The AGTS Communication Skills Academy

A 3-day Competency-Building Series

Class Summary

If you Google “competencies employers want most in a job candidate,” you’ll get lots of results with varying lists, but one competency you’ll find in almost every one is “good communication skills.”

In our new AGTS Communication Skills Academy we’ve brought together skill-development sessions from our top interpersonal communication classes into a comprehensive 3-day certificate program. The content is delivered over several weeks so that participants have time to absorb concepts and practice skills between sessions.

This series covers proven communication principles and techniques that help build positive work relationships and increase workplace productivity.

COM260 18.0
Three full-day modules (one module a week over a three week period)
Janet Welch-McGrath

Anyone interested in a solid grounding in the communication skills and interpersonal techniques that employers value most in employees.

  • Increased confidence in your ability to use interpersonal communication skills effectively.
  • A reputation for tact, professionalism and an ability to get along well with a wide variety of others.
  • Reduced workplace conflict and stress.
  • Greater personal and team productivity.

Module 1:

Communication Basics--the Important Foundation

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

  • Explain the connection between effective communication and career success.
  • Assess your current communication skill levels.
  • Identify and practice powerful communication techniques.
  • Identify and overcome barriers to effective listening.
  • Understand and manage nonverbal communication.
  • Adjust your communication style to interact most effectively with a wide variety of "others."
  • Coach others on communication best practices.
  • Introduction
  • Skills assessment
  • Common barriers to effective communication
  • Reducing/eliminating communication barriers
  • Perceptions and effective communication
  • Steps in the effective communication process
  • Listening skills—the critical foundation of successful communication
  • Powerful techniques to improve communication quickly
  • Respectful approaches to others
  • Personal style and effective communication
  • Action planning for skill development

Module 2:

Communication Skills for Conflict Situations

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

  • Identify the reasons for conflict.
  • List effective ways to confront conflict.
  • Explain how to manage emotions more effectively before, during and after confronting conflict.
  • Demonstrate effective communication techniques to use in a variety of conflict situations.
  • What creates conflict?
  • Methods typically used in conflict situations
    • The 5 most common ways people deal with conflict
    • Advantages/disadvantages of each
    • Exercise
  • Communicating effectively in conflict situations
    • 4 basic techniques
    • The criticality of listening skills
    • Non-verbal awareness
    • Exercise
  • Confronting conflict
    • State the problem
    • Do’s and don’ts
    • Building relationships
    • Managing emotions (ours/theirs)
    • Keeping issues on track
    • Building trust
    • Exercise
  • Communication techniques for specific conflict situations
    • Angry people
    • Difficult people
    • Personality differences
    • Change situations
    • Everyday indifference
  • Resolving conflict — putting it all together in practice exercises
    –This portion of the program provides an opportunity for participants to apply (and be coached on) the concepts and techniques learned.

Module 3:

Communication Skills and EQ

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

  • Describe the difference between EQ and IQ.
  • List EQ Competencies.
  • Explain how communication skills relate to EQ.
  • Identify and practice skills that can raise your EQ.
  • Manage emotions so they work for you, not against you.
  • Build an action plan for boosting your EQ.
  • IQ vs. EQ
  • Importance of EQ
  • Myths about EQ
  • Assessing EQ
  • The 5 EQ proficiency areas
  • Boosting skills in EQ proficiency areas
  • Action planning