21ST CENTURY COMMUNICATION SKILLS
21st-century business is demanding more from its workforce
than ever. After interviewing over 2,000 managers and executives
from many of the world's leading corporations, American
Management Association identified four skills that have been
articulated within each organization as priorities for employee
development, strategic planning, and talent management.
Critical Thinking:
Everybody makes assumptions. Critical thinkers know how to
break through and separate the opportunity from the glut.
Creativity:
Sometimes the answer is right in front of you. Learn how to break
out of established patterns and look for the unexpected.
Collaboration:
The ability to thrive in a team setting while demonstrating tact,
reason, and persuasion is critical to your management success.
Communication:
Quality written and oral communication is not only about
expressing your views; it's about making your views understood.
Someone has to do the work—it shouldn't be your audience.
Today's workforce needs to be able to navigate a continuous
stream of information, trends, and practices in a fast-paced,
competitive global economy. Today's workforce needs creativity,
collaboration skills, communication skills, and the ability to think
critically. These are the sought-after skills today’s business
demands—these are the skills that define success.
CRITICAL THINKING:
Today, almost anyone can open up a web browser and tap into a
seemingly infinite stream of information—the only limiting factor
being one’s own curiosity and imagination. Employees need the
critical thinking skills to discern new challenges and opportunities
from the flux and glut of instant-access information. These critical
thinking skills have become a core competency in every
workplace.
Skills of a Critical Thinker
Decision Making: Being informed is essential in
making decisive, high-impact decisions with clarity and
confidence.
Strategic Thinking: Uncover potential opportunities to
anticipate, initiate, and manage change.
Entrepreneurial Thinking: Learn to embrace risk and
rejection instead of fearing them in order to rejuvenate
your business.
Information, Media and Technology: The future growth
of every business depends on accessing and utilizing a
global network of resources.
With the Internet growing by over 10 million new pages a day; it
comes as no surprise that many employees simply feel
overburdened by the sheer quantity of information out there.
CREATIVITY:
Yesterday's solutions do not solve today's problems. Your success
in today's global economy depends on your ability to identify the
insights your competitors miss. Simply relying on yesterday's
ideas, products and certainties will spell failure. Don’t be afraid to
test your assumptions and attack problems from a new angle.
This is the first and most important step in unleashing the
creative potential within yourself, your team, and your company.
Our programs highlight:
Skills of a Creative Person
Strategic Planning: Identify evolving strategic patterns and
generate ideas on how they can be applied to your
organization.
Abstract Thinking: Learn to develop and analyze the ideas,
images, and data that come from exploring relationships,
patterns, and associations.
Creative Techniques and Activities: Foster creativity by
exploring and sharing a number of possible solutions.
Curiosity: The people who ask the most questions and who
are engaged are the ones who will understand the root of
the problem and find a solution more quickly.
Collaboration:
Collaboration is not the same today as it was 20 years ago. In
today's global economy, high-speed communications allow virtual
teams to take on projects from locations spread out across the
globe. To keep up with this rapidly growing trend, employees are
expected to have both traditional team-building skills and the
self-direction to effectively collaborate from afar.
Skills of a Collaborative Person
Developing trust: When the only forms of communication
are emails, net meetings, and conference calls, you need to
know how to develop trust without face-to-face interaction.
Leading with Influence: Teamwork goes with leadership.
Learn how the ability to influence those around you can be
your greatest leadership asset.
Working fluidly across boundaries: Learning people's
methods, cultural references, and work habits are necessary
to collaborate for an effective end.
Demonstrating global awareness: Your ability to
understand what is going on in the world is essential in
becoming an active and informed teammate and leader.
COMMUNICATION:
Effective communication is the foundation on which companies
and careers are built and a crucial component of lasting success.
Whether the audience is an entire organization or a single
individual, effective communication requires bringing together
different points of view and relaying that information without
losing clarity or focus.
Skills needed:
Self-awareness and listening techniques: Communication is
a two-way-street. Effective listening will improve your job-
effectiveness and work relationships.
Presentation skills: The ability to speak well in a public
forum is what separates average managers from excellent
leaders.
Business writing: Organized, logical and persuasive writing
will allow you to break through the clutter to get your
message heard.
Intervention and conflict management: Express your ideas
in an honest and direct manner to take control of any conflict
or situation without alienating others.
Assertive communication: Asserting your authority without
being heavy-handed is a delicate issue but necessary in
earning the respect of those around you.
