ASSERTIVENESS AND PERSUASION SKILLS

Transcription

1 TROY CONTINUTING EDUCATION AND ARCTURUS TRAINING ACADEMY PERSONAL ENRICHMENT WORKSHOPS ASSERTIVENESS AND PERSUASION SKILLS Do you find yourself saying Yes when you want to say No? Do you end up agreeing when you want to disagree? Do you feel that you should never displease other people? Do you accept commitments that may be dumped on you because you agree with every request? Are you able to communicate without fear? Do you find that at times you may get angry and frustrated when someone disagrees or challenges you and you may react in anger, or to avoid conflict you may not react at all, or you may just give in. These situations can cause a lot of stress. If these are behaviors you want to change, then you need to become more assertive. By becoming assertive you will be able to say what you want to say without fear or anger or anxiety. It is a skill that can be learnt, and it can lead to better interpersonal relationships and reduced stress. Assertiveness also is related to a sense of self- worth and self-esteem. In schools and work situations assertiveness skills are essential to respond to bullies and bullying behaviors. Assertiveness is also closely related to persuasion skills. Persuasion refers to making others see your point of view. There are many ways to effectively persuade others without getting into conflicts. This workshop teaches participants skills necessary to develop assertiveness. By the end of the workshop participants will be able to 1. Differentiate between being assertive, aggressive and passive in different situations 2. Assess one s own communication and assertiveness style 3. Identify barriers to communication that may lead to non- assertive responses 4. Practice non- verbal communication skills, listening and questioning skills related to assertive communication 5. Relate assertiveness skills to persuasion skills 6. Identify different methods of persuasion and Practice different persuasion skills 7. Use techniques to get over fear and anxiety related to becoming assertive Pedagogy: The workshop is highly interactive. Apart from instructor led session, there are many role plays that give participants an opportunity to practice being assertive and practice persuasion skills. The workshop also includes self-assessments and games

2 STRESS MANAGEMENT In our fast paced, fast changing world, stress has become inevitable in our personal life, and work life. We experience the effects of stress, both physical and emotional. Stress is the number one cause for heart disease, diabetes, chronic illnesses and ailments, suppressed immunity, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression and other psychosomatic conditions. It also affects our interpersonal relations. Stress cannot be eliminated from life; however, it can be handled through different stress management techniques and coping mechanisms. This workshop will help provide participants an insight into the various sources of stress, and ways to manage it, so that they can take charge of their health and improve their quality of life The workshop will help participants to Describe the mind body relation and effects of stress Define the causes and nature of stress Identify different sources of stress in their life Identify their personality styles and relate these to stress Determine how stress affects their relationships and life Practice certain techniques that will help manage stress and attain well being Pedagogy: Training will include instructor led sessions with conceptual inputs, self-assessments, interactions through discussion, watching a video clip. Different Stress Management techniques will be demonstrated. All participants will get handouts of tools and other resources Note: If a participant wants he/ she can request the facilitator to include content about any particular stress-related issue in the workshop

3 TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS FOR INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS Transactional Analysis (TA) is a framework that helps us to understand ourselves and the ways and patterns in which we communicate with others. This technique is used by therapists to help people improve the way people interact with each other. But this framework can be applied by any individual in his/ her personal and professional life to achieve effective interpersonal interactions. By applying the concepts of TA, one can communicate more effectively and empathetically with others, and improve one s interpersonal interactions- with spouses and significant others, with children, with co-workers. The workshop covers basic concepts like ego states to complex concepts such as games that define many self- defeating interaction patterns. The participants will discover their own ego states and patterns of interactions and communications The objective of the program is to help participants to be effective in their relationships in their personal and professional lives. In this workshop, participants will be able to: 1. Define their own communication styles and patterns 2. Identify the ego states of communication 3. Practice to communicate through positive states 4. Identify negative patterns and games in their communications 5. Identify ways to break ineffective and negative communication habits 6. Apply concepts of Transactional Analysis to their communication and interpersonal interactions Pedagogy: The program is highly interactive, focusing on self-discovery and discussion and a number of practice questions. Role plays, case-lets and movie clips are used in the workshop along with inputs from the instructor

