Aim: Understanding others and their perspectives

1) What’s it all about?

This one day workshop works at really getting to grips with understanding others. Listening and observing are skills that are taken for granted. But not always used to maximum advantage. These skills are key in creating rapport and building good working relations with all colleagues as well as diagnosing emotional states before they are expressed. They are the foundation skills of Emotional Intelligence and therefore a must-have for everyone.

2) Why iOpener?

As facilitators we spend our time listening and observing closely. It’s a core competence for helping others to increase their skills sets in any area – and helping them become happier as they become more effective. Our approach means that we’ll help delegates find the best in what they do and build on this. That way they’ll leverage their skills and commitment.

3) How?

Participants will do individual and group work to develop and build their skills. They will receive feedback from others in the group about their strengths and development needs. And they will also develop a toolkit for deep listening and observing.

4) Participants

This workshop would work best in groups of up to 8 participants.

5) Outcomes

Participants will:

• Understand the differences between superficial and deep listening
• Develop and use a personal listening and observing toolkit
• Identify personal listening and observing styles
• Understand how to build real rapport with anyone
• Recognise personal barriers to listening and observing
• Start to work with intuition

6) Participants cover

• Attention and listening: what causes ‘noise’ when listening or observing others, personal listening preferences
• The levels of listening and observing – simple to complex
• Checking out ideas – questioning skills
• Reading individuals in cross-cultural environments
• Summarising as a basic listening tool
• Managing personal assumptions – recognising them
• Hearing and unsaid: what and how – working with feelings and intuition
• Matching, mirroring, pacing and leading – listening and observing to create rapport

7) Who should attend?

Anyone who genuinely wants to build their listening and observing skills.

8) Duration

1 day