Professional Development & Training > Programs by Topic > Certified Facility Manager > Communications

Communications - An IFMA Based Competency Course

As a facility management professional, you are expected to possess not only solid interpersonal skills, but also to respond almost immediately to communication requests, including 100 or more emails a day.  This is in addition to preparing reports, writing procedures and performance appraisals, conducting executive briefings, responding to questions, communicating through intranet sites, participating in video conferencing, teleconferencing and online meetings.

Successful communication requires that all parties understand a common language, especially when a facility manager is called upon to translate complex technical concepts.

The communication process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing and evaluating. Use of these processes is developmental and transfers to all areas of life: home, school, community, work and beyond.

Identify:

• Part 1: Who You Are and How to Improve—The ability to establish rapport with others is fostered by understanding what to look for and identifying what others want, while determining the type of behavior most appropriate in different situations. Energy, confidence, expertise and a sincere interest in other people are acquired proficiencies that are important to every facility manager’s success.
  
• Part 2: Negotiating—Negotiation (taking someone else’s wants and needs into account along with your own and formulating new alternatives that lead to a better outcome) can be successful if obstacles are pre-identified and strategies developed to overcome them. Understanding the 5 steps of the negotiation process can significantly improve the chances of negotiating an agreement.
  
• Part 3: Meeting Etiquette—By gathering all the required people at the same time, a facility manager can get all of the needed input at once and make decisions quickly, as long as the meetings are the time-savers they were meant to be.
  
• Part 4: Writing 101—The ultimate goal in any type of written media is to communicate clearly.  By following the 8 principles of effective writing, the writing will be simple, clear and concise, regardless of the media.
  
• Part 5: Presentations—A facility manager’s ability to determine the purpose and audience of the presentation is imperative to success.  A competent facility manager must be able to use presentation technologies effectively, while remembering visual aids are meant to enhance the presentation, not detract from it.

Course activities feature Buzzword Bingo using over-used cliches, short sectional quizzes, group discussions and developing a year-end report framework. 

Why Should You Attend?
Certified Facility Manager® (CFM®) Candidates - This course is designed for Facility Management professionals seeking to enhance their skills in the specialty area of project management. To earn your Certified Facility Manager (CFM) credential, project management has been identified by IFMA as a core area of skills and knowledge nessessary for a successful facility manager.  If you are seeking your CFM and require additional development in this area, you'll want to take this course.  For more information on the CFM credential click here.

Instructor

Ericka Westgard Reilly, CFM 

Continuing Education
1.5 CEUs or 15 contact hours

Price
Regular: $595

IFMA Member/NIU Alumni: $545

Meet Our Financial Contributors
Financial Contributors 

Event #10394

Date

Nov 20-21, 2009

Location

NIU Hoffman Estates

Time

8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Register Online!

Online registrants MUST use a credit card.

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Registrants paying by check should fill out and send in the Mail/Fax Registration Form

Mail completed form to:
Northern Illinois University
Outreach Services - Registration
DeKalb, IL 60115

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Additional Courses - Core Areas of Skills and Knowledge for Facility Managers

The Business of Facilities Management

Finance

Real Estate

Planning and Project Management

Operations and Maintenance

Leadership and Management

Quality Assessment and Innovation

Human and Environmental Factors

Technology

CFM Final Review

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Have a question or prefer to speak to a person?
Call 800-345-9472 Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (CST) for live assistance.