Building relations - trainer

1. Introduction to building relations

To build good relations at work with coworkers, leaders and related target groups are ideal for achieving goals, an incentive and stimulus for good atmosphere, prosperity and creativity for all. Often building relationships is the groundwork that must be laid before anything else gets done at work. It doesn't make sense to form relationships just to get people to do work for the institution or enterprise. That will not work because people will feel used. We form relationships because we genuinely like someone, because we share some common goal or because we simply need to know that it is necessary for the well-being for all at work. 

Relation-building can imply many factors and all of them are heavily depended on everyone’s good efforts and contribution. To guide learners to develop and be aware of own skills in building relations is important to all at work. This module focus on these topics:

• Communication style
  
• Networking and teambuilding
  
• Dealing with negative and difficult people and situations
  
• Customer service
  

1.1. Communication styles

Communication at work is integrated and part of work procedure and working tasks. This imply spontaneous situations, efficiency and problem solving together with co-workers. To be aware of communication style is essential in building good and fruitful relations. 

Aims of communication style are:  

• learn and practice basic communication principles by listening to others as much as own speaking
  
• learn strategies for speaking on the spot  
  
• avoid intimidating emotional reactions
  
• listen and withhold judgment

Basic communication principles:

Communication style at work includes use of language in different modalities, both in oral and written form. This module has focus on speaking and listening, the use of oral language. Speaking and listening are closely linked and characterized on one hand, by spontaneous language use. However, it can also require formal and prepared use of language. In workplaces, both informal, spontaneous and formal oral communication is a part of daily work. Different purposes of communication, communication between different target groups and in different situation imply different style. 

Activity:

Let learners study different pictures (people, situations, contexts…) illustrating a variation of communication style. Discuss how learners imagine their communication style in perspective of building relation.

• https://pixabay.com/en/

Strategies for speaking on spot: 

To speak and respond quickly and on spot can be a challenge to all if we want to communicate precisely and polite to our co-workers. It is also a challenge to avoid feelings and negative attitude towards others if utterances are provocative or can be understood in this way. To use language to gain control of spontaneous negative situations is important and retain one's composure. It is also important to use language if we lose control to be explicit and apologize.        

Activity: 

Let learners reconstruct negative experiences of communication or speaking on spot. How did they deal with it? 

Avoid intimidated feelings:

To have control of oneself is important when dealing with other people and is essential to build good relations at work. To stay calm and not react by strong feelings, even in difficult, provocative or demanding situations is necessary. It is difficult to cooperate and deal with people who are very emotional and  affective in their expressions. A core principle is to avoid use of inflammatory or accusing language. 

Activity:

Let learner reflect on his or her own emotional utterances or others. Reconstruct them and try to find neutral and not emotionally loaded utterances.

Listen and withhold judgment

At workplaces we will all meet and cooperate with people with different attitudes, political / religious creed or cultural background than oneself. If some attitudes influence in negative way cooperation and good relation, it is important to listen and learn language that promote agreement, tolerance or maybe limit setting.   

Activity: 

Let learners reflect on his or her experiences with people with conflicting attitudes. How did they deal with this by using communicative style?

1.2. Networking and teambuilding

At workplaces it is necessary to work in teams and build network. Working together is necessary to reach goals and helps working productively.  Networking and teambuilding are core issues in building relation and depend on contribution from each member. Many issues are important to build good networks and teams. 

Introduction to the topic of "team building" → Watch the video of an activity dealing with "team building" "relations" and "cooperation".

Aims of networking and teambuilding are:

• obtain trust and have confidence 
  
• overcome fear of rejection
  
• be friendly and make a connection
  
• know principles from goal settings to evaluation in teamwork 
  

Trust and have confidence 

To cooperate indicate to have trust and confidence to all co-workers in team. Trustful attitudes encourage co-workers to give their best, to contribute to common goals and work processes.

Activity:

Let learners discuss: how they can show trust and confidence to co-workers? Describe attitudes, use of language and communication style.

