Course Information

This seminar is designed to enhance the communication and interpersonal skills of Audit professionals.  In this fast-paced, highly technical world, interpersonal effectiveness is vital to the success of auditors.  This program is designed to help auditors understand how and why they think and communicate differently.  Participants will leave the workshop with practical tools for immediate application with clients, colleagues, and in their personal lives.

 Participants can expect to develop an approach to human relations which includes: insight into another person’s behavior; assertion of his/her unique style; competency in managing interpersonal interactions; and effectiveness in getting the job done.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Develop their skills in open ended communicating and be able to:

•  Understand the emotional and communication skills required to produce useful and timely information from  interviews  and interactions with management, clients and co-workers

• Understand the various styles and methods of communication;

• Analyze their own communication styles;

• Understand how auditors process information and communicate differently.

• Determine why some people are more detailed and some people are bigger picture in their thinking.

• Discover the factors that play into decision-making for different personality types.

• Confirm the value of effective listening in all relationships in order to build and encourage trust.

• Learn how to understand business partner expectations;

• Be able to apply customer relations skills in a face to face or telephone   situation;

• Know how to work with an angry business partner.

• Understand the importance of observing the behavior of others

• Develop observation skills and patterns of behavior             

•  Learn interviewing strategies and problem solving techniques including;

• Create an understanding of and agreement to roles in decision making;

• Develop relationships more effectively with  business partners and identify their needs more accurately;

• Generate requests which create commitment and produce results;

• Recognize phases of organizational change and its impact on individuals and groups;

• Defuse resistance to change by using the skill of active listening;

• Identify sources of conflict when coordinating work with staff in other departments; prepare for and conduct conversations intended to resolve conflict or otherwise make things happen; and speak “up the ladder” to better work with managers from other departments.

Detailed Course Outline

• The purpose of communication

  • Assets and deficiencies for the various styles of communication

  • Formal communication

  • Informal communication

  • Grapevine/rumor communication

  • Non-defensive communication

  • Methods of communication

  • Speaking so the listener hears and understands

  • Listening so that you hear and understand (ie. active listening)

  • Barriers to effective communication

  • Identifying your own barriers

  • Identifying the barriers of others

  • Overcoming barriers so that communication takes place group dynamics and interpersonal communication

• Skills required of an Auditor

  • Investigative skills - Interviewing

  • Listening

  • Paraphrasing

  • Questioning

  • Identifying the need

  • Identifying what phrases and voice patterns to avoid

  • Open ended questions

  • Yes/no interrogation

  • Hypothetical problem solving

  • Stress interview

  • Dialogue

  • Marketing skills to encourage a relationship of trust and respect

  • Follow-up

  •  Relationship management

  • Communication of results

• Problem Solving Techniques during an Audit

  • Become aware of the role creativity plays in problem solving.

  • Learn a technique to determine if the problem has been defined correctly.

  • Eliminate problem solving time wasters.

  • Practice ways to be thorough and not rush to a solution.

  • Discuss ways to sell your ideas for the solution

  • Addressing conflict

  • Clarifying the communication process

  • Doing it better

•  Applied Customer Relations Skills in building trust

  • Direct customer contact

  • establishing rapport

  • Managing the customer in distress

  • diffusing anger

  • non-defensive communication

  • identifying the problem that needs to be resolved so that "we"

  • can move on

  • feels ignored

  • feels short-changed

  • feels frustration

  • does not feel like a valued customer

  • moving on - addressing the situation itself

•  Telephone etiquette

  • Opening remarks to establish rapport

  • Identifying the problem or challenge

  • Determining the customer's expectations

  • Identifying plan of action

  • Closing the conversation

  • Note: all class exercises and role

Prerequisite not required.