Communication training: What is the process and for whom is it worthwhile?

Reading time 7 minutes
Communication training: What is the process and for whom is it worthwhile?

Surely you have already experienced a conversation situation in which you and your conversation partner felt that you were talking past each other. You have felt exactly that you were not able to convey your point of view in an understandable way. This understandably triggers frustration. In the professional sphere, even important business deals can fail due to faulty communication. But Communication skills can be trained - with the help of targeted communication training. We'll explain what this means in more detail below.

What is communication training?

Communication is the basis of human interaction. This is true in both the professional and private spheres. It is impossible not to communicate. Even if you are just standing still in the room, you are sending nonverbal signals. This insight goes back to the research findings of the Austrian communication scientist Paul Watzlawick.

Communication can connect people, but it can also distance them from each other. Communication training is about creating a positive connection. Communication training is primarily taught as part of management seminars or in special coaching sessions. The Coaching can take place both in groups and individually.

The content topics of the communication training can vary depending on the personal starting position of the client. The active listening as well as learning clever questioning techniques are, however, always part of the process.

Who should take communication training?

Communication training is basically suitable for anyone who wants to improve their communication skills. There can be various reasons for this. Maybe you're tired of being misunderstood all the time and want to learn to improve your Needs to express themselves more clearly. Preparing for a job interview can also be an occasion to take advantage of communication training.

More and more companies are offering communication training for their employees. This is particularly useful if the job involves customer contact, e.g. in the sales area.

But mature communication skills are also essential in the field of marketing. For advertising to achieve its desired effect, the potential customer must be addressed "correctly". An interesting Study to this topic we have linked you.

Communication training is always recommended for specialists and managers. This is true even if you already think you can communicate well. After all, competitive athletes train their skills regularly, even though they have talent. The situation is similar in the area of communication: Only those who stay in training will have lasting success.

communication training exercises

What are the contents of a professional communication training?

As mentioned before, the focus can vary depending on the initial situation of the respective client. For example, professional communication training could be structured as follows:

1. basics of interpersonal communication

  • The various Communication models and their meaning (iceberg model, 4 ears model, the 5 axioms according to Watzlawick etc.)
  • Sequence of typical conversation situations
  • The difference between the factual and relationship level
  • Self and self-awareness
  • Define your own communication style

2. the optimal interview preparation

  • What is the framework for a successful interview?
  • Mental preparation techniques
  • Definition of the goal of the conversation

3. conversation techniques and strategies

  • Like I ask the right questions?
  • Can I see the structure of the conversation?
  • Steering conversations in the desired direction - how does that work?
  • The art of active listening
  • I-messages, we-messages and you-messages: What effect do they have?

4. conduct constructive conversations

  • How do I build a good atmosphere for a conversation?
  • What does my conversation partner want to achieve?
  • How do I reach agreements?
  • Self-reflection and analysis: What can I do better in the next conversation?

Tip: On the subject Self-reflection and communication analysis, we would like to recommend you the following video.

5. mastering difficult conversation situations

  • How do I keep calm when things get tough?
  • Can I Misunderstandings recognize and clarify?
  • What are the ways to avoid escalation?

5 simple exercises to improve your own communication

A professional Coaching is, of course, the best way to improve your communication skills. However, there are also special exercises that you can do on your own. We will now familiarize you with the five most effective exercises.

1. consciously use "I" and "we" messages

Observe yourself in everyday life: How do you communicate with the people around you? Do you predominantly use "you" messages? The latter tend to be counterproductive for successful communication, as they usually contain a (hidden) accusation. Instead, make sure to consciously use the "I" and "we" perspectives. There are plenty of opportunities to practice this in everyday life:

Instead of, "You need to take out the trash."
Rather, "I'd love for you to take out the trash."

Instead of, "Why haven't you completed project X yet?"
Rather, "What information do we need to successfully complete Project X?"

2. paraphrase

You may already be familiar with paraphrasing from your school days, albeit certainly under a simplified term. It simply means the written or oral reproduction of content (e.g. of texts or lectures). Paraphrasing is also a wonderful communication exercise, as it trains active listening and understanding.

