This program is designed for organisations, such as the agricultural sector, who interact with people who are under enormous personal stress and may be verging on taking drastic action. This is a 4-hour workshop, minimum. The intervention strategies indicated are simply to deescalate the person from any immediate risk of harm and to provide support to both employees and clients.
The learning objectives for this program include:
- Understand why people behave the way that they do when under pressure and stress.
- Effectively manage emotions in challenging and difficult conversations and situations.
- Identify the key elements of active listening.
- Recognise how to structure difficult and challenging conversations.
- Build empathy and rapport swiftly to encourage dialogue.
- Identify the signs of pressure and stress in others.
- Communicate with empathy and positivity to those who are struggling.
- Identify the signs of fatigue and stress in others.
- Strengthen personal resilience to reduce personal stress.
Topics include:
- Understanding how our brain works – Why do people become emotional, what are the physiological & psychological aspects of communication and emotional responses, why do we worry, and how can I support myself and others in difficult situations.
- Communication techniques to engage – Active listening techniques designed specifically for field consultants, using your voice to guide others, building a rapport with customers using empathic questioning, examining phrases that damage rapport.
- Effortless sentences – Examples of simple sentences to deescalate the angry, to support the sad, and to encourage communication with those who are reluctant to communicate.
- Manners in communication – How prejudice influences our communications, the importance of politeness in dialogue, and how to guide others during difficult communications.
- Workshop – A scenario based session examining statements and strategies.
- Body language to deescalate – Ways to sit and stand that are non-judgemental and non-confrontational.
- Stress reduction in communications – Identify what to say if you believe someone is not coping, who to refer people to for support, strategies to minimise the impact of pressure on yourself arising from difficult conversations, exploring the benefits of teamwork, and asking for help when needed.
- Crisis intervention strategies – Learning the fundamentals of continuing a conversation with someone who has indicated they intend to commit suicide.
- Managing personal stress – How to forget about work at the end of a busy day, the importance of sleep, exercise, and socialisation, and introducing positive techniques to change negative attitudes.
The business outcomes for this program include:
- Enhanced communications with the client – making the customer your priority.
- Reduced pressure on consultants – confident that they have additional communication skills.
- Increased employee engagement – knowing that I have the tools to deal with anything.
- Reduced tension in communications – supporting customers and employees alike.
- A resilient workforce – able to withstand the effects of pressure and stress.
- Optimistic attitudes increase.
- Organisational risk is mitigated.