In any organization, interpersonal communication skills are highly important thus, communications training is essential. Employees have to communicate with each other and with their bosses and subordinates in order to coordinate their activities and facilitate productivity. There are different ways through which people communicate. Synching the way your employees communicate is an initiative that you should invest in. The effect of enhanced communications within and across departments will be more than worth the small amount of money you would spend on running a communications program for your employees.
The following are some of the communications training programs you can offer as part of your developmental plans:
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Business writing and communications
This is the very basic communications training that you should have. Your employees should be equipped with the skills to express themselves verbally or in written form using the proper business language and tone. These skills are particularly useful in interoffice communications which include emails, memos, and reports.
Effective presentation
Some employees will have to be asked to present their reports in front of a group of fellow employees, managers, or perhaps the company’s key decision makers. In such situations, they need the skills to impress their audience, to effectively get their point across, and to get the response that they want from their audience. All these start with planning the presentation itself, from making an outline of salient points and organizing information to lead to the desired conclusion to rehearsing the delivery of the presentation. Proper training will teach your employees the basic elements of an effective presentation as well as the different techniques they can use to convince their audience about what they are presenting.
Crisis communications and media relations
Employees should also undergo training to prepare them for crisis situations involving the media. In these situations, employees should always be ready to communicate the company’s stand on the issues at hand. They should also be alert and vigilant about any potentially damaging publicity in mainstream media as well as in emerging media like the internet and social networking sites. Media training is not confined to only negative publicity. Corporate spokespersons and perhaps even the department heads and executives should learn how to get the most favorable response from the media during product launches and promotional events too. With the right media handling skills, your employees can help you minimize the risks of bad publicity and maximize media mileage on good publicity.
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