Leadership Essentials Series: Communicating Up (Demo)

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C1Copyright © Vital Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.
COMMUNICATING UP — PARTICIPANT
Section 1: Class Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
30 Second Video Message to Your Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Section 2: Key Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Communication Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Your Communication Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Your Manager’s Communication Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Communication Style Situations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Communicating Up Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Your Manager’s Communication Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
How Would You Handle It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Section 3: Skill Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Communicating Up Achievement Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What Would You Say? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Section 4: Foundational Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Obstacles on the Achievement Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Section 5: Positive Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Positive Model Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Action Plan Job Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Positive Model Background Information – Office Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Action Plan Worksheet – Office Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Action Plan Record – Office Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Self-Assessment – Office Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Positive Model Background Information – Healthcare Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Action Plan Worksheet – Healthcare Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Action Plan Record – Healthcare Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Contents
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C2 Copyright © Vital Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.
Self-Assessment – Healthcare Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Positive Model Background Information – Industrial Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Action Plan Worksheet – Industrial Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Action Plan Record – Industrial Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Self-Assessment – Industrial Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Section 6: Skill Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Skill Practice #1 - Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Skill Practice #1 - Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Skill Practice #1 - Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Skill Practice #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Section 7: Reinforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Reinforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Section 8: Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
The Communicating Up Achievement Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Contents
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1 Copyright © Vital Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.
30 Second Video Message to Your Manager
Your company will soon be launching an innovative new product. The secret introduction of
the product to market required sales, engineering, and manufacturing groups to coordinate
decisions very carefully regarding a release date. At this moment, your manager is on an
international plane flight for a meeting to set the product’s release date. As you begin to leave
work for the day, you receive an e-mail.
The e-mail is from one of your team members reporting there was a critical failure and your
department’s data is unreachable now. It is unknown how long this outage will last. You need
to urgently update your manager. Unfortunately, you cannot speak with your manager live. You
decide that the best way to alert your manager is to send them a video message, as you know
they will receive it upon landing, before the meeting.
How are you going to communicate this to your manager?
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Communication Styles
Adopting the best communication style for the situation can make your conversation more
productive. Three factors of communication style are:
The way people receive information. The most common
mediums are face-to-face, phone, e-mail, and text
message.
How often people are updated. This can range from
“infrequent”(e.g., once a month) to“often”(e.g., every day
or whenever there is a change to the project).
This can range from high-level overviews to granular
details about roles and responsibilities. Often, the higher
in the leadership chain, the less amount of detail is
required.
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5Copyright © Vital Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.
“I have confidence in you and your team. There’s no need
to give me updates unless there’s a problem.”
Communication Style Situations
The best communication style to use can vary depending on the situation. Given each situation,
suggest the best way to communicate to your manager.
Situation #1:
You want your manager to know about professional recognition granted to two of your top
performers. However, your manager discourages meeting over anything that does not directly
relate to work in progress.
Medium
Frequency
Amount of Detail
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Copyright © Vital Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.
14
The Communicating Up Achievement Path
This path represents the skills you will learn and use to effectively communicate to your manager.
Leadership:
• Maintain or Enhance Team
Member Self-Esteem
• Focus on Behavior
• Encourage Team Member
Participation
• Lead Effective Meetings
Communication:
• Craft Clear and Concise
Messages
• Deliver Messages Designed for
the Team Member
• Manage Nonverbal Behaviors
• Listen to Communicate
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What Would You Say?
“This is your project. I do not want excuses. I want
results. If you can’t manage your project, then quit.”
For each situation below, review the background information and quote from your manager.
What Communicating Up Skill Point would you use to handle this situation?
Which Skill Point would you use to communicate up to your manager?
How would you say this Skill Point?
Scenario #1:
A project for which you are responsible is already significantly over budget, and your projections
indicate the situation is becoming worse. You need to hire additional contractors to complete the task.
You have put off telling your manager, who is known for having a quick temper.
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Obstacles on the Achievement Path
Use the Foundational Skills to remove obstacles on the path to a successful meeting.
Obstacle:
Solution:
Obstacle:
Solution:
Obstacle:
Solution:
Common Obstacles:
Difficulty getting or maintaining your manager’s attention.
Your manager is multi-tasking while you are having the discussion.
Changing medium, frequency, or amount of detail based upon the severity of the issue.
There are frequent interruptions from others during your conversation.
Your manager jumps to a conclusion early in the discussion.
Ensuring that your manager hears all relevant facts and options.
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A financial organization is having significant problems with their online sales portal. Tia is a team
leader in the sales administration department. Tia is informing her manager, Lisa, about another
major bug in the website. Tia has come up with a plan for a migration to a new platform that will
save the organization money.
Positive Model Background Information– Office Model
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Essential Skills of Communicating Essential Skills of Leadership

