Managing Relationships

Overview

Our interactions with others don’t always produce the outcomes we expect or need.  In some circumstances, we might be tempted to blame the other party for failing to listen or understand, or being intransigent - clearly, it is they who are at fault. 

But what if it is not their fault?  What if the way we present our ideas, needs or arguments simply doesn’t fit with their view of the world, or meet their needs for clarity? What if they don’t like the forcefulness with which we make our arguments? What if they perceive a self-interest that glosses over their requirements, affecting their trust?

This programme looks at the behaviours, of which we might not be aware, that can impact negatively on the relationships we seek to build with others, including our ‘life positions’, ‘scripted roles’ and ‘ego states’.  It explores the importance of rapport in building trust, the role of assertiveness in handling conflict, and the strategies we might employ for developing influence, all of which are important in producing positive relationships with others.

Aims

To provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on elements of their emotional intelligence, specifically their awareness of others and relationship management to help build confidence, competence and resilience in their job roles.

This workshop dovetails with the one-day Managing Yourself workshop that looks at other elements of emotional intelligence related to self-awareness and self-management.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the programme, you will be able to:

• List the five steps for structured development
• Explain stress responses by reference to ‘life positions’ and ‘scripted roles’
• Describe how, by recognising default behaviours, you might change the course of a difficult conversation
• Identify ‘ego states’ and their influence on transactions
• Describe the importance of rapport in building trust and the necessary steps to take
• Explain how others’ perception of ‘self-orientation’ can influence relationships
• Explain the role assertiveness and its benefits in building relationships and managing conflict
• dentify your own influencing style and strategies you might adopt to achieve better outcomes for interactions with others
• Address real workplace issues with confidence by using a range of techniques aimed at achieving more positive interactions with others.

Workshop Content

Developing Relationships

• Developing awareness of others
  • Life positions - OK corral
  • Transactional analysis
  • The drama triangle
• Building positive relationships with others
  • Building rapport
  • Building trust
  • The trust equation

Conflict Handling

• Understanding conflict
  • Conflict handling modes
  • Model of assertiveness
  • Using assertive language

Influencing Others

• Influencing styles
  • Styles questionnaire
  • Push-pull attributes
  • Questioning and listening
  • Reflective questioning and the use of empathy