Communication
I Communicator
‘All is communication’ is a saying often used by people when they are working together. Whether you lead a team or are a member of one, communication is always needed to fulfil the given tasks. Sometimes we are aware how we interact but often we are not.
Communication is not only what is said and meant but also what the other understands you to mean
Objective
This training offers the necessary insight and guidelines for clear and effective communication. It teaches participants to understand their communication and negotiation skills. If needed, also how to increase and create such a team where individual and company results are important. Trainees obtain awareness in group dynamics and learn to work together in motivated cooperation to achieve success in spite of frustrations and obstacles.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- How can I be clearer in what I want to communicate?
- How can I properly listen and ask the right questions?
- How does communication work in a team and in a group?
- Communication misunderstandings: how do I handle this and find the best solutions?
Target group
All employees who have constant internal and external contacts
Duration
1 or 2 days
Assertiveness
The work quality and performance are strongly influenced by the degree of cooperation in an organisation. As we wish to avoid conflicts and tensions, it is often difficult to refuse a request from our manager or colleague, even if we are already too busy. How can you accomplish your own tasks without making it difficult for yourself or others?
Assertiveness is not what you do, it’s who you are! (S. Gawain)
Objective
In this training we teach the participants how to improve their communication skills so that they can express their opinion more freely. We explore what assertiveness is and how to show this appropriately. The participants learn how to recognise and to express differing positive assertive behaviour in their own organisation.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- How assertive am I being now?
- How do I assert myself without offending others?
- How I can build up my self-confidence?
- How can I deal with my feelings of guilt when I say ‘no’?
Target group
All employees who work in a department or team.
Duration
2 days or 1 day + feedback centre
Win-win negotiation
Nearly every day we are negotiating situations: a contract, cooperating with a colleague, an agreement with the boss… Sometimes it goes well but sometimes we feel that there are unsatisfactory results. Negotiations are only positive if each party’s desires are achieved. This negotiation training will not only help in the workplace but also in other situations.
Win-win negotiation: “let’s not do it your way or my way, but let’s do it the best way!”
Objective
This training instructs you how to negotiate in a systematic and pleasant way achieving long term success. First, we expose false myths about so called good negotiation and help participants to reject them. Then we explain the steps of excellent negotiation. Each participant has the opportunity to discover their own negotiating style and the results it achieves. Participants learn through case studies and group discussions.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- How do I negotiate excellently step by step?
- What negotiation style do I use the most? And the least?
- How do people make decisions and how can I direct the decision-making process?
Target group
All employees who wish to negotiate better with colleagues, clients or suppliers.
Duration
2 days or 1 day + feedback centre
Conflict Management
A difference in opinion or a misunderstanding can lead to irritation. Some individuals have opposite viewpoints and interests, some stand in the way of another’s work or sometimes someone is not informed in time about an important meeting. Conflict situations are everywhere and are a logical consequence of working with others. But what if the employee’s work begins to suffer?
The aim of an argument or a discussion should not be victory, but progress (J. Joubert)
Objective
Each conflict causes us to think. Conflict management training has as goal to effectively handle one’s own position, emotions and opinions before, during and after a conflict with another. If you know how to deal with conflict effectively you will be able to prevent it, find a solution or resolve to achieve better future results.
After this training
- You have a better idea of the dynamics happening in a conflict situation.
- You can react appropriately in a discussion.
- You can identify the different stages of a conflict and react in the right way.
- You know different conflict management techniques and which one to use according to the situation and people involved.
- You have learnt how to constructively solve conflicts.
Target group
The training is for anyone desiring to handle conflict situations more efficiently.
Duration
2 Days or 1 day + feedback centre
Customer Care
Each employee is at the service of the customer. Whether this is an internal or an external client there is always someone who needs our assistance. Our customers can either be happy or unhappy with our service. We then decide if we are responsible for this (dis)satisfaction .
If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will!
Objective
An organisation is nothing without clients. Participants learn how to relate appropriately to clients especially in answering questions and in meeting, where possible, expectations. We work mainly with real-life case studies from the trainees’ context.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- How can I make sure the clients are content with the care they receive?
- How do I handle clients who ask something that we have to refuse?
- What do we do with aggressive or upset customers?
- How do I correctly deal with customer complaints?
Target Group
All employees who relate to clients, immaterial of whether these are internal or external clients.
Duration
1 day or 2 days
Note: Dynamo has a wide experience with tailor-made programs. Please ask for more details.
Handling Complaints
Often it is the case that customer complaints are not taken seriously enough or are handled too slowly. The result is a loss of customers and the development of an adverse reputation. Complaints can also be an opportunity. They are a chance to improve both service and products. A well resolved complaint is also good for customer retention!
Each complaint is a valuable gift
Objectives
After this training you will be ready to deal with customer complaints with a ‘preventive’ approach. You will know your own limitations and will be able to handle these so that together with the customer you can find satisfactory solutions.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- What is the importance of being client-focused?
