Achieving Successful Working Relationships TRAINER GUIDE

Achieving Successful Working Relationships TRAINER GUIDE

Contents CONTENTS...2 TRAINER GUIDE...4 TARGET AUDIENCE...4 TRAINING MODE, METHOD AND MEDIA...4 ASSESSMENT METHOD...5 EVALUATION...5 AIMS & OBJECTIVES...6 AIMS...6 OBJECTIVES...6 TRAINER PREPARATION AND LOGISTICS...7 INTRODUCTION...8 WHAT ARE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS?...10 BALANCED RELATIONSHIPS...12 KNOW YOURSELF...15 BEHAVIOURAL STYLES...19 ASSERTIVENESS...23 PASSIVE, AGGRESSIVE AND ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR...25 ASSERTIVENESS RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES...26 RIGHTS...26 RESPONSIBILITIES...26 HOW ASSERTIVE ARE YOU?...27 ASSERTIVE LANGUAGE...28 THE 6 TYPES OF ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR...29 ASSERTIVE TECHNIQUES...31 DEVELOPING ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR AND MANAGING CONFLICT.33 NEGOTIATION...34 BUILDING FUTURE SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS AND ACTION PLAN...41

CLOSING THE WORKSHOP...41

Trainer Guide Target Audience This practical course is aimed at all employees regularly dealing face to face with customers and colleagues. Training Mode, Method and Media Training can take place on or off-site, in a classroom environment and over a 2 day period. This course has been designed to include activities to demonstrate effective skills and therefore, is interactive, fun and not trainer led. PowerPoint is not required. Delegates are given the opportunity to apply their learning to a real-life situation, and practise through group exercises. 4

Assessment Method Assessment takes place following each activity and session and to test learning and understanding. Evaluation The course is evaluated at the end of the two days via your course reactionnaire form. Delegates also complete an action plan as part of their workbook for transferring learning to the workplace. 5

Aims & Objectives Aims To understand the communication skills required for developing successful working relationships. To understand the different behaviour types and how to influence them in relationships. To understand the power of assertive and negotiation techniques required to influence relationships and manage conflict. To use assertive behaviour and negotiation techniques to build future successful working relationships. Objectives By the end of the workshop you will have: Awareness of what successful working relationships are and their value to you and your business Explored personal knowledge, attitude and beliefs and experienced how these impact day-to-day working relationships Practised your working relationship management skills in a safe and confidential environment Identified areas of personal development in the use of the skills and completed an action plan for developing these skills further in the workplace

Trainer Preparation and Logistics Materials needed Trainer Notes and/or Session Plan 2 x Flipcharts Flipchart pens all colours Folder per delegate Handouts Which John? Nameplates Pens Enrolment Form Course Reactionnaires Postcards Trader Cards (six sets) Highlighters different colours (one per student) Pre-prepared flipcharts Training course posters Books from book list Blue-tac 7

INTRODUCTION Welcome to the course Cover domestics (Fire instructions, toilets, smoking, mobile phones, messages, breaks) Overview Q How were you identified to attend this course? Q.Who has had a briefing from their line manager and who has completed a personal development plan?. This course is about discovery about yourself and others, so be open-minded. I am here to facilitate, and help you to discover your own self-awareness, I am not here to run a training course to teach you how to manage relationships. You have a workbook infront of you, use it, it s yours to take away with you. The aims of this course are; To understand the communication skills required for developing successful working relationships. To understand the different behaviour types and how to influence them in relationships. To understand the power of assertive and negotiation techniques required to influence relationships and manage conflict. To use assertive behaviour and negotiation techniques to build future successful working relationships. And the objectives are how we are going to achieve it So by the end of the workshop you will have: Awareness of what successful working relationships are and their value to you and your business Explored personal knowledge, attitude and beliefs and experienced how these impact day-to-day working relationships Practised your working relationship management skills in a safe and confidential environment Identified areas of personal development in the use of the skills and completed an action plan for developing these skills further in the workplace 8

Icebreaker Can you work in pairs and complete a combined introduction shield. Write your name, role and years in your industry at the top of your flipchart and complete your shield as follows:- FLIP pre-prepared shield and leave on view for delegates to refer to during activity. Give an example of the sort of answers that you require, by introducing yourself to the group. Sector 1 a hobby or interest you both have in common. Sector 2 something to reflect the service you both offer to customers. Sector 3 something about one of you that will surprise everyone about your working ambition. Sector 4 something about the other of you that will surprise everyone about your non-working life. Can you now introduce your partners. Make notes on feedback from delegates. Place completed flipcharts around the room and re-visit objectives at the end of the course. It is so important that we build successful working relationships, particularly regarding customer service, to not only ensure the success of your company but to enable us to be happy and effective at work Q. Why do you think this is important? FACILITATE answers, e.g. brand positioning, customer expectations, customer retention etc. Q. Does anyone have any questions? 9

WHAT ARE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS? The objectives of our next session are; To identify a personal challenging working relationship To place you in the other person s shoes and recognise their expectations, concerns and barriers in a relationship To identify the elements of a balanced relationship For us to understand what makes a relationship successful, we need to know why relationships break down. If you all look at Page 4 of the workbook.. Some working relationships are more successful than others. We find it easier to build rapport with people who are like ourselves. To understand fully why problems arise in some relationships, we need to take a few moments to identify what has happened in a relationship that has become challenging and why rapport has not been achieved. This relationship can range from one of open conflict, to one where co-operation cannot be achieved between both parties. Describe one such relationship that you currently have under these headings; Who is your relationship with/why does it exist/what do you find challenging/how do you feel about this relationship? Q. Does anyone feel comfortable in sharing with us an example of a working relationship that they are currently involved in that could be described as challenging? Exercise Can you please work in your same pairs as previously and identify a personal challenging working relationship, internal or external and complete the 4 questions on Page 4 of the workbook. Explain your relationship to your partner, and, complete the answers to Page 5, with your partner playing the role of the other person in the challenging relationship. It is very important that you put yourselves in the other person s shoes and see things from their point of view. FACILITATE a feedback session on the relationships identified. Every relationship a business has (internal or external) can impact on the performance of the business and the customer experience poor internal relationships create an unhappy atmosphere, poor business performance can influence headcount and service etc. It is therefore important that we explore 10

these relationships to find out why they are not working and how we can make them successful. 11