Full course description
Date: 29th October
Modality: In-person
Duration: One day, 9:00am-4:00pm
Price: $1,260.00 (incl. GST). If you are eligible for the UoA Staff or Auckland Council Training Member discount, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz.
Communication skills are an essential core competency for all leaders. It is how you get things done. Gone are the days of command and control, this has been replaced by engage and equip. Leaders must be able to deliver key messages quickly and clearly.
This course provides a suite of tools and techniques to achieve those outcomes across almost all communications tasks: verbal and written, in-person or online, from presentation to briefing, pitch to panel discussion, report, forum, conversation, even a monologue to a camera.
Our first objective is to make it easier for you to engage an audience in following what you are saying and seeing what is relevant to them. The second is to make it easier for you to recall accurately, deliver with authority and credibility in a conversational style and comfortably answer/respond to all questions and comments, in any order.
Short course structure and topics covered:
At the start of the course, you will be asked for your priorities. Your answers will help shape the course content, but it is likely to include most of the items listed below.
How to work out what to say
- You will learn to structure your talk using a checklist of seven specific questions. The answers to these questions will provide content and tactics for your talk.
How to shape it
- You will be shown how to structure your talk into a form that flows and can be adapted to most uses. This is the cornerstone of every talk. It helps you to be flexible go at their pace, to their depth, answer questions efficiently, make sure you get to say what needs to be said, without losing your way and to deliver your talk in an authentic, conversational style.
How to remember it
- You will be taught techniques to help you recall your content to be flexible when speaking.
How to answer questions
- Four techniques for handling every sort of difficult, awkward question or comment.
How to maximise engagement
- Take your audience’s perspective, recruit allies.
- Use of an anecdote, metaphor, non-standard opening.
Adding attractions
- Develop content to make the story more attractive to the audience, such as: lists, illustrations, taglines, photos, graphs, data, audio, video, and slide designs.
The delivery
- What you look like and what you sound like, how to get the most of your performance, and give yourself the material that works best for you. This is usually a substantial element of the course.
Online and in-person communication
- The differences and variations.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, you will have:
- Acquired a method and discipline that saves significant preparation time.
- Explored a framework and tactics that enable you to shape the discussion rather than have it imposed on you.
- Learned how to express authenticity, handle awkward questions, manage the unexpected, and still convey key messages.
- Practised techniques for maximising audience engagement.
- Built confidence in communicating with both authority and authenticity.
Your organisation will benefit from your ability to:
- Deliver clear and compelling messages that brings alignment to organisational objectives.
- Communicate effectively to a wide range of stakeholders.
Who should attend?
- Individuals who are intent on becoming more influential in their sphere.
- Leaders accountable for directing people and change.
- Project managers who want to create great buy-in from staff.
- Executives who want to increase their credibility and influence amongst staff.
- Analysts, topic specialists, communications specialists who need to communicate complex messages.
If you would like to inquire about this course being run inhouse, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz
Payment for short courses is normally by credit card. If you need to pay by invoice or require assistance, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz. Please note that the University does not issue individual invoices for amounts less than $500 New Zealand dollars.