Overview
When I was a young boy in primary school I heard this riddle: “Why did the chicken cross the road?”  There were a number of answers: “To get to the other side.”  “To prove he wasn’t chicken.”  “To escape from Colonel Sanders.”  If you google the question you will be led to numerous websites with hundreds of answers.  Of course, if you wish to know the real answer you must ask the chicken. 

We all wonder why the “chicken” crosses the road, why it says and does what it does.  Only our “chickens” are bosses, colleagues, customers, family, friends, and even strangers.  And we all need to understand them better.    

John D. Rockefeller, the richest man in the world, said “I will pay more for the ability to deal with people than for any other ability under the sun.”  Rockefeller knew the value of a dollar, and he knew the value of effective communication and interpersonal skills. 

To be truly successful in work and in life you must be an effective communicator.  You must learn how to build rapport and trust, listen empathetically, create understanding, read and use body language effectively, make small talk, and develop an entire array of communications skills. 

This intensive, one-day workshop is heavy on role plays and skill building, and is based on the book “Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: Lessons in Effective Communication,” by David Goldwich.  This workshop is suitable for anyone, but is especially useful for new managers, supervisors, customer service officers, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, technical professionals, and administrative staff.

Objectives

• Learn how to express yourself clearly, concisely, and confidently
• Understand the fundamental principles of communication
• Develop active and empathetic listening skills
• Learn how to read body language
• Understand the dynamics of perception and how to see things from others’ points of view
• Learn how to frame proposals and create yes-able propositions
• Learn how to identify people’s real reasons
• Understand the power of emotions and their relation to reason
• Master a variety of techniques to communicate effectively with others in everyday situations

Methodology

• Presentation / discussion
• Interactive sessions
• Role plays
• Case studies

Workshop Outline
The workshop content is as follows:

• Introduction
• The ABC’s of Effective Communication – How to communicate to express your idea effectively, not merely impress.
• Creating mutual understanding – Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
• Empathetic listening – How to influence and impact others without saying a word.
• Reading body language – How to “listen” to what isn’t being said, and make sure your own body language says what you want it to say.
• Understanding people’s reasons – Why your best reason may not be good enough, and what to do about it.
• How to uncover the real reasons that people won’t tell you.
• Avoiding the emotion trap when evaluating reasons.
• Perception and reality.  People see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. 
• The art of small talk – How to initiate, sustain, and close a conversation with a complete stranger.
• How to leverage tremendous returns from the smallest investment – a compliment!
• Framing proposals – How to frame the question to get the results you want.
• The Yes-able Proposition – How to make people want to say yes.
• The magic of empathy – How to win people over by showing them that you care.