Communications Workshops
Our ability to communicate - orally or in writing, to large audiences or small, in our business or personal lives - influences the perception that others hold of us. Enhance your communication style and skills to more effectively communicate in all aspects of your life.

Written Communications

• Understanding what contributes to user-friendly written communications
• Planning and organizing your written communications
• Creating unified and coherent paragraphs
• Writing effective sentences
• Understanding the importance of active voice
• Checking your written communications for readability
• Selecting the appropriate word when faced with confusing word groups (e.g., affect v. effect)

Active Listening

• Developing trust and rapport
• Paraphrasing to clarify communication
• Asking meaningful questions
• Effective listening tools

Business and Professional Etiquette

• Behavior in the office and at social functions
• Projecting a professional image
• The ethics of accepting gifts
• Making your point convincingly and assertively

Communications Essentials

• Understanding communications styles and personal preferences
• Getting the information you need from difficult interviewees
• Applying active listening skills
• Resolving conflicts

Communication, Influencing, and Change Implementation Skills

• Applying the basics of effective interview techniques
• Influencing and other effective communication skills
• Positive approaches for communicating audit findings
• The importance of diversity in the work place

Communication Styles

• Understanding communication styles
• Identifying your preferred communication style
• Working successfully with other communication styles
• Overcoming barriers to communications differences
• Fostering change

Conflict Management

• Attitudes and behaviors that create conflict
• Approaches to conflict resolution
• Arriving at win-win resolutions
• Tips and techniques for effectively and efficiently handling conflict

Facilitation

• Developing constructive teams
• Gaining buy-in and commitment
• Encouraging key players to participate
• Staying on task
• Practical tips and techniques

Public Speaking

• Planning oral presentations
• Delivering oral presentations
• Fielding questions
• Creating visual aids to effectively convey your message
• Using your voice to convince your audience
• Overcoming anxiety
• Practice and feedback

Report Writing and Message Development

• Applying an appropriate tone to convey your message
• Writing user-friendly reports
• Writing charge paragraphs
• Crafting effective sentences
• Choosing the "write" words
• Making sense and order of all the collected information
• Addressing your audience's needs

Reporting and Presenting Findings

• Differentiate between different types of audit findings
• Review the effect objectives have on findings and message formulation
• Design a report message that links findings, conclusions and recommendations to the objectives
• Write findings that incorporate all four finding elements
• Write findings that meet the standards of evidence
• Organize findings using charge paragraphs and topic sentences

Running Effective Meetings

• Key components of effective meeting
• Planning and organizing successful meetings
• Clarifying the role of meeting leader
• Managing disruptive behaviors
• Handling interruptions
• Evaluating meetings—What worked? What didn’t?
• Videoconferencing tips

Carole Buncher and Associates: The Competency Company™  is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.