Leadership Institute

Interaction Skills for Success

Learning Format: Classroom, Web-Based

Order No. WD35

This Course is a Prerequisite Course.

Did you know that everyone has two kinds of needs during any interaction: personal and practical?

Improving people’s interaction skills will improve the way your workforce thinks and acts. This course presents the basics on how to work well together, reduce wasted time, lessen conflict, and influence interactions in a positive way.

Do You Face Any of These Issues?

  • Is there a need for increased cooperation and courtesy among associates?
  • Are your people “team players” or do they put themselves first?
  • Do others resent coworkers for being too busy to help them?
  • Do your people doubt they can go beyond their “regular” duties to help others?

Performance Objectives

Helps associates:

  • Choose the most effective way to interact with others in order to reduce wasted time and miscommunication.
  • Get what they need from their interactions.
  • Make sure they give people what they need from their interactions.
  • Maintain strong working relationships and reduce misunderstandings and conflicts.

Primary Competencies Developed

  • Building Strategic Working Relationships
  • Communication

Secondary Competency Developed

  • Gaining Commitment

Course Overview

  • The Choices You Make: Participants watch and discuss a video depicting on-the-job interactions. They review 10 Basic Beliefs—the foundation for all interactions.
  • Key Principles: Participants learn about personal and practical needs. A video and debrief explore the struggle people face in meeting others’ needs and how making the right choices leads to success. In a series of activities, learners build skills in using the esteem, empathy, and involvement Key Principles to help meet personal needs. Exercises include: identifying the most effective uses of Key Principles, taking a “What’s Your Empathy IQ?” self-assessment, and completing part one of a team knowledge test on the first three Key Principles.
  • More Key Principles: In a series of activities, participants learn how the share and support Key Principles help meet personal needs. Exercises include: video examples; “What Would You Say” exercises; a debate over which Basic Belief is best supported by sharing thoughts, feelings, and rationale; role play and analysis of a support situation; and part two of the team knowledge test.
  • Interaction Guidelines and Summary: Learners review Interaction Guidelines for meeting practical needs and an on-the-job Key Principles reminder calendar.

Video Segment Summaries

  • Fast-paced video scenes illustrate the wide variety of interactions that can occur on the job.
  • Vignettes show how the esteem, empathy, and involvement Key Principles meet personal needs during interactions.
  • A series of scenes illustrate how the share and support Key Principles meet personal needs during interactions.

Course Details

  • Target audience: All employees through frontline leaders.
  • Course length: 3 hours, 25 minutes, or 2 hours, 5 minutes Fast Track.
  • Facilitator certification: DDI-certified facilitator required.
  • Prerequisites: None.
  • Series: Suitable for all environments.
  • Group size: 10 to 20 people.
  • Prework: No.

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