- What is a complaint precisely/how do I recognise a compliant?
- Why do we receive complaints from (internal) clients?
- How can we quickly understand complaints?
- How do I deal with emotional clients?
- How do I include a client in finding a solution?
- How do I pass on the complaint to the rest of the organisation?
- How does my organisation presently handle complaints and how can this procedure be improved?
Target group
All employees who meet clients.
Duration
1 day
Me, Myself & I / Knowing yourself
Motivated employees work better and more efficiently, but demotivated employees can hinder others who enjoy doing a good job. However, motivation is an unconscious factor. In other words, you do not always know what keeps you motivated at work. Self-knowledge can help you pinpoint your motivation factors and therefore make you more motivated and happier in all areas of your life (including your work).
I want because I know I must and I must because I know I want
Objective
This training helps you discover the factors that trigger or hinder you being motivated at work. Once you know what these factors are, you are able to use them as levers to focus on what is important. You will also be less confronted with frustrations and will understand why you find some tasks not so interesting.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- What motivates me in my work?
- What should I know about myself that is unique?
- How am I in relationship to others?
- What does this imply for my personal growth?
Target group
Everyone who wants to understand themselves better.
Duration
1 day
Agression on the workplace
It is very common for employees nowadays to be confronted with arrogant and/or aggressive behaviour which is very intimidating. The consequences of such aggressive conduct may result on the one hand in a lack of self-confidence of employees shown in higher absenteeism, lower self-esteem and demotivation, and on the other hand negative publicity for present and future clients. Aggressive behaviour needs prompt action because of these undesirable affects both in work and in private life.
Aggression only moves in one direction – it creates more aggression
Objective
This training gives a constructive way of dealing with aggression in the workplace. We use professional actors to make realistic role-plays. Through this simulated practice the trainees receive very practical help. The emphasis is on teaching specific skills that are immediately usable in practice.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- What causes an increase of aggression?
- How do I recognise the initial signs of aggressive behaviour?
- How can I stop aggressive behaviour getting worse?
- What mental attitudes will help me?
- How do I deal with personal negative criticism as well as criticism against the organisation?
- When and how do I turn for extra help?
Target group
Each employee who is interested in the subject, those dealing with third parties and also those wishing to control their own aggression.
Duration
1 or 2 days
Hold-up training
A hold-up not only has a big impact on our own health and safety but also your employees and clients are directly influenced. Such experiences can be extremely confrontational and traumatic with mental repercussions long after the event. This training teaches how to control and overcome the impact of a hold-up. Employees who know how to handle themselves in a hold-up situation will be better equipped to process possible aftereffects.
Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands
Objective
Under the guidance of competent trainers and actors you take part in realistic practice simulations. Stress levels similar to a real hold-up are experienced. You learn how best to react in these situations so that you protect yourself psychologically and physically.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- How safe is my organisation in the face of a hold-up?
- Which preventive safety measures can my organisation, my employees and I take to lessen the chance of a hold-up?
- How do I remain calm and in control during a hold-up?
- How do I appropriately handle the emotions of employees and clients?
- What is post-traumatic stress and how do I deal with it?
Target group
All employees who come into contact with clients.
Duration
1 day
Written communication
Every organisation has its own particular style of written communication. But is this presented in an attractive and professional manner? Do you have the same style for e-mails, business letters, internal reports, offers, presentations, etc.? We seem to live in a time of unlimited communication possibilities that can often be less focused on correct form and content. This training makes you alert to differing writing forms and helps you to improve your writing skills.
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug
Objective
After this training participants are aware of the impact and importance of their written communications. Attention is given to external as well as internal communications. With verbal communication the influence of intonation, stress and facial expression support the message. Similarly with written communication the layout, style and appropriate wording is an integral part of the message and its impact.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- What specific types of texts are there?
- How can I write my message clearly and concisely?
- How can I compensate for the lack of expression that is available in oral communication?
- How do I avoid boring and difficult language?
Target group
Anyone who frequently needs to write to external or internal clients.
Duration
1 day + follow-up for text corrections
Telephoning
Often the first contact with a company is by telephone. We could say that the telephone is a sort of visiting card for your company. First impressions are important. What would happen if the client is kept waiting or is not answered at all? What impression does a demotivated employee give? It is obvious that in such cases a specialised training is no unnecessary luxury!
Cell phones are the latest invention in rudeness (T. Guillemets)
Objective
Participants learn to answer the most common telephone calls in a positive, client-friendly manner. The aim is to give potential and current clients as well as other business partners a professional impression of your organisation. The training is very practical. We work with different types of calls that are being registered in order to provide immediate and accurate feedback. At the end trainees are able to have good client-friendly contact. They can ask for the right details, forward the call, take messages and are able to handle a difficult call like a complaint.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- How do I sound on the telephone and what influence does this have?
- How do I handle conversations and communicate in a client-friendly manner?
- How to I forward the call correctly?
- Which telephone behaviour is good and which is not? Why?
