“Interpersonal Influencers.” Examining the Foundations of Persuasion and Social Influence in the Workplace with an Emphasis on Small Group Communication
For engineers & manufacturers (or employees working in the engineering or manufacturing industry) seeking to maximize their day-to-day interpersonal and small-group (team) communications. This program will focus on the value of reducing uncertainty amongst audiences in an effort to forge stronger relationships that ultimately produce better decision making and a reduction in ineffective small-group communication dynamics. Participants will learn how to deliver more impactful communications in the workplace setting as a result of stronger small-group communication best practices
Upon completion of the program, participants will be able to:
- Understand the foundations of effective (small group) communication and the value it serves in all areas of their professional (and personal) lives.
- Understand the value of self-awareness and a process for increasing self-awareness amongst small groups and teams
- Utilize the process of self-disclosure to build greater rapport with co-workers with an aim to create and sustain healthy and functional work relationships
- Understand the values and best practices of contemporary active listening and be able to avoid common barriers to effective listening.
- Be capable of utilizing active listening skills in an effort to reduce uncertainty in various communication encounters.
- Be able to apply principles and best practices of audience analysis, including knowledge of learning styles and motivations to craft more effective and persuasive day-to-day communications
- Be able to craft and deliver messages appropriately given an audience’s involvement, valence, and/or attitude towards the topic/content (e.g. positive audience, negative audience, apathetic audience, etc.)
- Be capable of applying perspective taking techniques (empathy) in an effort to de-escalate and/or avoid interpersonal inter-team conflict when possible.
