1. The most valuable training facilitation skill
Communication Skills
The most valuable training facilitation skill

2. Communication Skills
Overview: Communication skills are a critical element in delivering effective training.
Trainers must be able to use a variety of communication techniques in order to create an environment that enables participants to engage actively in the learning process.

3. Session Objectives Describe reasons that communication fails
By the end of the session, the participant will be able to:
Describe reasons that communication fails
List and discuss strategies to enhance communication
Paraphrase and summarize conversations
Use appropriate questioning techniques to lead discussions and to assist learning

4. What are the most common ways we communicate?
Visual Images
Spoken Word
Written Word
Body Language

5. All communication methods are important in training but our emphasis will be upon the spoken word... since
70 % or all our communication efforts are:
misunderstood, misinterpreted, rejected, disliked, distorted, or not heard (in the same language, same culture)!
70%

6. Group facilitation requires frequent and high quality communication with others
A skilled facilitator
must be a
successful communicator Trainers are facilitators of learning and communicating new ideas is the main point of training

7. The Goals of Training Communications:

8. Communication is the process of sending and receiving information among people…
Feedback
SENDER
receiver
RECEIVER
sender

9. All messages do not reach the receiver due to “distortion”
Feedback
Sender
Receiver
Distortion

10. What causes distortion or the barriers to understanding/listening?
Perceptions
Language
Semantics
Personal Interests
Emotions
Inflections
Environment – noise
Preconceived notions/expectations
Wordiness
Attention span
Physical hearing problem
Speed of thought
See handout “Barriers to Verbal Communication” for elaboration

11. How can we improve our listening skills?
Eliminate distractions
Concentrate
Focus on the speaker
Maintain an open mind
Look for nonverbal cues
Do not react to emotive words
Ask questions
Sit so you can see & hear
Avoid prejudices
Take notes
Ask for clarification

12. Listening…the other side of communication
Too many people see communication as merely speaking.
Messages must be received as well as sent.
A good question to ask yourself is, are you really listening or simply waiting for your turn to talk?
If you are thinking about your reply before the other person has finished, then you are not listening!
See Handout “ Aids to Effective Listening” for further information.

13. How can we improve our listening & facilitation skills as trainers?
SUMMARIZING
Pulling together the main points of a speaker
PARAPHRASING
Restating what another has said in your own words
QUESTIONING
Challenging participants to tackle & solve
problems

14. Paraphrasing…try it out!
Use initial phrases such as:
In other words…
I gather that…
If I understand what you are saying…
What I hear you saying is…
Pardon my interruption, but let me see if I understand you correctly…
Paraphrasing is simply restating what another person has said in your own words. The best way to paraphrase is to listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Paraphrase often so you develop the habit of doing so. Practice some of the following techniques on your colleagues.

15. Summarizing…try it out!
Summarizing pulls important ideas, facts or data together to establish a basis for further discussion and/or review progress. The person summarizing must listen carefully in order to organize the information systematically. It is useful for emphasizing key points.
Try out these summarizing phrases:
“If I understand you correctly,
your main concerns are…”
“These seem to be the key
ideas you have expressed…”

16. Questioning…a critical facilitation skill
There are two basic types of questions:
Closed questions generally result in short yes/no or other one word answers. They should be used only when you want precise, quick answers. Otherwise, they inhibit thought.
2. Open-ended questions invite an actual explanation for a response. Questions that begin with “how”, “what” and “why” are typical.

17. Practice your questioning skills…
Rephrase the following closed questions to make them open-ended:
Are you feeling tired now?
Isn’t today a nice day?
Was the last activity useful?
Is there anything bothering you?
So everything is fine, then?
What tires you out?
What kind of weather are we having today?
How was the last activity useful?
Tell me what is on your mind.
Why are you looking so happy?
(Compare your answers with those in the notes below)

18. Other questioning techniques include:
Direct questions: asked of a particular individual – allows you to initiate control – good for re-directing discussion from excessive talkers.
Return questions: puts the question back to the questioner or group – “What do you think about that?”
General overview questions: used to initiate a discussion or set up a thoughtful exercise – “How would you respond to the situation?”
Hypothetical questions: tests the responder’s problem- solving ability by posing a hypothetical situation – “If you had an unlimited budget, what would you fund?”
See handout “Questioning Techniques” for more ideas.

19. Other helpful techniques to foster communication (both verbal and non-verbal)…
Nod Your Head
Repeat the last
word or two of the
prior speaker
Maintain eye
contact
Keep an open
body position
Repeat a sentence
or part of one
Make encouraging
statements

20. Ask yourself…
Which of the skills covered in this module was most useful as you think about conducting a training event?
Which was the easiest to employ?
Which was the most difficult for you?
Write down three things
you want to do to improve
your communication skills…
and practice them
prior to your next training event