4 RESOLVING INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS Conflicts and disagreements are a part of everyday life. However, not all of us deal with it effectively. Some of us do not like conflicts and would avoid them at all cost, some of us have a need to win at all costs. These differences in personalities and attitudes can lead to conflicts within and among us. Each one of us has a natural way of handling conflict- in what situations would that be effective? What are the ways that we can deal with the conflicts with least amount of stress, frustration, anxiety or anger? What is our natural way of handling conflict? Is there an effective way of handling conflict? This workshop helps participants understand their own conflict handling styles, their reactions to conflict, and how they can develop more effective ways to deal with interpersonal conflict. The workshop also has a session on intrapersonal conflict that is conflict within the person s mind that can cause much stress. Ways to handle the internal conflict are also discussed and demonstrated By the end of the workshop the participants will be able to 1. Define their own personal conflict handling styles 2. Describe the dynamics of conflict and be ready to deal with conflicts 3. Develop flexibility in conflict handling situations 4. Consider some solutions for resolving ongoing conflicts 5. Apply some of the methods of conflict resolution to resolve their internal conflicts Pedagogy: The program consists of instructor-led sessions, self-assessments, role plays, case studies, discussions and other methods.

5 ACTIVE LISTENING While there is a clamor to become better speakers and talkers, the art of listening is slowly fading. Everyone is in a hurry to make him-self/ her-self heard, and seldom do we pause to listen to what the other person is saying. Listening is a skill that is fast fading from our lives. While listening is such a critical component of any effective communication, as feedback depends on listening, we listen with only 25% efficiency. Listening is a vital skill, by which we get more information, build trusting relationships and build better teams, and handle conflict better. When you listen to the other person, you are motivating him/ her; you are gaining his/ her trust and commitment. Whether it is your child or spouse, listening skills can help strengthen relationships. We may also contribute to someone s personal sense of wellbeing by being there to listen to them. By attending this workshop participants will be able to: 1. Identify their own listening styles 2. Practice the skills of active listening 3. Overcome barriers to become an effective listener 4. Become more empathetic in listening 5. Apply the non-verbal and body language appropriately to become effective listener 6. Become more effective in communication skills Pedagogy: This workshop is highly interactive that includes apart from the instructor led session, self- assessments, different role plays, video clips, games and exercises

6 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE To be effective and successful, it is not just intelligence (IQ) that counts. Success depends on a number of factors like personality traits and interpersonal skills. One of the elements that is related to success is Emotional Intelligence. It is related to perceiving, understanding, using and managing emotions effectively. Emotional Intelligence has been related to many different Personality and other factors. It is necessary to be aware of our Emotional Quotient (EQ) so that we learn skills related to the different factors of EQ, and learn to identify, manage and use our emotions in different personal and interpersonal situations. 1 In this workshop the participants will learn to: 1. Define emotional intelligence 2. Identify and label emotions 3. Assess their emotional intelligence 4. Identify their strengths and weaknesses on the different factors and scales of EQ 5. Practice skills related to emotional intelligence 6. Regulate their emotions better 7. Manage emotions in different situations for better personal life and effective interpersonal relationships Pedagogy: The program consists of instructor-led sessions, self-assessments, role plays and discussions, demonstration of some techniques to become more effective at using EI for interpersonal effectiveness 1* Reference: Picture courtesy:

7 Facilitator: Dr. Swati Karve. Dr. Karve has a Masters in Clinical Psychology, PhD in Organizational Psychology, and Diploma in Management. She has 20 years of experience as a faculty, corporate trainer, counselor and consultant. She has a certificate in Cognitive Behavior Therapy from Beck Institute, Philadelphia, and has worked as a psychotherapist in India. She has been a corporate trainer for about 20 years, and has designed and facilitated workshops in different modules in leadership, management, interpersonal skills and personal development for all levels of employees, including senior management. She has conducted customized training for different adult and youth groups. Currently she is an Adjunct Faculty in Psychology and Management at UD Mercy and Walsh College, Serves on the Board of Detroit chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), is a published author for the National ASTD, She is a member of the Automation Alley, Troy, and Serves on the on their Workforce and Education and Business Growth Committees.