By the end of the training, participants will be able to:
The key to good communication is to use strong, confident and expressive language. In this session, participants explore ways to do this with analysis of good and bad examples. They learn how figurative and emphatic language can help them to be more expressive. Next, they analyse language functions that help a meeting go more smoothly. Finally, they practise these skills in the context of a mock meeting.
In the second session, the focus switches to written English. Participants analyse good and bad examples of emails to understand the elements of a well-written email. They learn a three-step method that ensures their emails are always easy to understand. Common English errors in emails are covered so that participants can avoid these errors in their own writing. Also covered are tone, sentence length, readability and courtesy - everything necessary to write professionally and effectively.
The third session consists of a writing workshop. Using what they have learned in the morning, participants practise writing emails asking for information/quotations, replying to requests, asking for adjustments, making a complaint and replying to a complaint. For each email, feedback will be provided from the trainer and their peers.
For the final part of Day 1, participants will learn how to build confidence in their English language and communication skills. We will examine how people often underrate their language abilities and look at overcoming 'roadblocks' to speaking more confidently. We will finish by looking at language mistakes and when they are or are not important.
In the first session of Day 2, participants learn the role of empathy in effective communication. It is especially important in customer- or client-facing scenarios. We will learn ways to leverage empathy to improve problem solving with customers. We will then look at the role of courtesy - what questions and statements are considered polite and which aren't? We will tackle the issue of embedded questions, which will enable participants to use the utmost level of courtesy in their interactions.
The session will begin with the four styles of business communication. We will examine each one in turn with multiple examples and case studies. Following that, we will examine vocal skills that enhance enunciation and pronunciation, such as sentence stress and chunking. With multiple examples and practice, the participants will understand how these skills can greatly enhance communication in areas such as meetings, pitches and presentations.
In the third session, we will have a short grammar workshop, focusing on the challenges of using proper English in place of "Manglish". We will see how there are three core grammar concepts in English and, unfortunately, Malaysians often get them wrong. On the upside, getting them correct can offer a strategic advantage in your communication.
We will begin with some 'secrets' employed by people with high intelligence when they communicate. Then, to tie everything together, we will look at dealing with difficult people. Starting with a group discussion to generate ideas and strategies, we will move onto role plays, where the participants will have a final chance to showcase what they have learned.