Overcome fear and rejection:

Teamwork means to contribute to common goals. It depends on ideas and viewpoints from each participant, to be shared with co-workers. To experience rejection and contrary viewpoints are normal for all, and must not stop contribution from participants. Get over it.

Activity:

Let learners create a team and discuss a theme related to work. Formulate pro- and contra arguments and test learners skills in handling rejection and contrary argumentation. 

Be friendly and make a connection

This may seem self-evident, but a friendly word or smile can make someone's day. Try to find something in common: all of us want to have close connections with our co-workers.

Activity:

Let learners play a role game by using friendly and not-friendly attitudes towards co-workers in a concrete situation. 

Know principles from goal settings to evaluation in teamwork

Teamwork often require some principles for effective processes. Each participants must know the goal of the work and communication rules as for instance for turn-taking. 

Activity:

Let learners organize a meeting to practice communication rules.

1.3. Negative and difficult people and situations

At all workplaces there will occur negative and difficult people and situations that we have to deal with. Attitudes or approaches can be a challenge to handle. It is important to manage situations that can cause conflicts and tensions. Therefore, it is important to adapt operating style to different situations and to promote problem-solving and negotiation techniques to minimize conflicts. 

Aims of Dealing with negative and difficult people and situations: 

• Negotiation and problem-solving
  
• Creating harmony
  

Negotiation and problem-solving

All participants at workplaces have a certain responsibility to deal with and to influence the behavior of others to achieve common goals. To compromise and to collaborate is important competences to achieve common goals. Furthermore, everyone have to learn and use language that promote agreement and cooperation. Complex situations require clarity to solve problems and conflicts. It is necessary to use listening skills to advance collaboration and to use neutral language, free from emotions, to gain control of different situations. 

Activity:

Let learners reflect on a situation at workplace with negative behavior, either from themselves or by others. Discuss how they could deal with this in a positive manner.

Activity:

Let learners make a list of possible causes of dissatisfaction and tension at workplace. Choose some factors and describe strategies to manage them. 

Activity: 

Let learners describe ways of developing own positive positions.

Creating harmony

Both employees and employers have a certain responsibility to the tone and energy of their work environment in a positive way. This require of each participants to promote ethics and moral-building in themselves and others and to practice positive communication skills. All have to appreciate the variety of skills represented in the work environment and recognize contributions from coworkers. 

Activity:

Let learners put words to good moral and ethics at workplace for team building and relations. 

Activity:

Let learners identify and put words to how they recognize contribution to coworkers.

1.4. Customers service

The concept “customer” includes not only customers, but also clients, patients, guests, relatives and so on. Employees and employers have to communicate and cooperate with different target groups. Their communication, behavior and attitude represent and reflect the workplace, organization or institution as a whole. Everyone is in this way an important face of the organization, and has to provide the highest standards of communication and attitudes. This require to be proficient in problem-solving, in listening, in using appropriate language  and communication style and in bringing situations to satisfactory conclusions. 

Aims of Customers service: 

• Attitudes and behavior towards different target groups
  
• Managing complaints from different target groups
  

Attitudes and behavior towards different target groups

The way we communicate and behave towards other people is essential to building relations, to well-being and understanding of important messages for all parts. 

Activity:

Let learners identify attitudes and behavior that makes barriers of good relations to different target groups.

Activity:

Let learners review examples of excellent attitudes and behavior towards different target groups. 

Managing complaints from different target groups

It is required to all employees and employers to master every type of complaints, bad behavior or attitudes from clients, customers, patients or relatives. Employees and employers have to act in a professional way to bring any situation to a satisfactory solution. The way this is handle, also reflect the face of the institution or workplace. 

Activity:

Let learners identify difficult cases from real life situations from clients, customers, patients and so on, and make them describe strategies to master these cases.

Activity:

Let learners describe strategies for exhibiting tact, diplomacy and patience towards challenging target groups.