Course 155:
Effective Business Communications and Negotiations

(4 days)

 

Course Description

Effective communication—listening, speaking, and reading—is a common characteristic of successful business people. It yields common understanding of goals, tasks, and techniques. It is the basis of productive business relationships, and the basis for negotiating a common ground between people with differing viewpoints and interests. This course covers the fundamentals, enabling the student to hone his or her communication and negotiating skills and thereby become a more effective contributor to the enterprise.

Learning Objectives

  • Learn the basic concepts of communication with peers, subordinates, and those above you in the management hierarchy
  • Establish a process for successful business negotiations that result in a win-win result
  • Use effective communications to elicit information through the interview process
  • Discuss various communication problems and present their solutions

Who Should Attend

Managers, staff members, executives, professionals, and anyone who uses communication as a vital asset in accomplishing their business objectives

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course Outline

Introduction and Overview

  • Course Objectives

Unit 1: Overview

  • Why Don’t We Communicate Effectively?
  • What Are Quality Communications?
  • Roles of an Intermediary
    • Communication Specialist
      • Facilitation
      • Mediation
      • Explanation
      • Information Gathering
    • More Than a Communication Specialist
    • Speaking for the User
    • Potential Problems and Pitfalls
    • Suggestions
  • Communication
    • Forms of Communication
    • Styles of Communication
    • Components of Communication
    • Reasons for Communication
  • Information In and Information Out
    • Gathering Information
    • Presentations
  • Conflict
    • Dealing with Problems
    • Dealing with Bad Behavior
    • Negotiation
  • Upward Management

Unit 2: Communication

  • Bases for Good Communications
    • Shared Experience
    • Common Goal
    • Expected Role and Behavior
    • WIIFM
    • Three Fundamental Questions
  • Communication and Information
  • Levels of Communication
    • Project Communication
    • Public vs. Private Communication
  • Communication Media
    • The Medium Is the Message
    • The Importance of Choosing the Right Medium
  • Improving Non-Verbal Communication
    • Verbal Aikido
    • Body Language
  • Communication Practices
    • Establishing Rapport
    • Choosing the Right Words
    • Respecting Cultural Differences
    • How to Say ‘Yes’
    • How to Say ‘No’
  • Effective Listening
  • Follow-Up

Unit 3: Eliciting Information

  • Interview Approaches
    • Customer
    • User
    • Management
    • Three Fundamental Questions
  • The Interview
    • Five Components of an Interview
    • Preparation
    • Using the Problem Definition
    • Introduction
    • Interview Do’s and Don’ts
    • SPIN Questions
    • Closure
    • Follow-Up
  • Listening
    • Why It’s So Hard
    • What to Do About It
    • Active Listening
  • Hidden Agendas

Unit 4: Negotiation

  • Negotiations Defined
    • Negotiating with Customers/Users
    • Negotiating with Developers
    • Negotiating with Upper Management
  • Collaborative Negotiating
    • Negotiation Preparation
    • Research
    • Alternative Approaches
    • What Can Be Negotiated?
    • What Do You Want?
    • Visualizing
    • Three Fundamental Questions
  • Negotiating Approach
    • Separate People from the Problem
    • Focus on Interests Not Positions
    • Invent Options for Mutual Gain
    • Insist on Using Objective Criteria
    • Summarize and Specify

Unit 5: Communication Problems and Situations

  • Hidden Agendas
  • Conflict Resolution
    • Outcome Questions
  • Politics
  • Dealing with Awkward Behavior
    • In Your Subordinates
    • In Your Peers
    • In Upper Management
    • In Yourself
    • Six Types of Awkward Behavior
    • Awkward Behavior Matrix
    • Dealing with Awkward Behavior
  • Communication Styles
  • Assumptions—The Unsaid

Unit 6: Presenting Your Information

  • Meetings
    • Why Have Them?
    • Types of Meetings
    • Effective meetings
  • Story Telling
  • Setting Expectations
  • Use of Media
  • Dealing with Reactions
  • Eliciting Feedback
  • Converting Confrontation to Communication

Unit 7: Influence Skills

  • Influencing Management, Users, and the Development Community
    • Why Influence?
    • Building a Solid Foundation for Influencing Others
      • Five Influence Conditions
      • Three Fundamental Questions
      • Six Major Influence Strategies
    • The Impact of Decisions
    • The Functions of Networking
  • Upward Management
    • What Is Upward Management?
    • Why It Is So Hard
      • Wearing the “B” on the Chest
      • Assumptions that Come with Authority
    • Presenting Problems—The Star Trek Approach
    • Understanding the Motivation
      • Positive Approaches
    • Guidelines
Please Contact Your ROI Representative to Discuss Course Tailoring!