The document provides a summary of key concepts and ideas learned each week in a communication toolkit course. Over 8 weeks, the student learned about ethical communication, collaboration, storytelling, framing, word choice, context, group dynamics, and politics. The student noted strengths in sincerity, clarity and openness in communication, as well as areas for growth in continuity and balanced speech. Overall, the student felt the course helped them recognize the value of their personality and interpersonal skills in addition to their technical skills for their goal of becoming an effective communication consultant.

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Tisch’s Toolkit Spreadsheet
Key concepts and
ideas
What did you learn about them? How do you apply them to your daily
communication practices?
Week 1
The Ethical
Contract of
Communication
Building
Collaboration
10 Ground Clauses (Rules) to
Effective Communication
My top three are sincerity, openness, and clarity. I make sure to voice my intentions, validate others’ opinions, and
understand/be understood.
How language can highlight
mindlessness
Depending how I feel toward a person, a label can
be positive or negative.
I lean toward positive labels with loved ones. Trying to stay away
from negative labels without valid reason.
From Christye’s post, I
learned it takes courage for
some people to speak up.
Unlike many others, I was rewarded as a child for
speaking up regardless of what I had to say.
I’ve learned to be more understanding when a person doesn’t
openly communicate.
Labeling & persuasion Labeling an item a certain way persuades people. We can shape where a narrative can go by labeling items a certain
way. Reminds me of stock photos used in online articles.
Labeling & persuasion Labeling brings about storytelling. I use storytelling as examples to illustrate my point in class & my
personal life, but rarely in a professional setting.
Labeling & perspective Changing a label can change one’s perspective Helps me to see situations from different perspectives
Week 2
Message
Framing and
Storytelling
Storytelling promotes work
culture
Used to help employees/clients understand or
change their behavior.
Clients being aware of my workflow helps them understand
production. Humanizing my profession keeps them from
depersonalizing me and treating me as a production machine.
Cognitive mechanisms used in
storytelling
1. Episodic memory
2. Attainability heuristic
3. Elaboration
These three mechanisms promote learning.
1. Recalling events
2. Sharing events that vividly relate to the topic (more
believable)
3. Elaborate to add texture
Communication Contract
Paper
Strengths: Sincerity, Clarity, Prudence
Weaknesses: Continuity, Balanced Speech Times
I use the strengths easily; the weaknesses are being corrected
through self-monitoring and a social contract with mom and bro. 
Week 3
Selective Word
Choice
Purr words & snarl words
(video)
My snarl words are words that denote a lack of
intelligence – silly, dumb, idiotic, stupid. With
many snarl words, I respond by asking the person
why they would say that. The word “blessed” is my
purr word.
I’m more mindful of snarl words in my own self-talk. I now ask
myself why I’d say such a thing to myself.
Power of Language (Moore) “Fresh words help us arrive at fresh ideas.”
Reminded me when I was told to use “apologize”
instead of “sorry.”
I use this idea by searching for words that illustrate my thoughts.
Power of Language (Moore) “Sometimes it’s helpful to give words to what is
usually left unspoken.”
Speak the unspoken more, even if I know I won’t receive the same
in kind. I stopped because I rarely hear the unspoken… only sarcasm
and jokes.
Reporting, Judging, and
Inferring
Inferring is going beyond factual information. Exercise multiple inferences, avoid solid judgments based on
inferences.

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Week 4
Context Savvy
Factors to anticipate after a
new project proposal
A level of uncertainty, preference for qualitative or
quantitative data, speaking to the listeners’ level
of understanding.
Write from where the audience is… only use flowery words as décor
to drive home a point (teachable moment).
Preparation for anticipated
factors
Build rapport during proposal, have audience
participate in options, be ready to adjust to their
needs. “A message aimed at everyone appeals to
no one.” –Matthew Meyers’ workshop. 
Be responsible for how a message is delivered.
Tailoring words to have an
impact on the listener (A Time
to Kill video)
Slower words exude confidence. Slow down when speaking from the heart.
Context Be aware of “unknown but influential factors.” Address influential factors where appropriate.
Elements of a story (article) Time, place, series of events, surprise, relevance,
emotion.
Add when stories take place to my presentations.
How words are delivered Why I speak so quickly at times, “It’s more about
getting the words out rather than understood.”
The higher my emotional state (happy or not), the more I should
slow down.
Week 5
Message Movers
Survey for who should be
contacted in certain
scenarios.
The more negative & personal the issue, the more
direct the contact should be.
Apply Daft and Lengel’s Media Richness theory to face-to-face
interactions.
Slide show presentation of
Best Practices
How to use media to engage the senses (Images –
Audio – Video).
Already use.
“” Keep text to a minimum. 7 words per line. Already in use.
“” Statistical Charts make my eyes glaze over. Use images to depict results before and after, and a large bottom-
line # to represent the result.
Week 6
Group Ground
Rules
Sensemaking Sensemaking permits parties with different views
and expectations to achieve congruency and to
construct accounts of reality that allow them to
comprehend the world and act collectively.
Acts of sensemaking include, among others,
observing, reasoning, analyzing, contemplating,
anticipating and imagining (Vlaar et al 2008).
These words are new to me, but I’ve done each of the descriptions.
I engage in sensemaking as I respond to discussion posts.

