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Quick Look Course Summary:Communication Strategies Training (1 day)
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Next Public Course Date:
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Length: 1 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 5,654 EX VAT 3 Person R 3,982 EX VAT 10 Person R 2,954 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Communication Strategies Training (1 day)
Staff who listen properly, ask better questions and say what they mean clearly – so fewer messages are misunderstood.
Many workplace problems – missed deadlines, rework, friction between teams, unhappy customers – start with a message that was misheard or misunderstood. In diverse South African workplaces, differences in home language and culture add to the risk. This one-day communication skills training gives staff practical strategies for being understood and for understanding others.
Delegates look at how communication works and where it breaks down, then practise the skills that make the difference: the pitch, tone and pace of their voice; reading and using body language; explaining a situation clearly with the STAR structure; active listening; and open, closed and probing questions. The afternoon covers appreciative inquiry as a positive way to discuss problems, moving conversations beyond small talk, finding common ground and using I-messages to raise a concern without causing offence.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Fewer misunderstandings, mistakes and rework
- Better conversations across languages, cultures and departments
- Staff who explain and report clearly to managers and customers
For your delegates
- Simple tools for listening, questioning and speaking clearly
- Awareness of how your tone and body language come across
- The STAR structure for explaining what happened and what you did
- Ways to raise difficult issues without causing offence
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain how messages get distorted and identify the common barriers at work
- Adjust tone, pitch and pace to suit the message
- Recognise the signals sent by body language and gestures
- Explain a situation clearly using the STAR structure
- Listen actively and show that you have understood
- Use open, closed and probing questions to get the full picture
- Use appreciative inquiry to discuss a problem constructively
- Raise a concern with I-messages and find common ground
Who should attend
Any employee who wants to communicate more clearly at work – frontline and administrative staff, customer-facing team members, new supervisors and team leaders. It is a good first course for teams where misunderstandings, language or cultural differences, or poor listening are slowing work down.
Course outline
Day 1 – Communication strategies at work
How communication works
- What communication is and the channels we use
- Sender, message, channel and receiver
- Barriers: language, culture, time and distance
- Communicating in remote and hybrid teams
Voice and body
- Pitch, tone and speed of speech
- What the Mehrabian research does and does not tell us
- Body language and gestures at work
- Making your signals match your words
Speaking clearly with STAR
- Situation, task, action and result
- Using STAR in reports, updates and interviews
- Practice: explain a work incident in two minutes
Listening and questioning
- Habits that improve listening straight away
- Active listening and reflecting back
- Open, closed and probing questions
- Practice: questioning to get the full picture
Appreciative inquiry and conversation
- Why appreciative inquiry works for problem-solving discussions
- The four stages: discover, dream, design and deliver
- Three levels of conversation: general topics, ideas and personal experience
- Networking with internal and external contacts
Handling tricky conversations
- Spotting what triggers a strong reaction
- Establishing common ground
- Using I-messages to raise a concern
- Personal action plan
How it is delivered
One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; examples tailored to your workplace on request. Workbook and practical exercises included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“Coaching sessions have been delivered on a consistent monthly basis throughout the engagement, with BOTI's facilitators demonstrating professionalism, flexibility in scheduling, and a strong ability to tailor coaching content to the individual development needs of our delegates.”
“The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training”
“The training was well executed and of a high quality … We would like to recommend BOTI for future trainings.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can the course focus on a specific problem in our team?
Yes. Tell us what is going wrong – handovers, customer calls, cross-cultural misunderstandings – and the facilitator builds the exercises around it.
How does this compare with the longer communication courses?
This one-day course covers spoken communication strategies. Body Language Basics (2 days) goes much deeper into non-verbal communication, and Business Communication Strategies: Verbal, Non-Verbal and Written (3 days) adds body language and business writing. For presenting as well, see Master Effective Business Communication & Presentation Skills.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.