workplace, your time frame, and your budget!

Here is what participants had to say:

• On a sunny Saturday, I can’t think of a better trainer to be stuck inside with for the day.
• I enjoyed the adjective game and acting out the phrases.
• The listening game made me realize how important it is to really listen.
• The variety of activities and switching it up, kept us thinking outside the box.
• I was  able to relate the activities and learning to my work and life.

Best regards, Joanne Royce

Founder of Royce & Associates
a Human Resources and Training Solutions company
Creating Happy, Healthy and Productive Workplaces

Related Blog Posts:

Meeting Personal Needs for Effective Communications

Meeting Practical Needs for Effective Communications

Are you a good listener?  A Five Part Series

Generational Communication Preferences – Gen Y and Boomers