The Institute of the Internal Auditors (IIA)'s Doha Chapter conducted one-day communication workshop led by trainer, Kwong Yue Yang.

Yang is a native of Canberra, Australia but lives in Guangzhou, China. He is associated with ‘Own the Room’ and had conducted training in China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and the US.

“Communication is also at the very core of the business. Whether it’s a weekly team meeting, a sales call with a potential customer, or a presentation to a current customer, clear and effective communication is tantamount to success.

“It is important to recognise that people are the greatest asset and invest in their professional development. Communication training can be transformative not only for the individual participant but for the business as a whole,” Yang said.

The three main training modules discussed were "Connect", "Clarity", and "Discovery". Through interactive modules, the training imparted the essential communication skills to lead more confidently, market more creatively, network more effectively.

The first area of "Connect" is to learn what’s needed to connect with any audience and build rapport. Whether it's a one-to-one, small meeting setting, or in front of a big audience, learning to establish a connection with the audience is fundamentally important to get the message across.

The second aspect was "Clarity" and is related to learning techniques to communicate messages with clarity to ensure the audience understands and remembers the most relevant content.

The third module, "Discovery", dealt with the use of questioning techniques that help to understand problems better, uncover hidden opportunities, and build trust.

Yang said, “Break through barriers to become a more confident, compelling communicator.” Quoting Jan Koum, Yang added: “Communication is at the very core of our society. That’s what makes us human.”

The IIA’s Global Internal Audit survey of core competencies for today’s internal auditors identified communication skills as the top three requirements. Internal Audit Standards (IPPF-2420) state that the quality of communications must be accurate, objective, clear, concise, constructive, complete, and timely.

“Internal auditor's success is based on how they leverage their communication skills to develop business relationships. Hence, auditors should learn to listen to obtain information, talk to impart observations, and write to communicate findings.

“What makes a difference is the ability to be an effective communicator with diverse cultures, multiple generations, and capability to interact with stakeholders,” said board member Rajeswar Sundaresan.

“This highly-impactful training arms anyone, from entry-level professionals to CEOs, with the skills and confidence to influence. We are fortunate to have Mr Yang, an accomplished trainer, who helped us to understand the nuances of business communication,” added IIA board member Christian Adonis.


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