Program Topics:

Communication Essentials
At the foundation of all excellent communication are some basic principles and techniques. Listening effectively, speaking concisely, asking questions, projecting confidence just to name a few. Excelerate's Communication Essentials provides "essential" training for people at every level of the organization. Rich with content and transferable exercises; the Communication Essentials curriculum provides a robust learning opportunity for all. This curriculum is offered in a variety of formats including workshop, online training and through a customized coaching model.

Assertiveness
What does it mean to be assertive? Many of us have misconceptions of what assertiveness means and what assertive behavior looks like. We often associate assertiveness with aggressive, abrasive behavior. By definition, to be assertive means to be inclined toward bold or confident presentation, to be self-assured. There is a direct link between assertiveness, confidence and competence, and consequently leadership. When we have a clear understanding of what it means to assert oneself; we can take a deeper look at how assertiveness impacts our leadership effectiveness.

Building Trust

‘If I don’t trust a man he can do no right, but a trusted friend can do no wrong.’
~ Essence of William Blake
In our human nature we are quick to forgive those we love and trust; and remain closed to the efforts of people we believe we have reason to distrust. The dictionary defines trust as ‘placing confidence in somebody, or in somebody's good qualities, especially fairness, truth, honor, or ability.‘ Trust dramatically improves our ability to influence others. It increases productivity, opens doors, creates opportunities and gets things done. Trust reduces cycle times, eliminates hidden agendas and promotes healthy relationships. Trust is a powerful relational asset and should be coveted and protected at all times. As a leader trust is essential. When you are perceived as authentic and trustworthy you have the ability to influence others.

Difficult Dialogues
The Difficult Dialogues is a practice-intensive course dedicated to helping people engage successfully in the most challenging situations. In this curriculum we train and coach participants how to confront problems in productive ways; how to head off problems before then get out of hand; how to address conflict with an individual, how to stop commiseration and how to stand for what they believe is right. Participants of Difficult Dialogues graduate from the coursework feeling capable, empowered and confident to make an impact.

When provided as a workshop, content and exercises are tailored to meet the topical and emotional needs of the group. Through coaching, Difficult Dialogues is entirely customized to meet the needs of the individual.


Clear & Concise Communication
When we are clear and concise we communicate a clear, actionable message or request for the listener. Learning to craft concise messages and deliver them in a clear manner improves our ability to keep others engaged, enhances our results and increases productivity.

Conflict Management
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field, I’ll meet you there. ~ Rumi

Individuals bring different needs, goals, values and beliefs to an organization. These differences can be the primary strength of an organization; these same differences inevitably lead to conflict. Conflict management is the principle that not all conflicts can be resolved; however learning to manage conflict can help teams avoid non-productive escalation and lead to high quality results. Conflict is often the result of poor communication; conflict management can be achieved by learning good communication, emotional mastery and self-awareness skills.


Image Management
It takes less than five seconds to make an impression. Is the impression you make the image you want to portray?

To successfully demonstrate the “image� of a powerful person, we must be able to step back and become an expert observer of ourselves. What statement are we making through our verbal and non-verbal communication? Our verbal communication is more than just the words we use (less than 35% of our message is conveyed through our words). It is also our tone and pace and our ability to listen to others in the conversation. More than 65% of our message is conveyed non-verbally through poise, posture, facial expression and even our personal grooming. What does your clothing say about you? Do you dress appropriately for the occasion? How you dress portrays your image to your superiors, peers and clients.

When we manage our image, we create alignment between what we intend to communicate and what is received by the other party.

Interaction Styles
Interaction Style refers to our preferences for how we engage with others. Our Interaction Style is the behavioral aspect of our personality and tells a lot about how we communicate. Your interaction style is part of the personal filter through which you see the world. In investigating personality we are not looking to label people or confine them to behavioral boxes. Instead, we are looking at people’s natural tendencies; their preferences for doing things. By understanding these tendencies in yourself and others you will be able to interpret communications, intentions and behaviors with greater accuracy. When you can see how style rather than intention makes people act in a certain way, it becomes much easier to accept and value their style. Once you better understand and accept yourself and others, your attitude changes and your possibilities increase.
MBTI (Myers Briggs)
Using the MBTI or Myers Briggs Type Indicator as our tool for understanding personality, we know that there are at least three key areas that combine to make up our unique personality. There is Temperament, which tells us why we do things, Cognitive Dynamics which refers to how we take in and process information and Interaction Style; the behavioral part of our personality. The MBTI emphasizes the value of naturally occurring differences in personality types, all types are equal – there is no best type. The goal of learning about personality type is to understand and appreciate our own preferences as well as understand and value the differences in others.

Public Speaking
Studies have repeatedly shown the impact of nonverbal communication equals or exceeds that of verbal content in our ability to influence our audience. Public speaking is not simply a matter of conveying information; it is an exercise in leadership. We do not succeed by possessing the best information, we become successful leaders by sharing information in a way that empowers and motivates others.

Learn to use nonverbal tools to motivate and empower you listeners:
• Influential Greetings
• Powerful Presence
• Facial Expressions
• Eye Contact
• Gestures
• Smiles
• Emotion
• Vocal Command (energy and variety)
• The Power of Pause and Silence

Don’t let the fear of public speaking stand in the way of become a leader of influence.

Shifting Perspectives
The goal of the Shifting Perspectives curriculum is to improve your ability to relate and communicate effectively with others by teaching you to see things from their point of view (shift perspectives). Shifting Perspectives is one of the more difficult skills to master because it requires behavior that does not come naturally to us. It is, however, one of the more powerful skills you can learn as a leader, and as you develop a practice of shifting perspectives you will notice significant improvement in your ability to lead and influence others.
Shifting Perspectives is about understanding another party’s point of view; it is NOT about subordinating your own perspective or agenda. People sometimes get confused on this issue and rebel against the concept because they believe they have to give in to others all the time. This is not the case. When we make the effort to understand others, we are collecting information in order to make a valid assessment of the situation, and with this information we can choose the course of action which allows us to obtain the best result possible. Sometimes we will find our position changing as we learn new information. Often shifting perspectives will result in our having a more empathetic attitude toward the other person’s perspective – even when we don’t change our position. This promotes communication that is informing, respectful and empathetic. Good communication promotes synergy and healthy relationships.