Jul
19
2019
What are the benefits of attending a Communication at work course?
As a workplace Coach and trainer, this question is a no brainer for our Communications expert Jeffrey Wotherspoon, who says:
Over the years I’ve realised this isn’t the case for a lot of people, and most people wouldn’t consider investing in a Communication at Work course. There are usually several common reasons given, and I would summarise to say the underlying message is they don’t see what value it could add to them.
I have also realised most people consider themselves to be effective in the area of communication and this is understandable. After all, people are very experienced in communicating and most people would make the argument they have been communicating since they were children! Some people would also make the argument that they don’t have any issues with communication at work and are in a good place, so they don’t need the course.
I usually like to ask such people two questions.
- Did you know that you cannot not communicate? Most people would say they started communicating from about 2 years old. However, we start communicating the moment we’re born. So, you’re always communicating. Even when you don’t know you are or think you are choosing not to communicate. People aren’t always conscious of communication because we do it so frequently.
- You may be in a good place with your communication at work but what would it be like to be in a great place?
In relation to question 1, I make the proposition that communication is a little trickier than one may think. It’s usually not difficult for people to grasp the elements of communication but it may be difficult to implement them, especially when under stress, having a challenging conversation or communicating a difficult message.
I liken communication to money. Most people would like to improve their financial situation however, they have blind-spots which they are not aware of and so whatever plans they make to improve their situation don’t seem to work. They are stuck in a pattern of behaviour. Communication is similar in the sense that people have patterns of communicating and it may not always serve them positively. The main difference between the communication and money analogy, is that people recognise something can be done about their financial challenges and some people go even further and attend a course to help them improve their financial situations. On these courses, delegates learn tips and techniques that enable them to do different things and therefore get different results.
Our Communication at Work course does the same thing. Delegates learn tips and techniques that inform them and enable them to feel more confident and competent when communicating at work and therefore getting different/ more desirable results.
With regard my second question, I have met a few expert communicators in my lifetime. These people were usually in senior positions in their career, were quite influential in the community, have positive social relationships and rarely, if ever, would you hear a bad word said about them.
I invite you to think of a leader you know or someone who has been in a position of authority to you. They could be a teacher, a former boss, mentor etc… the important thing is that you should know this person personally and have had interactions with them.
Although, I do not know the person you choose, I bet if I was to ask you if they communicated effectively with you? Your answer would be “yes”?
I would even go further to say you may not have even realised how effectively they communicated with you till now? This further reinforces my first point. People aren’t always conscious of communication because it happens so frequently.
To conclude, I think the question “Why would I attend a Communication at Work course?” is the wrong question. The question should be “Why wouldn’t I attend a communication at work course?” And I think that is more difficult to answer. As mentioned, we communicate all the time, every day and so you may not be surprised by what you learn on the course. However, you may be surprised by how much you learn on the course, as is often been the feedback I have received from delegates that have attended my course.
Why not up-skill yourself by attending your very own Communication in the workplace course?
