The Veritas Group Comunications Workshop

Creating Communication in Organizations and Work Teams
IFMA
January 25, 2011
Presented by
Ariane David, PhD
Managing Partner
THE VERITAS GROUP
Senior Lecturer
California Lutheran University
[email_address]

Communication or “What it takes to be part of the clan.”
Two aspects of communication
Interpersonal
Nuts and Bolt

Interpersonal Communication or “How I learned to Love the Soft Fuzzy Stuff”
Influencers of interpersonal communication
Perception
Intent/Willingness

Perception
(the crazy story of the crazy man)

So what’s going on?

Why do we perceive what we do?
Different mental models including values, attitudes, beliefs, experiences
Different needs/goals
Different information
Based on what we think we see/hear, or
Different sources of information
Different interpretation
Language
Meaning

Intent/Willingness
(choosing to “see”)

Ask: What am I NOT seeing.

The only thing I can be certain of is this is the way I perceive it . It’s never EITHER / OR. It’s always BOTH.

Why do we “intend” not to communicate?
Our attitudes trump our ability to see
Our willingness is not we “look” through the other’s window
We have a need to validate our own mental model
BLAME trumps communication
We misunderstand impact vs. intentio ns

Impact vs. Intentions: the dilemma
We judge others by the impact they have on us,
We assume the worst
We blame them
We blame their failures on them not circumstances
but
We judge ourselves by our intentions!
We judge ourselves more kindly
We often don’t see the damage we do
We blame circumstances for our own failures

Impact vs. Intentions: the answer
Never assume you know the other’s intentions
Look at their actions not your judgments about them
Look for alternative explanations for their actions
Look at the impact you had on them
Take responsibility for your impact even if your intentions were good
Good intentions don’t fix a bad impact!

Listen first
… then

Listen first
… then
Listen some more

Listen first
… then
Listen some more
Nice idea, but what does it take in order to be able to listen?

Virtues of a Good Communicator
Humility

Humility
Curiosity

Humility
Curiosity
Courage

Virtues of effective an communicator
Be humble. Realize you may not know everything that’s going on

Be curious . Knowing that you don’t know, have the desire to find out
Be courageous. Act according to what you find out
The purpose of listening is to understand
not to see where you agree or disagree

“ How-to” guide to effective interpersonal communication
What to do before you communicate
How to listen
How to speak

Before you communicate

Before you communicate
Know your goal
Question your own thinking: trade certainty for curiosity
Focus on behaviors and/or results
Look for evidence that your perception might be wrong
Question what you think you know about others
Question your own underlying assumptions
Explore all possible reasons for their behavior
Be open to differences of opinion

Before you communicate cont.
De-personalize
Separate the impact on you from the other’s intention
Be fair
Look at your impact and contribution
Focus on understanding
Lose the blame

How to listen

How to LISTEN
Know your goal.
Notice what you’re feeling.
Be curious and listen to understand.
Clarify and ask questions.
Acknowledge and reframe.
Ask if the other has a request.
Pay attention to the non-verbal cues you’re conveying.
If you’re having difficulty getting through to someone,
listen harder!

How to speak

How to SPEAK
Know your goal.
Notice what you’re feeling.
Be ready to listen first.
Briefly describe the situation but don’t include your judgments
Use non-blaming statements to describe the impact on you.
Take responsibility for your contribution .
Make your request .
Ask for feedback .
Pay attention to the non-verbal cues you’re conveying .

Some communication nuts and bolts
Meeting and discussion protocols
Communicating through organizational change
Writing and presenting to any size group

Meeting and discussion protocols

Meeting and discussion protocols Facilitator
Send out pre-reads
Have an agenda and stick to it (meeting leader)
Hold all team members to a strict time limit
Don’t allow one person to monopolize
Actively involve people
Summarize the discussion
Recap action items
End on time (or be hated!)

Meeting and discussion protocols All participants
Don’t interrupt
Assume the other’s intentions are as honest as your own
Assume that the other is telling the truth from her/his point of view
Do not argue over details
Approach the discussion with utmost respect for all
Speak openly and honestly
Remember it’s only your point of view
Speak without blame or accusation, guilt or shame

Communicating through organizational change

Communication through organizational change
Information: down and up

Build support and enthusiasm for the project: excitement; involvement; thanks

Prepare for next phase by enrolling people: gratitude; testimonials

Create employee loyalty by communicating meaning

Writing and presenting

Writing and presenting: purpose
What is the purpose?
What do I want to achieve?
What do I want not to happen?

Writing and presenting: information
Know what you want to say BEFORE you begin
Say/write who, what, when, where, how
Say it concisely but completely
For “one-on-ones” (especially with your boss) with come with notes!
Say it in as few words as possible, then cut it down some more!

Writing and presenting: delivery
Introduction: give a brief background to introduce the subject.
Discussion: provide information concisely and completely.
Make your point/request
In the case of a problem offer a solution and explain how you would implement the solution.
Plan follow-up as necessary
Summarize
Keep notes

? Ariane David [email_address] Additional Information The Veritas Group www.TheVeritasGroup.com

http://theveritasgroup.com	1162
http://marketonewebstaging.com	94
http://ifmasfv.org	23
http://ifma.swiftwebdesigner.com	5
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	3
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com	1
http://www.google.lk	1
https://translate.googleusercontent.com	1

The Veritas Group Comunications Workshop

by ArianeDavid on Jan 27, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

8 Embeds 1,290

Statistics

The Veritas Group Comunications Workshop — Presentation Transcript