Upcoming Workshops: For the dates, times, locations, cost and registration information for upcoming workshops click Upcoming Events. 

Business is conducted as a rough-and-tumble sport with its own set of rules that often remain unspoken. Unfortunatly, what you don't know can hurt you!

This six-hour workshop teaches you 65 of the key "rules" that govern communication at work and how to apply them. These rules are not taught in school, often remain unspoken in the workplace, and usually have to be learned through years of painful experience. In the workplace you are expected to know and observe these rules. You're judged by how well you apply them and suffer the consequences of not following them, even though you may never be told explicitly what you did wrong.

This workshop teaches you the rules along with a model for how and when to apply them so that you can immediately begin to reap the positive benefits of effective communication and avoid serious communications blunders. You will learn how to communicate effectively and confidently in your work environment, regardless of your occupation or the size of your work organization.

This six-hour course covers the same general topic areas as the four-hour course entitled Rules for Effective Communication at Work, plus:

• Explains twenty additional rules
  
  
• Takes a closer look at how personal communication style and gender differences affect communications
  
  
• Covers how to listen, and what to listen for, when others are speaking
  
  
• Teaches five highly effective communications techniques that can be used in your personal relationships as well as in the workplace 

What You Will Learn

1. Why learning the "language of the workplace" is absolutely essential
   
   
2. Sixty-five key communication "rules" that cover:
   • Effective verbal (i.e., written and oral) communication
   • The nuances of non-verbal communication (e.g., expression, tone, appearance and gesture)
   • How to communicate effectively in meetings, within teams, and in leadership roles
     
     
3. When and how to apply the rules
   
   
4. How to obtain your professional goals through effective communication
   
   
5. Your personal communication style and how it affects your communication
   
   
6. How your personal values affect your communication
   
   
7. How to be confident in your workplace communications
   
   
8. How gender differences can affect how the rules apply
   
   
9. What to listen for when others are speaking
   
   
10. Five little-known communications techniques that are equally effective in personal as well as professional communications
    

Here are just some of the things you will walk away knowing:

• How to ask for what you want (e.g., more money, a promotion) in a way that maximizes your ability to get it
  
  
• How to gain respect and be appropriately assertive
  
  
• How to respond to conflict and confrontation
  
  
• How to recognize and use power tools and techniques
  
  
• How to prevent your unconscious non-verbal communications from undermining your credibility
  
  
• What to do when someone yells at you
  
  
• How to create power by the way you talk
  
  
• How to maintain a powerful presence even under pressure
  
  
• When to "put it in writing" and when not to
  
  
• How to speak so that others hear you and "get" what you are trying to say, without becoming defensive
  
  
• How your personal communication style affects your ability to get ahead
  
  
• A key difference between male and female styles of communication that almost no one is aware of
  
  
• Two things your should never ask and never say
  
  

• How to listen fully: what specifically to listen for when others are speaking, and how to hear "behind the words"
  
  

• How to motivate and inspire individuals and teams
  
  

As a graduate of this class you will receive a free 30-minute follow up one-on-one telephone coaching session where you can ask questions that come up as you begin to apply what you learned in the workshop within the context of your job. You may call to schedule your individual coaching session anytime within three months of the date you attend the class.

"I thought that if I did good work my boss would recognize this and give me the raises and promotions I felt I deserved. It never happened! Now I know why!"

"Last year I was promoted and given a new title.  But things didn't seem to 'click' in my new job and I felt ineffective and unable to get things done. When you talked about the specific questions to ask to make sure you get the appropriate power and authority that goes with a new title, it hit me like a bomb. I realized what was wrong - I had been given the title only and nothing else! How I wish I had known the right questions to ask at the time."

"I have always had a hard time telling people 'the truth' without making them defensive. Now I have four great techniques to use!"

"I was fascinated by how important it is to understand the distinction between 'friendship' and 'being friendly' in the workplace.  I have been disappointed many times when someone at work I thought was my friend, betrayed me and made me look bad. Now I understand what was going on."

"I have always reacted negatively to criticism. This is the first time I ever understood the real benefit of negative feedback and how to take it without letting it damage my self-esteem."

"I have always dreaded giving presentations at work. Thanks for the great tips on how to get rid of the fear and appear polished and professional."

"I always thought I was being humble and honest when I talked to my co-workers and my boss about my fears and insecurities. Now I have an entirely different perspective on how 'talking myself down' influences how others see me and judge my abilities."

"I always thought that anger was a bad thing and something to be avoided. Now I see how it can be used as a constructive tool."

"I loved how you highlighted the subtle 'power plays' that people often use in the workplace, and how to neutralize them!"

"I was shocked by the potential disadvantages of asking the simple question, 'Why?'"

"I am going to pay a lot more attention in the future to the non-verbal messages I am sending. I can see now how they make me appear powerless and insecure!"

"I never knew how to introduce myself properly when meeting new people at work. I've made every single mistake you said to watch out for!"

"I am going out tomorrow and try your techniques for keeping people from interrupting me. I am fed up with never being able to finish my thoughts without someone else jumping in." 

"I appreciate the guidelines on when to put things in writing and when not to!"

"I have been out of the workplace for a number of years and am thinking about returning. One of my big concerns has been that I am not sure what to do if someone yells at me. Now I know!"

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