Communication for IT Professionals
Last updated on May 1, 2019Effective communication is one of the most important personal and professional skills. It is what enables us to pass ideas, information and thoughts to the people around us. In recent times the world is experiencing technology advancements at a more rapid pace the ever before. This means that organizations need strong communicators to advise on these technologies.
In 2019 the OCIO recorded a 90 minute communication webinar to help individuals gain the necessary communication skills to help their organization flourish. Below is the video link to the 90 minute webinar.
This webinar will explore the 6 key areas of effective communication. Participants watching this engaging presentation will learn how to effectively deliver any message so that they leave a lasting impact.
Complete Webinar
Below you will find the complete 90 minute webinar as well as informational pdfs on the 6 key areas of communication
Webinar Sections
Understanding your Audience
When we begin to shift our focus towards our audience, we can develop presentations that are relevant to our listener. When presentations or any communication is relevant to a listener it will cause this listener to be engaged and attentive because you are speaking to their needs and wants.
This section beginning at 10:25 explores how to understand our audience and craft the message towards them.
Understanding your Audience PDF
Content for Clarity
As presenters we need to understand that our audience does not have control over time. As the speaker we control the pace of the presentation. For this reason a great speaker needs to build content for clarity, so the audience and absorb and understand the message.
This section beginning at 17:32 explores how we can build content that is clear and easy to understand.
Structure for Simplicity
What makes a great speaker is very similar to what makes a great leader. One of the key ingredients to both is that they have a direction that they are going, and their team or audience is made clear of it from the beginning. To say it simply a great speaker “leads” the audience and makes them aware of it right from the beginning. To do this effectively one must have a structure to their presentation.
This section beginning at 34:01 explores how to create a great structure for your presentations.
Engaging the Audience
Content, clarity and structure are key components of a great presentation but sometimes they are just not enough. What do you do when your audience is disengaged or distracted? To be a great communicator we need to know how to effectively engage our audience so that they can listen to our impactful message.
This section beginning at 42:22 explores many ways to effectively engage your audience.
Body Language
Great communicators know that communication is so much more than just words that are written. Strong communication is the combination of three factors body language, content and voice. Some studies have found that body language is the biggest factor in communication. To become a great communicator, we need to effectively understand how to utilize our body language.
This section beginning at 53:42 explores many ways to effectively communicate with your body.
Voice
The voice is one of the most powerful tools to convey a specific message. Some studies show that communication is 38% voice, this means that we need to understand how to effectively utilize it. If you have ever listened to someone who is a monotone speaker you will quickly understand just how detrimental this can be to an audience’s engagement and understanding of a message. Below we will explore the basics to effectively utilizing your voice.
This section beginning at 1:07:18 explores many ways to effectively communicate with your voice.
Conclusion
This section beginning at 1:12:49 talks about how you can take the next steps towards improving your communication skills.
Questions and Answers
This section beginning at 1:17:41 explores some of the questions that arouse during the communication webinar.