Communication and Interpersonal Skills for Technical Professionals

Identifying Differences Between Technical and Nontechnical Professionals

• Recognizing the differences in communication needs/expectations of technical vs. nontechnical professionals
• Understanding the impact of generational characteristics on communication within and outside of technical areas
• Analyzing your own work situation based on communication needs and expectations

Interpersonal Strategies to Help You Get Your Points Across in Diverse Circumstances

• Distinguishing communication style preferences to better understand and influence others
• Determining your personal communication styles with the DiSC® profile
• Identifying the strengths and limitations of your DiSC® profile
• Using behavioral clues to determine others’ personal styles
• Describing how to more effectively work with other styles

Strategically Applying a Communication System to Enhance Relationships

• Differentiating between verbal and nonverbal communications
• Assessing your own nonverbal traits and developing an improvement plan
• Identifying criteria for establishing trust and building credibility
• Using a communication model to conduct more effective conversations

Developing Active Listening Skills to Promote Better Work Relationships

• Recognizing the role of listening in effective communications
• Knowing when and how to acknowledge emotions and ideas
• Applying effective listening techniques to own work situations

Communication Strategies to Help You Achieve Your Goals

• Determining when to use open and closed-ended questions
• Demonstrating and applying the effective use of informing, directing and criticizing

Productively Managing Conflict

• Using and applying the AEIOU model to assertively build shared expectations
• Determining your own conflict style using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
• Developing an action plan to apply these techniques to your own work situations