Communication Skills Training?
August 26, 2022 1:39 PM Subscribe
I'm an in-house lawyer looking for some communication skills trainings.
I'd love some help/advice/testimonials finding quality (virtual) live trainings (group or one on one) to improve presentation skills (giving big internal presentations (live online and eventually in person trainings)) and also to improve internal leadership communication for non manager skills. I'm a senior in-house counsel so, among other things, I spend my days running meetings and negotiations with and for my internal clients who are senior c-suite and would like to spend my boss's training budget on improving these comms skills.
I'm NOT interested here on negotiation skills, but on the "management for non managers" and "soft skills for in-house lawyers" kind of classes. Thanks for any advice! No need for CLE credit.
I'd love some help/advice/testimonials finding quality (virtual) live trainings (group or one on one) to improve presentation skills (giving big internal presentations (live online and eventually in person trainings)) and also to improve internal leadership communication for non manager skills. I'm a senior in-house counsel so, among other things, I spend my days running meetings and negotiations with and for my internal clients who are senior c-suite and would like to spend my boss's training budget on improving these comms skills.
I'm NOT interested here on negotiation skills, but on the "management for non managers" and "soft skills for in-house lawyers" kind of classes. Thanks for any advice! No need for CLE credit.
Dale Carnegie is usually a pretty reliable and widely available resource for these types of soft skills/communications courses.
posted by platinum at 11:34 PM on August 26, 2022
posted by platinum at 11:34 PM on August 26, 2022
I follow Max Beaumont on youtube and patreon. He's a communication coach who reacts to celebrity videos. It looks like he does private coaching.
posted by Nickel at 1:22 AM on August 27, 2022
posted by Nickel at 1:22 AM on August 27, 2022
Seconding Dale Carnegie. My boss sent me on a course there when I started my current job and it was excellent. Speaking to groups still doesn’t come naturally to me but the course gave me tools to fall back on. This was an in-person course (and if you’re talking about getting better at in-person communication I think that would be preferable) , but they do offer virtual courses.
posted by Kriesa at 4:21 AM on August 27, 2022
posted by Kriesa at 4:21 AM on August 27, 2022
I’d recommend either the Dale Carnegie Course (which is the one I did live) which is 8 or 12 weeks once a week, or it looks like they have a number of 2 or 3 hour courses that are more targeted. Virtual Meetings that Engage might be useful.
posted by Kriesa at 5:16 AM on August 27, 2022
posted by Kriesa at 5:16 AM on August 27, 2022
I would start with Toastmasters. Long time member here. However it also depends on where you are in your communications skills. If you are nervous during presentations, do a lot of ums and ahs, then Toastmasters definitely will help. If you are looking for the basics of writing and delivering speechs, TM will also help. If you are beyond the basics, then TM may not be as helpful.
I'm pretty comfortable speaking before a crowd now, either prepared speeches or impromptu speaking (given a topic, talk to it in an organized fashion). If you want to go further than the basics, there are personal coaches, acting and improv courses, speechwriting courses etc.
p.s. I've stayed as a member of Toastmasters because I find that public speaking, like any skill, gets rusty if it isn't exercised. So my weekly TM meeting is a communications "workout". Plus I've made some very good friends there!
p.p.s. Oh yes, most TM Clubs allow you to visit as a guest. So a good idea would be to drop in and see a meeting or two for yourself. Each club is slightly different, they follow the same general template, but some have a more informal vibe etc. PM me if you need further info.
posted by storybored at 6:24 PM on August 27, 2022
I'm pretty comfortable speaking before a crowd now, either prepared speeches or impromptu speaking (given a topic, talk to it in an organized fashion). If you want to go further than the basics, there are personal coaches, acting and improv courses, speechwriting courses etc.
p.s. I've stayed as a member of Toastmasters because I find that public speaking, like any skill, gets rusty if it isn't exercised. So my weekly TM meeting is a communications "workout". Plus I've made some very good friends there!
p.p.s. Oh yes, most TM Clubs allow you to visit as a guest. So a good idea would be to drop in and see a meeting or two for yourself. Each club is slightly different, they follow the same general template, but some have a more informal vibe etc. PM me if you need further info.
posted by storybored at 6:24 PM on August 27, 2022
Many years ago, I attended a small group company training with Cara of SpeechSkills. I think at the time, she was a one-woman operation, and she’s grown it a lot since then. But I highly recommend it for presentation skills. Cara gave us each very specific, actionable, personalized suggestions for improvements, with a keen talent for honing in on exactly what each of us was doing that helped or hindered the impression we’d want to make. As we incorporated her suggestions, they made a much bigger-than-anticipated change in how well we came across. Like there’d be someone who came across as a little egotistical and detached, and she’d offer seemingly small tips, like tilting the head down or changing stance or gestures or volume. Suddenly the same person, having made those changes, would come across as more authoritative and approachable. It’s kind of uncanny. Everyone who took it, at a wide range of skill levels, found it remarkably valuable, and it’s really stuck with me.
posted by daisyace at 4:35 PM on September 1, 2022
posted by daisyace at 4:35 PM on September 1, 2022
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posted by redondo77 at 5:23 PM on August 26, 2022