Paraphrasing works best in a group of three people. One person tells something about any topic. The second person tries to reproduce the meaning of the information (i.e., in his or her own words). The third person evaluates how well the reproduction has succeeded.

3. guess terms

You will need a partner for this exercise as well. Think of a term. This can be a technical term from your working life or also something everyday. It doesn't matter if it's an object or an activity. The important thing is that the solution is not too simple! The more difficult, the more effective the exercise.

Describe the object/activity to your counterpart in detail, without using the term. Your counterpart must guess what it is about. In this way, you train your verbal expression skills. The person who has to guess, on the other hand, trains the ability of active listening. Afterwards, the game is switched.

4. free talking in front of the mirror

You have to give a lecture or want to prepare for an important conversation? In this case, the tried and tested mirror trick can help. Write down short notes beforehand and then stand in front of a mirror. Give your lecture or lead the conversation. In the latter case, of course, you have to think up the possible counter-questions and answers, but the preparation is still effective.

The planned once without Print saying it in front of the mirror can help you stay calm in an emergency. However, pay attention not only to your choice of words, but also to your body language. To be convincing, you should stand or sit as upright as possible and seek eye contact with your counterpart without staring obtrusively. Practice this with your mirror image.

5. train your repartee

Quick-wittedness is also part of communication training. There is hardly anything more unpleasant than being rendered speechless by a remark made by your counterpart. Unfortunately, being caught off guard (e.g. with hurtful remarks) is exactly the problem.

Quick-wittedness in no way means getting angry and also verbally hurting the other person. Rather, it is about countering inappropriate remarks with wit and Charm to take the edge off. This also works wonderfully in professional life. However, it often only occurs to you hours later what you could have said back.

In order to be able to react immediately, you should consider in advance which "sayings" could come up in which situations. Write a list of humorous retorts that fit into any context. At first it will help you to use the ready-made retorts. Eventually, however, you will become so practiced that you will be able to come up with the right retort spontaneously.

How do I find good communication training?

In most cases, the first step in finding a communication training program is to research it on the Internet. You will quickly discover that there are numerous providers. Due to the diversity, it is not so easy to distinguish between serious and dubious offers. Nevertheless, there are some criteria that make your search easier.

Important to know: If you come across the term "communications coach" in your research, here's what you should know: The job title "coach" is not protected. It can mean anything or nothing. It is therefore all the more important to make further inquiries.

Find out exactly about the costs and the course of the training: What services can you expect for your investment? Do you like the contents or do you feel under- or overchallenged? Communication training is offered for beginners as well as for advanced learners. Ideally, you will receive free information material upon request and/or the trainer will offer a preliminary discussion.

Checklist for good communication training

Let's summarize the decisive search criteria once again using a checklist:

  • Which Learning methods come into play? Do these appeal to you?
  • Is it individual or group training? If the latter, what is the composition of the group?
  • Is it a classroom or online course? Both can have advantages and disadvantages.
  • What content is taught on the topic of communication? Are these relevant for you?
  • Are additional learning materials offered to reinforce knowledge?
  • What references can the trainer provide? Are there reviews or the possibility to exchange with former participants?
  • What is the cost-benefit ratio? You should be skeptical of both overpriced offers and dumping prices.

Important to know: The cost range for communication training is quite wide, from around €200 to €2,500. Here it depends strongly on the content and scope of the training. It therefore makes sense to compare offers with each other.

Conclusion: Communication training is always worthwhile

Communication training is basically suitable for everyone, since the whole of life consists of communication. However, if you are aiming for a career that requires constant interaction with other people, you should pay special attention to your communication skills.

For example, if you want to become a well-known speaker, you need to be able to develop your keynote. This is a short impulse speech with which you captivate your audience. The topic is arbitrary. A professional speaker can create a captivating keynote for any occasion.

But even if you don't have any career goals as a speaker, the knowledge of the perfect keynote is useful. You can also apply this knowledge to convince at professional presentations or in the context of job interviews.

We have a free workbook with 10 ultimate pro tricks for the perfect keynote for you. Start today to take your communication skills to the next level and improve your professional performance. Achieve goals faster.

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Reviewed by Dr. med. Stefan Frädrich

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