Business Communications Electives

Business Communications Elective Courses.

Building Teams - Building Culture

How do leaders successfully develop high-performing teams while fostering a harmonious, culturally-driven environment? Identify techniques to increase staff engagement levels, create stronger interpersonal connections, and maximize performance results.

‘Teamwork’ is a common tenet of many companies – but how do leaders successfully develop high-performing teams while fostering a harmonious, culturally-driven environment? By learning methodologies commonly utilized to assemble productive groups and acquiring the skills necessary to facilitate effective collaboration—even among virtual teams—participants in this course can increase staff engagement levels, create stronger interpersonal connections and maximize performance results.

Describe the stages of team development, the functions at each stage, and the benefits of teaming
Identify the communication characteristics of high-performing teams and team members’ behavioral styles
Set goals successfully, and avoid common goal-setting mistakes
Explain how to foster accountability among team members to ensure all members succeed
Explore the effect of different behavioral styles on managing virtual employees
Develop esprit de corps and coordinate effective team-building activities

Delivering Impactful Training Experiences in the Classroom and Online

Join us to explore the psychologies of group learning and classroom dynamics. We will identify practical techniques designed to energize your training and ensure that your messages and material are delivered in a professional, positive manner.

Your training outline is fully developed and the course material is ready for delivery... but how do you maximize participant engagement while properly utilizing best practices for presentations? Join us to explore the psychologies of group learning and classroom dynamics. We will identify practical techniques designed to energize your training and ensure that your messages and material are delivered in a professional, positive manner. We will also work to master the technology that makes online training possible, including detailed instructions on how to deliver a premium interactive experience that commands the same level of excitement as your classroom training.

After this class, you will be able to:

Deliver professional, engaging training experiences for both classroom and online learners.
Utilize speaking techniques, body language and presentation design to energize a classroom.
Practice the elements of room dynamics, placement and setup to optimize course delivery.
Transform learning topics into immersive activities to solidify subject matter and message.
Use technology to deliver exceptional online training experiences to keep learners involved.

Participants will need to come to Part II of the class with their computer or tablet (a computer is preferred) and have already set up a free ZOOM Meeting account by going to https://zoom.us/signup

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Essentials of Conflict Management

Conflict management can distinguish good workplaces from great workplaces. Analyze conflict to understand the issues and emotions involved. Explore personal conflict management style and resolve issues in a sensible, equitable, and efficient manner.

Conflict management is the practice of identifying and handling conflict in a sensible, equitable, and efficient manner. While conflict is inevitable in the workplace, the way conflict is managed can distinguish good workplaces from great workplaces. Participants will learn to analyze conflict to understand the issues and emotions involved. Then, they will learn to resolve conflict using a proven 4-step method. This course allows participants to explore their personal conflict management style and develop skills to manage conflict more effectively.

After this course, students will be able to:

Manage conflict by understanding and exploring what it is
Recognize all five styles of conflict.
Know which style of conflict is their preferred style by assessing their own personal style
Develop basic skills in the five styles so they can use any one of them
Learn to diagnose situations in order to chose the most appropriate style
Learn troubleshooting techniques and other skills for successful conflict resolution

Leading Through Change

Great managers recognize change and help employees adjust in a realistic and strategic manner, using sound principles and workable tools. We can't control uncertainty, but we can guide, shape, and influence this variable. Learn how and why in this class.

In every organization today, regardless of size, industry or location, change is a constant. Leaders must recognize change and help their employees deal with it in a realistic and strategic manner using sound principles and workable tools. Managers must realize that people don’t resist change as much as they resist being changed. All of us respond to change differently. We don’t start at the same level, adapt at the same pace or end up in the same place. Organizational leaders don’t control change or uncertainty; rather they guide, shape and influence this variable.

After this course, you will be able to:

Prepare for change by conducting change analysis
Communicate consistently about change to engage the organization
Manage emotions that arise during change
Shrink the change to keep employees focused

Managing Difficult Conversations and Situations

Identify basic communication strategies that can work across many difficult situations. Managing yourself properly can build the confidence to better manage problematic workplace events. Learn how to have open, robust, and fearless conversations.

Difficult situations often arise in the workplace. This course addresses the more common situations and people and identifies strategies for dealing with them. Participants in this course will be exposed to the basic communication strategies that can work across all difficult behavior situations. This will help participants realize that the more proficient we are at managing ourselves the more confident we become managing difficult conversations and situations. Participants will look back at this practical course with a real sense of satisfaction and gratitude! Learn how to have open, robust and fearless conversations.

After this class, you will be able to:

Understand how and why we use confrontation language and escalate situations.
Create prevention strategies to handle sensitive issues to avoid escalation and recognize problems before they become a crisis.
Determine the manner in which they come across to others.
Identify and perform the three line assertion communication technique to conduct difficult conversations.
Identify the most common types of difficult conversations in their organizations and apply strategies for dealing with them.

Managing Up: Forging a Successful Relationship with Your Supervisor

Recognizing the principles of managing up can help increase the chances of success for both you and your manager. Identifying your boss's needs can lead to a smoother work environment with less conflict and a more effective relationship.

The accomplishments of your manager are often more critical to your success than your own achievements. When bosses miss deadlines, ignore goals, and fail to meet expectations, those unmet obligations inevitably become yours -- and the communication between you and your manager can suffer greatly as a result. Recognizing the principles of managing up can help increase the chances of success for both you and your manager. Identifying your boss’s needs while supporting these daily obligations can lead to a smoother work environment with more positive vibes, less conflict, and ultimately an effective relationship.

