Employee Engagement Training - A Management and Leadership Course

What you'll take away from this employee engagement training

• How to be much more connected with people and learn some employee engagement strategies.
• How to develop skills that will enable you to engaging in much better on their wavelength and get them tuned in and engage much better on yours.
• How to talk straight and be more engaging by give them really effective feedback.
• How to win their trust and get them to take you more into their confidence when they're struggling to do what you want them to do.  As soon as you feel their level of engagement is slipping you'll be able to discuss it openly with them and resolve the problem.
• How to develop skills that will give you the power to succeed with your bosses, peers, friends and relations ... indeed, with anyone you interact with.  They're a simple set of basic employee engagement skills with universal usefulness.
• You'll learn is a powerful blend of the two most crucial employee engagement skills.  These skills are listening with empathy and speaking assertively.  The course aims to help you master them.  It is a practical how-do-you-actually-say-it course, with lots of clear guidance and coaching on how you can apply the skills to your own difficult conversations.
• We'll help you master the skills.  You'll receive lots of one-to-one coaching so you can put them into practice when you most need them.  We'll also help you identify common mental habits that get in the way of successful employee engagement.  Mental habits matter. They're the reason why these skills are not necessarily easy.  Becoming aware of them is a step towards laying them aside.  

A practical guide - how to improve employee engagement

How to use emotionally intelligence to inpire and motive employees 

On this employee engagment course you'll learn strategies for developing better quality relationships with your workforce, how to become a highly engaging leader and manager, how to create the right atmosphere and environment for a team to trust and thrive, and how to give employees a voice so you can help them express themselves more satisfyingly.  You can make a start on improving the quality and effectiveness of your communication.  Here's how:-

How to inspire and motive employees with praise that isn't over the top 

To give praise, think of something specific that the person has said or done that you feel good about, and give three pieces of specific information about it:-

1. The fact that you feel good, e.g., pleased, satisfied, impressed, full of admiration.
2. Secifically what you feel good about.
3. Why it makes you feel good.

Then pause and pay close attention.  Allow time for your praise to sink in and for the other person to respond.  Do not be in a hurry to start the criticism.  Go on to the criticism only when you are sure he is in a receptive state of mind.

How to criticise employees without making them defensive

Here's how. Think of one thing you feel bad about, and give 3 specific pieces of information:-

1. The fact that you feel bad, e.g., frustrated, concerned, dissatisfied, alarmed. 
2. What you feel bad about.
3. Why it makes you feel bad.

Then pause and pay close attention.  Allow time for your criticism to sink in and for the other person to respond.

When you try out this method of engaging with employees, pay close attention to how the other person is receiving it.  Make your praise so specific, honest and generous that he feels genuinely approved of, and do your utmost to make the whole experience highly motivating for them.

Most people are amazed at how well this method works when they put it to the test.  However, this kind of assertiveness training is hard to learn quickly.  Practise in easy situations before moving on to difficult ones.  On the Skills with People course we'll give you a great deal of coaching and feedback to help you develop your confidence you can use this approach effectively.

Employee engagement - practical tips

If I follow praise with criticism will I end being negative?

Not if you are generous.  If you do a generous enough job with the praise, the criticism will also be received as positive.  It will not be necessary to follow it with praise.

Is it necessary to start with praise?

Yes, it’s a pretty good rule of thumb.  Otherwise your constructive criticism, however kindly meant and well done, is likely to put them on the defensive, and then it is much harder to get through to them.

How do I know when I have given enough praise?

The answer is, when they feel genuinely approved of.  So be generous.  Don’t stop at one piece of praise when you can find two.  Don’t stop at two when you can find three.  Convince them you are genuinely in their fan club.  The result is electric.  Imagine how it would feel if someone genuinely treated you like this.  These are powerful employee engagement skills.

What if I can't think of anything to praise them for?

Only when you suspend critical thoughts can you see the other person in a more generous light.  You can you do this by making a conscious effort to separate their weaknesses from their strengths.

What if I resent them too much to think generously about them?

You can't think generously while carrying a grudge.  Grudges, or grievances, weigh heavily on us.  However, no one can make us carry them.

Am I not in danger of being patronising when I give praise?

Yes you probably will sound patronising unless you make the praise very specific, and say only what you sincerely mean.  If you do these two things there's no danger of being patronising.

Why is the PAUSE so necessary when using this method?

It gives time for your words to sink in, and for the other person to respond.  Most people are in a rush.  Don’t be.  This way of communicating works better slowly.

Must I always follow praise with criticism?

No, of course not.  It works better if you give more praise than criticism.  It also works well to praise often with no criticism attached.

Testimonials for this employee engagement training

Feedback from the managers of participants who took this training

• "He is now aware of his need to control his direct approach.  He was sometimes too assertive.  I think he is now well balanced in this respect."
  - Feedback from participant's boss - a Kimberley-Clark marketing director

• "He has made excellent progress in the management of his team. He has ensured key stakeholders are involved in decision-making and has gone to great lengths to gain commitment and help from his team."
  - Feedback from participant's boss - a Johnson & Johnson finance director