BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS
meetings | presentations | negotiations | report writing | email writing | telephoning

The English Academy is renowned for its personalised solutions. In parallel with our more general language training, we also offer a range of highly efficient training modules to help you or your staff to improve specific communication skills.

Target group
These courses are suitable for:

• Non-native speaking professionals working in an English-speaking environment or people who need to boost their skills for a future project.
• Participants with an intermediate (B1+) to advanced (C2) level of English.

Expert Trainers
The business communication trainers are our most qualified, experienced professionals with an extensive background in successfully training the staff of international organisations and business people in general.

Practical Training
For us, professional language training is not just about theory. It is, however:

• A dynamic blend of core theory and realistic and targeted practice through role plays and simulations.
• An interactive approach, where every participant’s contribution is corrected and evaluated.
• Concise and clear, with professionally relevant outputs, facilitating an accelerated learning curve.

Two sessions of four hours per module
The setup of these business communication seminars is very straightforward and guarantees a maximum result for a minimal number of hours.
Each training module consists of three parts:

• During a first training session, participants learn the theory and how to apply it, supported by comprehensive training materials.
• The participants receive a practical assignment to prepare.
• During the second session, the assignments are corrected and commented upon. The participants progressively master and refine their new skills.

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Meeting skills
In the modern corporate world, successfully participating in and/or chairing meetings requires a complex blend of skills, including: fluent control of advanced language structures and functional tools, conciseness, clarity, impact and effective body language

Key objectives
Through an interactive approach supported by filming and structured feedback on relevant meeting simulations, participants will cover:

• Key language techniques - structuring, appropriateness and economy
• Voice techniques - impact and clarity
• Core meeting skills - clarifying, handling disagreement, reaching consensus and dealing with interruptions and misunderstandings
• Chairing skills - effective opening, managing the agenda and measured closing

Measurable outputs
This training module will provide participants with:

• Increased confidence and fluency in meetings
• A toolkit of appropriate language to deal effectively with all aspects of meetings
• The necessary competencies to effectively chair meetings
• A stronger awareness of cross-cultural considerations

Presentation Skills
A wide range and blend of skills are required to deliver an effective presentation: developing and exploiting visual aids, logical structuring and transitions, impact, managed body language, strong vocal control and the ability to deal well with questions from your audience.

Key objectives
Through an interactive approach supported by filming and structured feedback on group and individual presentations, participants will cover:

• Writing and structuring presentations – organisation, economy and clarity
• Visual aids – effective design and exploitation
• Voicing – increasing impact through emphasis, intonation and pausing
• Core techniques - opening, signposting transition and closing
• Body language - consistent non-verbal communication to support the spoken message
• Question and answer – dealing with difficult questions

Measurable outputs
This training module will provide participants with:

• Increased levels of confidence and fluency
• A more structured and clearer style of delivery
• A comprehensive toolkit of techniques to raise their impact in future presentations
• Improved skills in writing presentations and designing visual aids
• A stronger awareness of the importance and active control of body language

Meeting & Negotiation Skills
Effective negotiation is essential to best represent your institution’s interests. It requires: successful relationship management with counterparts, conscious control of tone and body language and clear, concise communication using consistently appropriate language.

Key objectives
Through coverage of principal negotiation concepts and corresponding language tools blended with an interactive approach supported by filming and structured feedback on relevant negotiation simulations, participants will cover:

• Key negotiation concepts
• Key language techniques - structuring, appropriateness and economy
• Voice techniques - impact and clarity
• Core negotiation skills - clarifying, bartering, handling disagreement, reaching consensus and dealing with interruptions and misunderstandings
• Cross-cultural considerations – differing communication styles

Measurable outputs
This training module will provide participants with:

• Increased confidence in negotiations
• A more structured style of communication with more impact
• A toolkit of appropriate language to deal effectively with all the main stages of a negotiation
• A stronger awareness of cross-cultural considerations and the importance of body language

Professional Report Writing Skills
The quality of an organisation’s documentation defines how it is perceived professionally. Developing the ability to consistently and more quickly produce clear, concise and structured output with an appropriate control of tone is a must

Key objectives
This interactive course, through a blend of reviewing the core principles of effective professional writing and practical tasks to refine these skill areas, will cover:

• Audience – tailoring your writing to the intended internal and/or external world
• Organisation – examining writing models across genres (reports, emails, memos, letters etc.)
• Conciseness and clarity – achieving a natural, clear and concise writing style
• Precision – raising awareness of precision and, where necessary, diplomacy
• Appropriateness – developing control of tone and levels of formality
• Grammar and vocabulary issues will be regularly followed up by the trainer following the specific problem areas encountered by participants in their writing tasks

Measurable outputs
This training module will provide participants with:

• A more effective and efficient writing style
• A stronger control of tone and levels of formality
• Clear style and format guidelines for future writing
• An accurate control of grammar and vocabulary

E-mail Writing Skills
In the modern business, institutional and political fields, emails are a frequently-used tool for internal and external communication. Successful email writing requires not only a good command of language, but strong control of tone and functional language.

Key objectives
Through an interactive approach, providing clear, practical tools developed through analysing best and worst practice models as well as participants’ own emails, the course will cover:

• Audience – tailoring your language and writing style to internal and external recipients
• Organisation – clearly and appropriately structuring information
• Conciseness and clarity – achieving a natural, clear and concise writing style
• Precision – raising awareness of precision and, where necessary, diplomacy
• Appropriateness – developing control of tone and levels of formality
• Grammar and vocabulary issues will be regularly reviewed by the trainer following the specific problem areas encountered by participants in their writing tasks

Measurable outputs
This training module will provide participants with:

• A more effective and efficient writing style
• A stronger control of tone and levels of formality
• Clear style and format guidelines for future writing
• A more accurate control of grammar and vocabulary

Telephone Skills
Although e-mail has now become so common, the telephone remains a central tool in every working environment. Successful phone and conference calls require not only the ability to fluently express clearly structured messages, but also strong listening comprehension skills.

Key objectives
Through an interactive approach supported by structured feedback on relevant recorded simulations, participants will cover:

• Key language techniques - structuring, appropriateness and economy
• Voice techniques - impact and clarity
• Core telephone skills – opening calls, clarifying, handling disagreement, reaching consensus, dealing with interruptions and misunderstandings, closing calls
• Listening comprehension – techniques for raising understanding across a range of accents

Measurable outputs
This training module will provide participants with:

• Increased confidence and fluency in phone calls and conference calls
• A comprehensive toolkit of appropriate language to deal effectively with all aspects of calls and conference calls
• A stronger level of listening comprehension across all common accents

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Calendar - beginning of 2017

These are the modules (8 hours) that are currently planned.
Additional seminars can be organised according to demand.

• MEETING SKILLS
  Thursday 12 and 19 October 2017: from 9 AM to 1 PM

• PRESENTATION SKILLS
  Friday 6 and 13 October: from 1 to 5 PM

• EMAIL WRITING SKILLS
  Thursday 14 and 21 December: from 9 AM to 1 PM
  Tuesday 17 and 24 April 2018: from 1 to 5 PM

• REPORT WRITING SKILLS
  Thursday 30 November and 7 December: from 9 AM to 1 PM
  Tuesday 8 and 15 May 2018: from 1 to 5 PM

• TELEPHONE SKILLS
  Wednesday 13 and 20 September: from 1 to 5 PM

Book your business communication skills training module now

• Dynamic & interactive groups of only 3 to 6 people
• 2 intensive sessions of 4 hours per module
• At the English Academy in Brussels, Rue Louis Hap 156
• Competitive price of € 280 per skills module (2 x 4 hours), all costs included
• 2nd skills training course per person: 10% reduction

Your will become considerably more efficient with just this small investment

• Good communication in another language opens up new international markets
• Shaky communication, with lots of mistakes, reflects badly on you and your organisation
• You gain so much time once you have learned how to communicate efficiently

Contact us now on 02/734 80 73 or email us at info@englishacademy.be to reserve your place or to get more information. The number of participants is strictly limited!

P.S.: You can also book individual skills training courses: 2 x 4 hours with a tailor-made timetable (not evenings) for € 560 for one skills training module + VAT 21%
In-company seminars: timetable, choice of skills and prices on demand.

To reserve your place or to receive more information: 

call us at 02/734 80 73 or send us an email