How Communication Skills Training Boosts Employee Confidence

Having people that can deal with the challenges of both internal and external communication is essential. Communicating effectively with colleagues is just as critical as communicating with clients, and vice-versa.

This is why communication skills training is an important investment for organizations who want to grow, to develop and to improve.

There are many benefits to communication skills training, however the one we want to focus on in this blog is employee confidence.

As a business skills training company, we deliver communication skills to a wide range of clients – the one piece of common feedback we continuously receive is people feel more confident.

1. Self-awareness

Taking part in communication skills training inevitably means having to face up to your own strengths and weaknesses in how you communicate.

The process of self-reflection combined with careful instruction from a professional trainer, create a sense of confidence through accepting where, why and how you can improve communication skills.

2. New Ideas

A key element to any impactful communication skills training is the injection of new concepts, ideas and protocols.

Learners gain a real sense of confidence from these new ideas as it offers them a fresh perspective, which usually also leads to the generation of even more ideas.

3. Practice

As with any sort of skill, practicing it gives you confidence and security in your own competence and abilities.

By practicing specific skills within the safety of a communication training program you get to make mistakes, learn and perfect your techniques.

4. Teamwork

Collaborating and working with colleagues is a fundamental aspect of any communication skills training course.

Role plays, brainstorming tasks and interactive activities allow teams to come together, improve relationships, address challenges and find common ground which all breeds confidence.

5. Support

Investing in your employees' skills demonstrates a wider support for their well-being, performance and careers.

Employees who feel supported also feel more confident because their employees have created a space in which they feel they can express themselves.

Nurturing confidence in learners' ability to successfully communicate with colleagues and client relies on helping them learn how to improve a range of communication skills.

A training program on communication skills will usually be tailored to the specific needs of the learners. For example, a training course designed for telehandlers dealing with complaints will look very different to one for sales agents dealing with customers overseas.

However, there are some essential communication skills that most training courses will cover.

1. Written communication

Communication skills that focus on the written word, such as emails, proposals and presentations. Written communication is the most common form of business communication. Training courses look at a wide range of areas such as tone of language, clarity, conciseness, punctuation, etc.


2. Verbal communication

Communication skills that focus on the spoken word at work such as interviewing people, dealing with angry customers or persuading others. Training courses look at various topics such as validating information, getting feedback, questioning techniques and developing confidence in public speaking.

3. Non-verbal communication

Communication skills that focus on body language, context and paralinguistics. Usually, the most difficult for people to learn due to it's subtle nature. Training courses usually cover important subjects such as haptics (touch), personal space, eye contact, posture, etc.


4, Active listening

Communication skills that focus on making a conscious effort to hear not only the words that people use but, more importantly, the real message being communicated around them. Training courses usually practice skills such as creating empathy, asking the right questions and validating what you understand.


5. Contextual communication

Communication skills that focus on understanding the impact of context upon interaction, such as culture, environment and social situation. Training courses might cover areas such as mindfulness, intercultural competence or social psychology.

If you are looking for communication skills training for your employees, then there are two ways to go about it.

1. Create some internal communication skills training

• Pros – it won't cost you much as you will be able to design it, plus as you know your team better than anyone, you can tailor the course to their needs/style
• Cons – it could be drain on your time to create the course plus, if you have no experience in delivering training, it may not be effective in addressing learner's needs
  

2. Commission a training company with your training

• Pros – a good training company will take the time to get to know your objectives and use their experience to develop a focused course that benefits learners
• Cons – it will cost you more to develop and deliver the course plus, if you don't use the right training company, you could end up with a second-rate trainer

If you are an organization or business in Cornwall, Dorset, Devon, Somerset or Wiltshire, we offer Communication Skills Training Courses across the West Country.

Contact us to discuss your training needs and we can go through your options with you!