- How do I communicate a negative message in a client-friendly manner?
- How do I handle complaints in such a way that it is acceptable to the client and to me?
Target group
All employees handling internal and external contacts.
Duration
1 day
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence contributes to an organisation’s success. A combination of a good dose of knowledge and lots of human insight results in success. Emotional intelligence is essential in personal leadership. Research has shown that emotional intelligence can be stimulated to grow and develop, whereas IQ is largely genetically determined.
The sign of intelligent people is their ability to control emotions through applying reason (M. Mannes)
Objective
This course is ideal for those curious to develop skills that make you more emotionally intelligent. First, you learn to listen to yourself and your own feelings. Then you look at the emotions of others. The training starts with a test that enables you to understand your own emotional intelligence. You are made aware of the influence that EQ has on the way you do things.
After this training you are able to answer the following questions:
- How can I better control my emotions?
- How should I acknowledge other people’s emotions appropriately?
- How do I connect with someone who is emotionally different?
Target group
All employees who wish to grow and are willing to work on improving their emotional intelligence.
Duration
1 or 2 days
Welcoming new employees
For a certain period an employer or those delegated with the task of welcoming and integrating new employees are obliged to take appropriate action to organise the reception of new employees. Of course there are many possibilities: assigned mentors, regular feedback on progress, guided tours, step by step plan, direct reports, etc. But what approach is the best for your organisation?
Objective
The guidance of new employees takes time and energy but has many positive effects for the whole organisation: it increases the newcomer’s motivation, integration is quicker, and the working atmosphere is more pleasant. This training provides the necessary tools to welcome newcomers in a creative and constructive way.
After this training you have the answers to the following questions:
- How are new employees presently welcomed?
- What positive points are experienced?
- Where are there still problems?
- How can we make the welcome even better?
- What and who is needed to achieve this?
Target group
All employers or those responsible to welcome and integrate new employees.
Duration
1 day
Note: Dynamo has developed for GAMMA a Pocket Learner – a do-it-yourself introduction with guidance from a coach.
Time Management
You just make it day by day: you do not have enough time to complete all your tasks well, often you don’t know where to start, you are unable to concentrate on what is necessary and you often feel tense and guilty because you have not done what you had hoped. Employees often take work home because they have not learnt to appropriately organise their work. It is high time to bring change!
Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose (T. Edison)
Objective
This training helps you to question your own effectiveness. Together we look at possible blockages and the participants learn new ways to overcome these constructively. They also learn to manage information, paperwork, people, their work surroundings and to set goals reachable within their scheduled deadlines.
After this training you have the answers to the following questions:
- How do I presently handle my time?
- Realistic planning: how do I prioritise and set up reachable deadlines?
- What is a clean desk and a clean disk?
- How do I arrange a healthy work-life balance?
After this training
- You can complete more tasks within the same time
- You feel less psychological and physical stress from the work pressure
- You organise your work better and you plan your day more efficiently
- You have better ways of handling emails
- Tasks are passed on more easily when you are absent
- You can organise and follow-up on projects better
Target Group
All employees who want to learn to optimise their time.
Duration
2 days
Stress Management
Everyone experiences daily annoyances. On top of this you must work together with colleagues who are very different from you. Some days clients can be more demanding or complaining. Or maybe everyone and everything is demanding your time without end. It sometimes seems difficult to handle and control events especially when the workload is heavy. Because of this, you may have physical and mental tensions which makes it difficult to cope with the demands of the work environment.
Stress is not what happens to us, it’s our response to what happens and a response is something we can choose
Objective
After this training you will be better able to cope with the demands of your workplace. You learn to coordinate different tasks from within your own abilities and skills.
After this training:
- You can stay calm in stressful situations so that you can react more effectively
- You can better relativise the complaints of clients so that you can react friendly and politely
- You can work better together with colleagues who are very different from you
- You are able to work through and process your experiences so that you do not become physically or mentally stressed
- You are able to stay calm in situations of high work pressure so that you can maintain an overview of your work and set priorities
Target group
Everyone who wishes to learn to handle stress efficiently and productively
Duration
2 days
Walking in someone else’s shoes
Teamwork is built on mutual personal involvement where the focus is the pursuit of joint goals. Communication is central in this process. You cannot assume that others know what you are thinking. Trust and positive engagement are crucial. But what happens when different team members have different roles and therefore other responsibilities? How are you going to deal with this?
Don’t judge someone until you have walked a thousand miles in his shoes
Objective
This training aims to improve and optimise the cooperation in an organisation. Paramount is the necessary self-reflection and knowledge required which then enables one to move into the place of others.
After this training you have the answers to the following questions:
- How do I communicate with my fellow team member and what do I stress?
- What do I need to collaborate well with others?
- Where does the other emphasise and what does he/she need to work well together?
- How can I play my part in these dynamics?
- What can I change and what do I not need to change?
Target group
Every executive who wants to walk in the shoes of his/her employees and vice versa
Duration
2 days