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Sensegiving …consists of acts by which individuals attempt to
alter and influence the way others think and act.
It concerns the activities by which stakeholders
frame and disseminate visions and beliefs to
others so as to increase their understanding and
support.
Sensegiving may include offering descriptions and
explanations, providing signals, constructing
credible and consistent narratives, and projecting
images through stories, slogans, metaphors, and
artifacts.
I sometimes engage in sensegiving when answer the weekly
discussion questions. I will share a chart or graphic that forms in my
head as I learned the content.
Sensedemanding …seek to ameliorate the quality of the information
upon which they base their decisions, and they will
undertake strenuous efforts to acquire and
process information so as to establish “a workable
level of uncertainty” and equivocality
Sensedemanding may involve, for example, cross-
checking one’s own perceptions and
interpretations with those of participants from
another organization and performing inquiries, or
asking questions.
I engage in sensedemanding when I look to understand information
more.
Sensebreaking Sensebreaking is used to question existing
understandings of others, causing them to
experience their views of reality as incoherent,
insensible, and untenable.
Acts of sensebreaking involve the reframing of
previously held conceptions and redirecting other
team members’ attention and search for solutions.
It makes new aspects of tasks and environments
salient to team members, prompting them to view
these in a new light.
…fundamentally challenge the validity of
preexisting understandings
I experienced sensebreaking in my Follower-Centered Leadership
class, by way of mild cognitive dissonance. I found it difficult to
accept that followers should dictate company culture. I eventually
accepted it, but only after stepping out of my “normal” leadership
style of issuing orders. That style was borne of being a child of the
government, JROTC, and working in a military hospital out of high
school.
I’ll continue to challenge my beliefs, for these challenges change my
worldview and perspective. As painful as those moments are, I end
up more enriched.

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Sustainability of online
discussion groups
Messages that meet an informational need may
require more cognitive effort to respond to than
support messages, but may engender a desire to
expend more efforts toward providing thoughtful
responses.
I’ve learned to appreciate the extra effort everyone puts into their
discussions and responses.
I also appreciate the skill required of instructors to make sure
everyone in class is heard and acknowledged.
I’ll continue to take the time to read everyone’s posts, and respond
to those who do not receive as much feedback.
Week 7
Political
Gamesmanship
Politics of Organizations “the relational dynamics associated with
influencing and governing…” (Monarth, 2012).
Keep doing what I do. I make sure to connect with at least one
person above and below.
Divergent and Convergent
Actions
Convergent: Acting in accordance with corporate
intentions. Divergence is the opposite. Middle
management plays an important role in bringing
divergent thinking to strategic changes. (Hope,
2010)
Already in use, as evidenced at American Airlines. There, I
unwittingly became a change agent, “Effective change agents need
to be aware of the power constellations in organizations and be
able to maneuver tactically within… to manipulate the context to
their advantage.”
Three frameworks of political
tactics
Formalism: Golden rule. Utilitarianism: Greater
good. Decision tree: best of both frameworks.
My political style is the third, using the platinum rule.
Utilitarianism Benefit of its place in business is via a Code of
Conduct.
Continue to respect rules and consequences.
Week 8 One
overarching
take-away from
the course
Before this class, I was leaning hard on my technical skills. My personality has always been challenged in the past, so
I put my irrefutable tech skills in front of me. I realized in this class that I, as a person, have lots to offer regardless of
who challenges my ideas. I’m willing to put myself back in the limelight along with my skills.
Every week, I learned something new about communication, as well as something about myself. Fascination is what
I felt at some point every week. I’m totally cut out for being a professional communicator. The tools, theories, and
frameworks I’ve learned over the last 8 weeks have laid the groundwork for becoming an effective, authentic, and
MEMORABLE Communication Consultant.