Craft Clear and Concise Messages

Deliver Messages Designed for the
Team Member

Manage Nonverbal Behaviors

Listen to Communicate

Maintain or Enhance Team Member
Self-Esteem

Focus on Behavior

Encourage Team Member Participation

Lead Effective Meeting
Action Plan Worksheet – Office Model
1. Open: State your objective in a style and format preferred by your manager.
Another major bug has been found on the website. Because of the bug, some customers cannot
complete their purchases.
2. Clarify: Detail your objective and support it with facts.
Lisa needs to authorize additional hours for the developers to fix it.
3. Seek/Share: Anticipate your manager’s questions and have answers prepared.
The website is built on an outdated platform. We are trying to add new functionality to this
platform, which is why it keeps crashing. I put together a spreadsheet that details the cost of
moving to a new service, and the associated cost savings.
4. Agree: Provide potential solutions for your manager to consider.
I can continue the process of researching the platforms. I will give Lisa the details of what I find
and the pros and cons of the various platform options.
5. Close: Summarize and confirm the next steps.
I will acknowledge Lisa for taking the time to meet with me.
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Skill Practice Instructions
This Skill Practice exercise is designed to give you practice in carrying out the Skill Points you
have learned in this course.
Team Leader:
• Your objective: Consciously practice the Skill Points.
• Background Information: Details for your role in this Skill Practice situation are found in
your workbook.
• Coaching: Fill out the Action Plan Worksheet during the coaching session by writing
down the phrases you want to use for each Skill Point.
• Skill Practice: Use the words you wrote down to complete all five steps for a successful
change meeting.
• Debrief: Moving through each Skill Point one at a time, ask your group how successful
you were in completing that step. Request feedback on use of the Foundational Skills as
well.
Manager:
• Your objective: Provide the team leader an opportunity to practice the Skill Points.
• Background Information: Details for your role in this Skill Practice situation are found in
your workbook.
• Skill Practice: Try to use the statements provided to you in the Background Information.
• Skill Practice: Don’t add new elements to the situation, which may make it more difficult
for the team leader.
• Skill Practice: Details of the situation can be found in your workbook.
• Debrief: Add your thoughts how well the team leader used the Skill Points and the
Foundational Skills.
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Coach:
• Coaching: Ask questions to help the team leader determine what he/she will say to use
all of the Skill Points, including the Foundational Skills.
• Skill Practice: Take notes on the Coaching/Feedback Form during the Skill Practice. This
will help you provide targeted, specific feedback to the team leader using the“Coaching/
Feedback Form”in your participant workbook.
• Debrief: Use your notes to lead the debriefing session by providing feedback on all of
the Skill Points and Foundational Skills as noted on your“Coaching/Feedback Form”.
• Self-Assessment: Ensure the team leader shares their answers on the“Self-Assessment”
with the group.
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Skill Practice #2 – Prepared or Do Your Own
Choose either a prepared situation below or use your own situation, using the form on the next
page. Then complete the Action Plan Worksheet on the following page. A supplementary set of
Skill Practice worksheets is included for the option to complete both the Prepared and the Do
Your Own Situation practices.
Office Scenario:
Jane is an administrative support specialist and an exceptional worker in your department.
Jane has been with the company for 18 months and has a record of perfect attendance. She is
unusually accurate and prompt in her work; in every objective measure — output, error rate, and
so forth — she exceeds her colleagues by at least 10 percent.
Jane has become so knowledgeable about the division’s operation that other workers regularly
consult her on matters of policy and procedure. Six months ago, she submitted a cost-cutting
proposal that saved the division $2,500 in the last quarter. You have always provided her with
the positive reinforcement she deserves. You even gave Jane a certificate of appreciation for her
suggestions and a letter of thanks from the regional vice president.
However, you think that her outstanding performance deserves a more substantial reward. A 3
percent raise seems appropriate to you, and you have decided to approach your manager about
it. You have an excellent working relationship with your manager and suspect that she will be
sympathetic to your case.
However, you also know that your manager is operating under some budgetary constraints
and, being a naturally cautious manager, may be reluctant to approve a raise before your team
member reaches her next automatic salary review — after two-and-a-half-years of service.
In preparing for your meeting, you have anticipated your manager’s objections and will point
out that your team member has already saved the company far more than it would spend on
a higher wage — and that doesn’t take into account her perfect attendance. Other companies
reimburse workers for not being absent. Giving your team member a raise now, while somewhat
unusual, would send a clear message to the entire division that performance beyond the call
of duty is recognized and rewarded. It would also bring increased recognition and enhanced
prestige to the manager’s department.
Healthcare Scenario:
Jane is an exceptional receptionist in your practice. Jane has been with the company for 18
months and has a record of perfect attendance. She is unusually accurate and prompt in
her work; in every objective measure — output, error rate, and so forth — she exceeds her
colleagues by at least 10 percent.
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Essential Skills of Leadership
Jane has become so knowledgeable about the practice that other workers regularly consult her
on matters of policy and procedure. Six months ago, she submitted a cost-cutting proposal that
saved the practice $2,500 in the last quarter. You have always provided her with the positive
reinforcement she deserves. You even gave Jane a certificate of appreciation for her suggestions
