Bell Leadership Institute Offers Advanced Communication Skills Training in 2010

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Bell Leadership Institute is offering two open-enrollment seminars on Advanced Communication: Mastering the Seven Essential Skills of Effective Communication in Chapel Hill, NC, in 2010.

It is hard to overstate the value of communication skills.  Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett recently said that MBA students could increase their value by 50 percent by having better communication skills – a value he estimated at $500,000.  Dr. Gerald D. Bell's Advanced Communication training helps leaders to increase their effectiveness and raise their value through improving in seven essential skills of communication.

Leaders who have attended this seminar in the past rave over the value they received.   Eric Reibsane, CIO at Casella Waste Systems said, "It had an immediate and meaningful impact.  I found myself practicing in the airport and on the way home with excellent results."  David Osborne, Director of Project Management at CB Richard Ellis agreed and said, "It was by far the most transformational session I've ever attended."

"Your ability to convey your ideas to others," according to Buffett, "will be an enormous determinant of your success."  Equally important is the ability to listen deeply and effectively to others and to fully understand their ideas.  Listening – perhaps the most underrated of the seven essential skills of communication – can make the difference between getting the job and not getting the job, receiving the promotion you have been working towards for years or watching a colleague move into the coveted position, and keeping your marriage on solid ground or ending up in divorce court.

Dr. Gerald D. Bell, founder and CEO of Bell Leadership Institute and a professor at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School, has over 40 years' experience working with top business leaders.  He has seen firsthand the impact great listening skills have.  "When you listen to someone they feel valued, respected, happy and productive.  They feel more motivated, inspired, and eager to solve problems and produce good results."  He also notes the effects of poor listening skills.  "When we don't listen to people they feel hurt, rejected, demeaned, disrespected, and de-motivated."   Simply put, great listening skills make money for you while ineffective listening skills lose money.    

After conducting years of research on the most effective and least effective traits of leaders, Bell advises leaders to "listen like children watch TV."  Children sit up straight, slightly leaning into the TV.  Their eyes are glued to the screen.  Bell calls it the Achiever Listening position, and he recommends it as a first step in improving your listening skills.    

The benefits of improved listening and other communication skills go beyond the workplace.  

• "The program was useful in all aspects of my life," said Stef Perry of Vietri, Inc.  "I have found myself much more effective in meetings at work as well as with my family."
• Another recent participant began practicing Dr. Bell's listening techniques immediately after the first day of the seminar.  He returned the next morning both excited and grateful.  "I really listened to my wife last night, just like we practiced," he said.  "By the end of the conversation, she said she felt closer to me than she had at any time since we were first married."

The next time you have a chance to listen to a colleague, partner, or child, assume the Achiever Listening position and focus your attention on the speaker.  You might find yourself amazed at the impact it has on both you and the person talking.  If you take on this challenge, perhaps 2010 will be the year that you master the all-important skill of listening – and maybe even increase your value by 50 percent.

Bell Leadership Institute (www.bellleadership.com) is a recognized leader in executive education and development. Since 1972, Bell Leadership has helped organizations develop leadership mastery through its programs and services.  Its training programs have been used by more than 500,000 leaders in more than 4,700 organizations in over 30 countries.

SOURCE Bell Leadership Institute