The Art of Communication:
C.O.N.N.E.C.T

C.O.N.N.E.C.T is workplace communication skills training for employees who work with colleagues and customers. Practise listening, asking questions and clarifying messages to make instructions and discussions easier to understand.

Communication skills in working relationships

Communication skills training is easier to plan when your organisation identifies conversations that often cause misunderstanding. Examples include work instructions, departmental handovers or discussions that end without an agreed next action. Explain who sends the message, who receives it and what needs to become clearer. This context helps GGC discuss a focus relevant to participants.

Organisers can prepare sample messages or situations without confidential details for the initial discussion. Distinguish problems with message content, channel choice and how people respond. Explain whether the team communicates face to face, by telephone or in writing. The aim is to choose examples close to daily work so discussions about listening, questioning and checking understanding have clear context.

C.O.N.N.E.C.T focuses on exchanging messages and building understanding in working relationships. If participants mainly need practice speaking to an audience, compare S.P.E.A.K. If the main conversations involve customer complaints or enquiries, see Five Star customer service. These distinctions help organisers choose the most useful focus before combining several needs in one training programme.

Details to confirm with GGC

Before choosing a programme, share the target group, participant numbers, departmental functions and preferred language. Explain the work situation you want to improve and what your team has already tried. This helps the discussion about focus, duration, format and activities. These details need to be agreed with GGC according to organisational needs and participant experience.

Use brief, anonymised examples for the initial discussion. Describe the roles involved, the challenge and what organisers want participants to practise. Avoid sending customer names, confidential organisational information or employees’ personal details through the enquiry form. Examples do not need to be long; clear context is more helpful than a list of problems without priorities.

Choosing a module and planning follow-up

You can choose up to three modules on the Training Programmes page to discuss with GGC. After a session, organisers can agree one work action, who is responsible and a review date using internal processes. Follow-up helps connect learning with real work situations. Performance changes still depend on implementation, organisational support and the team’s context.

During the initial discussion, distinguish essential topics from optional ones. If time is limited, agree priorities first and discuss room for practice and feedback. An agreed scope helps organisers prepare participants and assess the suitability of a proposed programme before making a decision.

Further reading: Toastmasters International’s guide to better listening.

See S.P.E.A.K training if participants’ priority is presenting and speaking to an audience.