Generations @ Work

For the first time in history, four generations now interact with each other in the workplace. Each generation brings their own set of characteristics, morals, values, beliefs, experiences and attitudes to work. The potential for conflict, miscommunication and misunderstanding has never been greater.

 

By examining each generation, we are able to provide an in-depth view into how each generation operates within the corporate world and inspire understanding, tolerance and the ability to work together within your organisation.

 

This session covers the following aspects of corporate life, as seen through the eyes of each generation:

 

• Attitudes to work and the workplace
• Respect
• Communication
• Conflict Management
• Feedback
• Management Styles

 

We look at generational preferences with regard to each of the above and explore effective approaches which understand and capitalise on the differences to create effective working relationships.

Sales Skills

In order to effectively convince a customer to buy your product or service, you must understand your customer. Your approach and sales technique needs to be altered to each one of your customer’s needs if you want to sell successfully.

 

This focus unit looks at the sales preferences unique to each generation:

 

• what their view on selling is
• what selling techniques will work and why
• what they find offensive
• what the interaction should be like
• what their priorities are 
• what their view on what good service is
• how they like to receive information.

 

Customer Service

By examining customer service through the perspectives of the different generations, we are able to look at the attitudes of the different generations to new or ‘foreign’ products, what communication styles are effective, and customer service techniques will be successful in each generational context.

 

Understanding these generational differences is critical to those who are willing to adapt their personal styles to meet their customers’ needs.

 

This focus unit covers the following:

 

• managing customer expectations
• dealing with difficult customers
• responding effectively to specific customer behaviours
• generational views on what good service is
• how the different generations like to receive information
• what they find offensive
• what the relationship/interaction between the server and the customer should be

 

Communication Skills

In order to effectively communicate with your colleagues, customers and suppliers you must understand the different generational communication styles. Your approach to each message you convey or receive must be altered to fit within each generational context whether this be a telephone calll, an email or meeting situation.

 

This focus unit looks at the service preferences unique to each generation:

 

• how the different generations communicate
• how they receive and internalise information
• how they like to receive information
• what they find offensive
• what form the interaction should take

 

Conflict Management

For the first time in history, four generations now interact with each other in the workplace. Each generation brings its own set of characteristics, morals, values, beliefs, experiences and attitudes to work. The potential for conflict, miscommunication and misunderstanding has never been greater.

 

By examining the perspectives of the different generations, we are able to look at the kind of conflict management techniques that will be successful in resolving conflict and present practical guidelines for when to use them. This will enable individuals to make the conflict process productive opening new avenues of creativity and discussion.

 

This focus unit looks at the following:

 

• attitudes to authority
• attitudes to situations of conflict
• how conflict is internalised
• conflict management styles for the different generations
• practical guidelines on when to use different conflict management techniques

 

Negotiation Skills

By examining negotiation skills through the perspectives of the different generations, we are able to look at how to improve individual and business negotiation styles, how to keep an open dialogue, how to prevent and resolve potential areas of conflict and what approaches will work within a business context to capitalise on these differences.

 

This focus unit looks at the negotiation preferences unique to each generation:

 

• how the different generations negotiate
• how they receive and internalise information
• what they what they find offensive
• what form the interaction should take

 

Coaching Skills

The role of Coach has been defined as: role model, career guide, sounding board, challenger, networker, politican, knowledge source, and mentor. In a changing business environment, the manager as coach is a far more positive alternative to the authoritarian ‘keep your distance’ attitude or traditional management styles.

 

TomorrowToday offers two focus units aimed at turning effective managers into successful coaches.

 

Focus unit 1: Understanding Talent

 

Who are the Bright Young Things? This focus unit provides an in-depth understanding of today’s talent, in terms of what talent is looking for in a career, their attitudes to work and authority, what kind of benefits they are looking for, and how they define job satisfaction.

 

It looks at:

 

Ø       Career goals

Ø       Work ethics and values

Ø       Career planning

Ø       Work environments and culture

Ø       Benefits and reward systems

Ø       Ways of motivating

 

In order to have effective coaching conversations with your team members, you need to understand who it is you will be engaging with, and what techniques they are likely to respond best to.

 

Focus unit 2: Inspiring and Developing Talent

 

This unit provides managers with the skills necessary to hold collaborative conversations: an orientation programme for coaches. The aim of orienting coaches is to ensure that a learning culture is created, in which continuous improvement through feedback is emphasised. This focus unit looks at the role of coaching in enhancing performance, job satisfaction and career development.

