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Dawn Whitehead, Learning and Development Policy and Contract manager at the Government Office Network, explains how the government is striving to improve how it communicates and describes the benefits training in effective written, physical and verbal communication can bring to any organisation
 Effective communication is essential in ensuring that information or instructions are unambiguous and misunderstandings are avoided. Clear communication is vital for any organisation and for a government department such as The Government Offices for the English Regions acting as the interface between Whitehall and local governments, regional partners, the media and the general public, it is essential that staff can communicate quickly and appropriately.
Communicating effectively ensures that expectations are clear, that the right information is conveyed and that the network liaises effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
Organisations are increasingly realising that good communication equals good business. How an organisation communicates, whether written or spoken, gives a clear indication of its professionalism and organisational values. Communication can only be successful, however, when both the sender and the receiver infer the same meaning from the information being conveyed.
By producing clear, complete, concise and correct communication, misunderstandings will be minimised. This in turn reduces time and money wasted pursuing inaccurate specifications or directives. Good communication also empowers employees, increases organisational efficiency and improves relations between departments. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential for all employees, irrespective of industry. We now see this translated into an increased demand for communication skills training.
Communication audit
The first step when organising any communication skills training initiative is to conduct a full audit of current communication styles in order to identify the skills gap. Only when this analysis is complete can organisations really identify key objectives and design the most appropriate solution.
The Government Offices’ primary training objectives are to provide basic guidance on effective communication and to provide employees with skills and strategies to communicate through any medium with a wide range of stakeholders. Responding to e-mails, speaking to local partners in person or via the telephone, and drafting ministerial documents are all part of their daily roles.
The Policy and Learning Centre at the Government Offices selected culture and communication skills consultancy Communicaid as its training partner for communication skills and commissioned them to design and deliver training in three key areas: written communication, physical and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Through close collaboration with the Policy and Learning Centre, a series of interactive workshops were designed to address the diverse needs of all staff across Government Offices nationwide.
These training programmes were developed as part of a wider learning and development strategy aimed at extending employees’ professional skills in order to carry out their roles more effectively. The Policy and Learning Centre is fully committed not only to developing professional skills and motivating staff, but also to fostering longer term organisational improvements. Pilot courses were delivered very successfully in January and the workshops are now set to be delivered to staff at all levels throughout the Government Offices.
Interactive workshops
All three workshops delivered are interactive and enable participants to think about their existing styles and to practice new skills. Trainers use role play activities, questionnaires and discussions to ensure that participants are fully involved. All the workshops allow participants to share personal experiences, discuss best practice and encourage networking across the organisation.
The Physical and Verbal Communication workshop also includes video recorded activities which allow delegates to review their body language, eye contact and tone of voice and to give each other feedback in a non-threatening environment. This enables them to understand the impact of their communication style on others and to see how sometimes relatively small changes can make a big difference to how they are perceived. The Interpersonal Skills workshop focuses on how participants build rapport with others and looks at strategies for managing challenging people or situations. The Written Communication programme improves participants’ professional writing skills whether they are writing e-mails, press releases, proposals or reports and combines general principles of good writing with analysis of participants’ own writing. The key to success in all three workshops is that participants develop relevant, applicable skills which they can take back and immediately incorporate into their daily work at the Government Office Network.
By taking these steps towards improving employees’ written, physical and verbal communication skills, it has become apparent that what started as an organisational requirement is now also a real benefit to individuals. The Government Office Network is striving to create a framework that will ensure staff communicate with all their stakeholders in a consistently clear and impactful way. The training programmes ensure that they are also equipped with vital strategies and skills that will enable them to not only work more effectively and more quickly, but will also strengthen teamwork and group performance.
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