and a letter of thanks from the regional vice president.
However, you think that her outstanding performance deserves a more substantial reward. A 3
percent raise seems appropriate to you, and you have decided to approach your manager about
it. You have an excellent working relationship with your manager and suspect that she will be
sympathetic to your case.
However, you also know that your manager is operating under some budgetary constraints
and, being a naturally cautious manager, may be reluctant to approve a raise before your team
member reaches her next automatic salary review — after two-and-a-half-years of service.
In preparing for your meeting, you have anticipated your manager’s objections and will point
out that your team member has already saved the company far more than it would spend on
a higher wage — and that doesn’t take into account her perfect attendance. Other companies
reimburse workers for not being absent. Giving your team member a raise now, while
somewhat unusual, would send a clear message to the entire practice that performance beyond
the call of duty is recognized and rewarded. It would also bring increased recognition and
enhanced prestige to the manager’s department.
Industrial Scenario:
As a team leader for a major industrial manufacturer, you have had a persistent problem with
the respirators your workers sometimes have to wear to protect them from noxious fumes. The
respirators are bulky, and workers would rather put up with the fumes than the respirator. You
have even found it necessary to discipline some workers in order to enforce safety regulations
and to protect your people from physical harm.
In a recent issue of a trade journal, you learned of the existence of a new respirator that is
considerably lighter and more comfortable. You were able to borrow one from a friend at
another plant, and you found that it lived up to its reputation. If you could switch to the newer
model, many of the problems caused by the old respirator would disappear. Unfortunately, the
new respirator costs approximately 30 percent more, and a check with supply has revealed that
most of the current respirators will not have to be replaced for another two years.
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A call to the manufacturer has turned up some interesting information. It might be possible to
cut a deal, in which your department could serve as a test site for the new equipment. Then, if
the company placed an order, the manufacturer would purchase the old respirators at a price
that would make the deal considerably more attractive. You would be more than willing to
monitor the test and provide the company with a detailed report. You have also reviewed sick
leave records for the past two years. Since you strongly suspect that failure to wear the old,
bulky respirators is to blame for a significant proportion of sick days in your department, you
are prepared to make a case that new respirators would result in a 20 to 30 percent reduction in
sick days. If your projection were correct, then the savings would go a long way to offsetting the
increased cost of new respirators.
Armed with this information, you decide to approach your manager, who must approve a
move of this type. You strongly suspect he will be antagonistic toward the idea, as he has
gone on record that the reason workers aren’t wearing their respirators is that they are not
severely disciplined for failing to do so. You want to point out that, while discipline is sometimes
necessary, it is ultimately less cost effective than upgrading equipment and reducing the
number of disciplinary actions showing up on the department’s reports.
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Do Your Own Skill Practice
…… What is the work environment? (Office, assembly line, etc.)
…… Team Leader Role: Who is the team leader? What is important to know about the team
leader’s role in the situation? What does he/she hope to accomplish?
…… Manager Role: What is the manager’s position? What is important background
information about the manager and his/her role in the organization? What is the manager’s
communication style?
…… Describe the Situation: (Keep it simple.) What does the team leader need to communicate?
What is the bottom line? What issues are involved?
…… Team Member Response: What might be the manager’s response? What issues or
questions might the manager have?
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48 Hour Reinforcement
1. You want the manager to know about professional recognition granted to two of your
top performers. However, your manager discourages meeting over anything that doesn’t
directly relate to work in progress.
Open:
Clarify:
Seek/Share:
Agree:
Close:
2. When you make reports to your manager during your biweekly meeting, he/she questions
everything and asks for details that seem trivial. You often feel like you’re being
cross-examined by an attorney.
Open:
Clarify:
Seek/Share:
Agree:
Close:
Complete these sample scenarios within 48 hours of course completion to practice Skill Points
and reinforce the concepts.
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Copyright © Vital Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.
90
The Communicating Up Achievement Path
This path represents the skills you will learn and use to effectively communicate to your manager.
Leadership:
• Maintain or Enhance Team
Member Self-Esteem
• Focus on Behavior
• Encourage Team Member
Participation
• Lead Effective Meetings
Communication:
• Craft Clear and Concise
Messages
• Deliver Messages Designed for
the Team Member
• Manage Nonverbal Behaviors
• Listen to Communicate
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Communicating Up Action Plan Worksheet
1. Open: State your objective in a style and format preferred by your manager.
2. Clarify: Detail your objective and support it with facts.
3. Seek/Share: Anticipate your manager’s questions and have answers prepared.
4. Agree: Provide potential solutions for your manager to consider.
5. Close: Summarize and confirm the next steps.

Craft Clear and Concise Messages

Deliver Messages Designed for the
Team Member

Manage Nonverbal Behaviors

Listen to Communicate

Maintain or Enhance Team Member
Self-Esteem

Focus on Behavior

Encourage Team Member Participation

Lead Effective Meeting
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Leadership Essentials Series: Communicating Up (Demo)

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