Effective communication skills training
Effective communication skills training and media training go hand-in-hand when learning how to communicate to the public and also the media. Developing great communications skills takes time and what you know and learn needs to be continually updated for the ever-changing world of business, media and communications. Journalists and the public listen to spokespeople who are interesting and engaging, so learning these skills is very important to any professional.
We aren’t all the same, so having personally tailored communications training can help you grow your skills as an individual based on your own personal style. With training, you are able to effectively develop skills and to communicate any important key messages to the public with a greater impact.
Through communication skills exercises and activities, you can prepare yourself for the real world and become more confident in interacting with others. The best way to embrace communication skills training is to find out what is already working for you. Most people tend to look at what they’re not good at instead of improving and adding onto what works for them already. You might also become the media’s go-to person if you can communicate well.
Here is what you can expect from communications skills:
Increasing your confidence
Standing in front of a crowd can be one of the scariest things that any person can do. You’re putting yourself out there with a whole room full of people watching your every move and listening to your every word. Becoming confident in your communications skills takes time and practice.
There are two types of communication – verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication is all about what you say, and non-verbal communication is how you say it, including your body language. With communications training, you can learn how to speak in an engaging way, what tone you should use and what your body language should be. This is so your audience becomes interested and responds to your key messages.
Language is a very powerful tool and indicates what we feel and think about a topic, people or even ourselves. What you say makes a big impact and can affect how people look at you. Communication training will outline key tips to help your writing skills and make you feel more confident about what you’re saying. In terms of the media, standing in front of journalists can be daunting so knowing what to say and how to say it will help make speaking to journalists a breeze.
Learning how to say your key messages
Having a defined key message is crucial for any business or organisation. It should portray your organisation’s vision and values. Communication skills training material can help you express your key messages in everyday communication, while also keeping in mind your target audience.
Key messages should also be short, succinct and unique to your organisation. On a personal level, just talking to your co-workers, knowing how to deliver your key messages can make you come across as credible and improve your relationships.
In relation to the media, your key messages are vital to any interview. Understanding key messages can help prepare you for the unexpected questions and when you know you have main points you want to return to, you can take control of the interview.
Preparing for difficult situations
Improving your communication skills means improving your relationships and preparing for difficult or awkward situations. In communication training, you will work on your communication barriers and find out what leads to misunderstandings.
Individuality means that each person has a different way of communicating – some people find it simple, others find it very difficult. Exploring how you communicate can lead to self-awareness and self-evaluation. If you find out your strengths as well as your weaknesses, you can adapt your behaviour and limit the number of awkward conversations and conflict that arises from misunderstanding.
Preparing with advanced techniques
When facing the media and speaking at presentations, difficult situations can arise, so it’s best to prepare yourself. Journalists will often ask difficult questions in the hopes of throwing you off and getting you to say something you didn’t intend to. Advanced communication skills training will help you prepare for whatever situations may occur and teach you to answer the difficult questions.