 

It focuses on:

 

Ø       The role of coach

Ø       The coaching process

Ø       How to plan for and create conversations

Ø       How to encourage dialogue

Ø       Communication styles

Ø       Feedback preferences

Ø       Coaching virtual teams

 

The outcome of any coaching intervention is to not only on increasing skills and building competence, but also to assist on identifying individual style, building confidence and changing mindsets.

Talent Management

We have a new kind of young person entering the business world, with a very different world view, set of values, priorities and goals to what their managers and bosses have had. And the business context is changing rapidly at the same time.

As business adapts to these societal shifts, we are seeing the emergence of young talent who, along with business, have no template to work off. Not only are they capitalising on the 'chaos' in the market place by negotiating enormous salaries and benefits, but they're being caught in the tension being created by a world in transition.

Focus Unit 1: Attracting and recruiting Talent:

In order to effectively attract and recruit talented employees you need to understand what talent is looking for in a career and how they will view your business in terms of fitting in with their needs. Your approach to each one of your potential recruits needs to be altered to suit who they are.

 

By examining this through the perspectives of the different generations, we are able to look at their attitudes to work, what kind of career, organisation and benefits they are looking for and know what kind of techniques will ensure that your recruitment process is successful in each generational context.

 

We look at :

 

• attitudes to work
• career goals
• views on organisations and how they are currently run
• what benefits each generation is looking for
• techniques to attract the different generations: what will make your organisation stand out?
• techniques to recruit the different generations: how should the job offer be presented?

 

 

Focus Unit 2: Retaining and developing Talent

 

In order to effectively retain and develop Talent you need to understand what the generations are looking in a future career and in an organisation. Your approach to each one of your employees needs to be altered to fit individual goals and personal needs.

 

This focus unit looks at the following:

 

• work ethics and values
• career planning
• work environments and culture
• benefits and reward systems
• ways of motivating

 

Focus Unit 3: Managing Talent

 

An in depth look at how the generations internalise authority will enable you to adjust your management style to fit in with who they are.

 

We are able to look at the attitudes of the different generations to leadership and management; what kind of management approaches will ensure that you gain maximum loyalty, productivity and job satisfaction from each of your employees.

 

Here we focus on :

 

• attitudes to authority
• management styles for the different generations
• leadership styles used by the different generations
• specific techniques to help you manage different generations including communication and feedback preferences
• coaching and mentoring preferences
• customising your style

 

Assertiveness Skills

As a communication style and strategy, assertiveness is distinguished from aggression and passivity. How people deal with personal boundaries (their own and those of other people) helps to distinguish between these three concepts. Passive communicators do not defend their own personal boundaries and thus allow aggressive people to negatively influence them. They are also typically not likely to risk trying to influence anyone else. Aggressive people do not respect the personal boundaries of others and thus are liable to harm others while trying to influence them. A person communicates assertively by not being afraid to speak his or her mind or trying to influence others, but doing so in a way that respects the personal boundaries of others. They are also willing to defend themselves against aggressive incursions.

What Assertiveness Skills will do for you:

·         Enhance your communication skills.

·         Increase your self-confidence and self-esteem.

·         Help you to gain the respect of others.

·         Improve your decision-making ability.

 

This focus unit aims to develop Assertiveness Skills by examining the following:

 

·         Understanding Assertiveness.

·         Understanding your personal assertiveness style.

·         Applying assertiveness as a communication strategy.

 

Presentation Skills

The course is practical and highly interactive, in that delegates are required to demonstrate their communication skills throughout, and relies heavily on both facilitator and peer feedback.

 

This programme focuses on:

 

• Manipulating your environment
• Analysing your audience profile
• Gaining the audience’s permission
• Communicating to different personalities
• Encouraging and dealing with audience questions
• The building blocks of body language: breathing, kinesthetic, visual, auditory
• The vocal parameters
• Content structuring
• Using powerful visual aids
• What to do if things go wrong!

 

Combining over 20 years’ worth of experience in presenting to numerous and varied audiences, Tomorrow Training is proud to present a programme in which we share what we believe are the secrets behind an unforgettable delivery.

Business Writing Skills

Our Business Writing programme is designed to empower delegates by developing their skills in Business English writing. It is aimed at English First and Second Language speakers who wish to improve their written English. The programme is an integrated programme which focuses on the existing skills base and is custom-built to incorporate the standard written formats of a company or organisation.

 

Objectives

• To structure a programme based on a complete diagnostic interview and thorough needs analysis.
• To work with the existing skills base in developing proficiency in written English.
• To provide the delegate with a support system for the full duration of the programme.
• To provide individual attention and a corrective approach to language learning through small group training.
• To focus on all aspects of Business writing:

·         Language

·         Structure

·         Style

·         Format

·         Vocabulary

 

To create a learning environment in which individuals can participate actively, learn creatively and express themselves openly.