Overview
In this intensive, two-day workshop participants will learn how to apply key interpersonal and communications skills at work so as to minimize conflict and improve working relationships. 

It is not the always differences concerning the subject matter that strains work relationships; often it is the personalities, motives, and underlying feelings of the people involved.  It is critical to the success of you and your organization to learn how to maintain effective relationships at work.  

Most people get emotional when they encounter difficult people, difficult situations, and conflict, or try to avoid them in the first place.  These natural responses do not serve us well.  Avoiding or appeasing only prolongs the problem, and responding emotionally only adds fuel to the fire.  By understanding the nature of conflict, the dynamics of personality, and some simple yet specific strategies for handling difficult people and situations, you can turn these challenges to your advantage.

Participants will learn how to manage conflict in the workplace and recognize different types of difficult people and situations, and different approaches to conflict.  They will also learn how to make small talk and build rapport, and develop a basic understanding of emotional intelligence.    

This workshop is suitable for new managers, supervisors, and developing leaders.

Programme Objectives

• Understand the fundamental principles of communication
• Understand two basic models of conflict
• Learn to use some basic mediation techniques in the workplace
• Understand the critical role of emotion when dealing with difficult people and situations, and how to defuse it
• Learn how to talk to subordinates and peers
• Learn how to minimize differences of opinion through building rapport and blending
• Recognize three types of difficult people and how to deal with each type
• Learn strategies for dealing with other types of difficult and annoying people
• Learn how to approach others and make small talk

Training Methodology

• Lecture/discussion
• Interactive sessions
• Case studies
• Group work
• Role plays
• Video

Programme Outline

• Introduction
• Fundamental principles of communication

• The Holy GRAIL of Rapport
• Greet
• Rapport
• Ask questions
• Interest
• Listen
• Active and empathetic listening techniques
• Making small talk for big benefits
• Initiating a conversation
• Sustaining a conversation
• Closing a conversation

• The Roots of Emotional Intelligence
• Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence
• The five domains of EQ
• Self-awareness
• Managing emotions
• Self-motivation
• Empathy
• Handling relationships – managing emotions of others

• Conflict in the Workplace
• Ways of Understanding Conflict
• The Conflict Triangle: Victims, persecutors, and rescuers
• Interests, rights, and power
• Creating win-win outcomes: Positions and interests
• Mediating conflict
• The role of the mediator
• Mediation techniques for the workplace
• A seven step template for managing conflict

• Handling Difficult Situations: Separating People from the Problem
• Emotions in the workplace
• The language of emotion
• How to talk to subordinates and peers
• Conducting dificult conversations
• Dealing with differences of opinion
• Blending and chunking up

• Dealing with Difficult People
• The three main types of difficult people and how to handle them
• Situationally difficult
• Strategically difficult
• Intrinsically difficult
• Some other types of difficult people – and the merely annoying