After this class, you will be able to:

Identify and support your supervisor’s strengths, weaknesses and working style.
Proactively seek consistent communication and monitor results for necessary improvements.
Determine your supervisor’s priorities, goals and pressures.
Establish expectations and a clear system of organization.
Help to eliminate preventable problems and use effective problem solving skills to find resolutions.
Exhibit positive behaviors that make you an invaluable employee.

Microsoft PowerPoint: PowerPoint Power

Create a dynamic PowerPoint presentation from scratch and learn how to present like a pro by utilizing slide show options and interactive slides -- charts, diagrams, photos, clip art, text, bullets and numbers, tables, sound, and movies.

THIS CLASS WILL COVER POWERPOINT 2007, 2010, 2013, AND 2016
Note: This is a combination soft and technical skills class; basic experience in Microsoft Office is required.

You’ll create your own PowerPoint presentation and template to help with your branding and customization of PowerPoint.

We’ll learn the new interface including the Ribbon, the Tabs, and other important new elements. As we build our presentation, we’ll learn how to present using PowerPoint’s slide show options and create interactive slides with the web and other applications. Our slides will include: Charts, Diagrams, Photos, Clip Art, Text, Bullets and Numbers, Tables, Sound, and Movies.

We’ll discuss the importance of color, animation, and presenting with PowerPoint. You’ll not only learn how to create a dynamic PowerPoint presentation from scratch but also how to present your presentation like a pro.

Presentations: The Power to Persuade and Inspire

Build confidence in your presentation style via practical exercises, best practices, and constructive peer feedback as you work to take the fear out of public speaking. Strengthen your ability to communicate with words, visuals, and body language.

The ability to successfully persuade and inspire an audience is an essential skill -- presentations, web-conferences, and team meetings frequently offer substantial opportunities for professional growth and career development. Join us to build confidence in your presentation style via practical exercises, a review of best practices, and constructive peer feedback as you work to reduce anxiety and take the fear out of public speaking. We’ll apply the concepts employed by the ADEPT (Articulate, Dynamic, Engaging, Projecting, Telling) model to help strengthen your ability to communicate with words, visuals, and body language when all eyes are upon you.

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

Build greater confidence for public speaking
Learn how to connect and engage any audience by applying the ADEPT model
Describe the do's and don'ts of great presentations
Build presentations skills through practice exercises

Project Management: Communications Tools & Techniques

Effective, timely, and appropriate communication helps set and maintain expectations and increase the likelihood of a project's success. Learn tools and techniques via role play, lecture, and exercises to communicate effectively in a project environment.

Project Communications is one of the most important fundamental activities in successful project execution. Effective and appropriate project stakeholders’ communications is a critical success factor for project managers in meeting goals and objectives. Utilizing standard communication skills, tools and techniques to set and maintain expectations provides a cohesive project environment and a better chance for success.

In this class, students will learn how to communicate effectively in a project environment. Through a combination of role play, lecture, and exercises, participants will hone their communication skills and learn best practices to successfully manage projects.

After this class, you will be able to:

Plan appropriate communications on a Project
Apply common Tools and Techniques to manage project communications
Implement best practices to control communications throughout the project lifecycle

The Power of Personal Brand

Join us to learn the concept of a personal brand: the benefits, how to build and manage your own, and how to use your brand to promote yourself and/ or services. We'll discuss the power of having an outstanding brand for success and personal power.

In this course you will learn what a personal brand is, what the benefits are in having a clearly defined brand, and how to build and manage your own. You will leave with a new understanding of yourself as an individual and as a business entity, a provider of business services. You will also gain an understanding of how to use your brand to promote yourself and/or services. This class discusses the power of having an outstanding brand, something that companies have known and used for years, and maps it onto the individual for increase effectiveness, success and personal power.

Win-Win Negotiations

No set of problem-solving skills is more important than negotiation. Win-win negotiation is a specific strategy that uses carefully defined skills and techniques to produce results that are beneficial and acceptable to everyone at the negotiating table.

In the diverse yet interconnected marketplace of the Twenty-first Century, no set of problem-solving skills is more important than negotiation. Win-Win Negotiation is a specific strategy, which uses carefully defined skills to produce results beneficial to everyone in a negotiation scenario. This course builds on the basic skills and concepts of conflict management and teaches participants how to create agreements that satisfy all parties. This course utilizes the book Getting to Yes as a learning resource, and includes video examples, case studies, role-plays and simulations to help participants achieve their learning goals.

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After this class, you will be able to:

Describe Win-Win Negotiation
Use Win-Win Strategies to achieve mutually beneficial results
Stay tough on the problem, but easy on the people
Leverage their negotiating power
Develop a negotiation plan

Your Image is a Communication Tool

Image is critical—work to better understand and interpret the nonverbal messages you send and receive. Review the basic ingredients of nonverbal communication to identify "filters" while learning how judgments are formulated from visual impressions.

Your image communicates messages about who you are as perceived by others and even yourself. You want to ensure these messages are consistent with your character, values, and what you have to offer. In this workshop, you will review the basic ingredients of nonverbal communication, better understand your own “filters,” and learn how judgments are formulated from visual impressions. This powerful information equips you to better understand the messages that you are sending out, and more effectively interpret the nonverbal messages you are receiving.

After this class, you will be able to:

Identify the basic elements of non-verbal communication
Identify their own filter in communication
Know how to increase positive communications in different environments
Be able to use image to strengthen brand professionally and personally
Identify ways to create stronger connections in relationships through communication
Learn strategies to manage their image