Are your interns, candidates, and graduates suffering from a lack of professional exposure, limited knowledge of the business environment, or underdeveloped interpersonal or soft skills? In other words, do they need Workplace Readiness?
The School of Etiquette offers a Workplace Readiness Programme that is specifically targeted to empower delegates with the commonly expected skills that employers seek from world-class candidates.
The Workplace Readiness Programme offers a set of skills and behaviours that are necessary to achieve success in any job. These abilities help your candidates learn how to interact with supervisors, co-workers, and clients and navigate the corporate environment with ease and confidence. The Workplace Readiness programme reinforces the importance of behavioural professionalism and soft skills. This programme builds an understanding of the impact our conduct and behaviour has on others and how successful they become.
Day 1: Workplace Readiness Programme
Qualities of Personal Appeal
- Defining the qualities that lead to personal appeal. People buy into people before they buy into the product or service.
Self-esteem
- Self-esteem forms the foundation for any measure of success you hope to achieve in your life. Delegates will learn how to increase their self-esteem which in turn positively affects every aspect of their life including their productivity and intrinsic motivation.
Strategic Body Language
- Body Language can affect how people perceive you and whether they ‘buy’ into your credibility. Candidates should be aware that their body language is communicating very strong messages which can either be positive or negative. It is equally important for candidates to understand what the clients are saying without explicitly stating it.
Building Connection with Clients
- Build a relationship with someone in seconds by demonstrating similarities subconsciously, this is particularly important when meeting new clients and creating a saleable personal brand.
Eye Contact
- Candidates will learn how an eye contact is a form of connection, and how to use it to their advantage. Cultural expectations and sensitivities will also be discussed.
Preparing for Meetings and Events
- Preparation is one of the greatest factors to success. When attending a meeting or gathering, it is advantageous to know as much about the people and occasion as possible in order to fully harness the potential opportunities.
Attending Meetings
- Host and Guest duties are expected of a business professional.
Boardroom Meeting Etiquette
- Mannerisms and behaviours and how to navigate the boardroom with professionalism and confidence.
Making an Entrance & Controlling the First Impression
- First impressions can affect whether people like you or will want to work with you again. This section helps delegates learn how to manage themselves in those first key seconds.
Choosing and Joining Groups
- Delegates will learn how to confidently approach groups of people at events and spark up a conversation.
Master Networking
- Topics of conversation to broach, how to enter and exit a conversation, and how to navigate a room filled with people whilst holding glassware and food helps delegates feel more confident and capable to sell themselves.
Professional Small Talk
- Specific topics of conversation that should and shouldn’t be spoken of, in the presence of new acquaintances.
Telephone and Email Etiquette
- Understanding the basic rules of telephone and email etiquette as well as practical exercises and drills
Day 2: Workplace Readiness Programme:
Deportment
- How do you walk, stand, and take your seat professionally?
Professional Image
- Understand Dress Codes, Formal Business Attire, Shapes and Styling and dressing for your Body Type.
Cultural etiquette
- Rules of engagement change from culture to culture; young professionals need to understand how to adapt their behaviour.
Virtual Meetings
- Face-to-face meetings are phasing out, and the next generation needs to be kept abreast of the new rules of engagement for virtual meetings.
Elevator pitches & Introductions
- A 15-second selling statement. Use of a professional title tends to intimidate those you speak to, this section focuses on learning how to give the benefit of what you do rather than your title.
LinkedIn & Social Media Etiquette
- Social media is slowly changing the face of personal identity. Delegates need to be aware of the impression they are creating and how their behaviour on social media can affect their hireability.
Candidates who can communicate effectively and act professionally, have a far greater chance of being shortlisted, selected and made permanent employees. No matter what technical skills a job may require, every job requires candidates with good social and professional interpersonal skills.