I was asked by the CEO of a large health care plan to coach one of his executives, the head of IT. “Mike’s got problems,” he told me. “People feel that he doesn’t listen to them. Some complain that he has stopped communicating with them. I’d like you to see if you can help.” My …
Continue reading “Using Straight Talk® to Balance Your “AQ” and “EQ””
It’s an issue that pops up every day in a million different ways: What’s the right level of guidance to give somebody? Sure, you don’t want to micro-manage. At the same time, you want to make sure the expectations and constraints are clear. How do you strike the right balance? How do you lead and not manage? The …
Inside every organization are clues to whether people are treated equitably or whether a system of favoritism prevails. Who has access to the boss? Who gets the newest computers? Whose budget is protected? Consider the question of status. People are always looking for cues about where they stand in relation to one another. Ancient cultures …
Several years ago, the CEO of an executive recruitment company called me out of the blue. “I’ve heard about how you teach people straight talk,” she said. “I think we could use you. Could you be here next week?” Immediately I knew I was dealing with a Director. She was looking for results — the …
Continue reading “Communication Styles at Work in Other People”
How can you determine an organization’s style? If it’s a relatively small organization, start with the CEO. Nine times out of ten, their style will dictate the style of the organization. For a larger organization, with say more than 100 employees, the division heads or senior management team will determine the culture. If they tilt toward …
Even if people follow all the ground rules, it’s difficult to travel the road to productive conversation if certain people in the room feel they can’t trust one another. If that’s the case, what can you do? First, if you’re one of those people, check your feelings with someone you can confide in. Express yourself, …
If everyone were a master communicator – incapable of distorting the facts, clear about their own motives, able to accept responsibility to see each perspective clearly – then perhaps ground rules would not be necessary. But no one is a perfect communicator. Even the best communicators fall into traps and pitfalls. Ground rules are the …
Leaders can use this tool to help people express their underlying conflicts and resolve them. It gives people a way to talk about their differences without triggering defensive responses. When used regularly, Inner Scripts can dramatically increase morale and cut down on the time spent dealing with conflicts. Click Here To Download The PDF. What …
Is your goal to deal with a tough, multifaceted issue? Or is to exchange information? Is it a “get to know you” meeting? Or are you looking for creative input? These different goals each require a different type of meeting, and a different style of communication. Essentially, there are five types of meetings: Informational – people exchange …
Effective facilitators organize the conversations that other people have. Their role is to guide the conversation by defining the desired outcomes, deciding the sequence of topics, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard, asking relevant questions, limiting non-productive communication, and summarizing the conclusions reached. Highly effective facilitators focus on doing the following 15 things: Establish the …
Continue reading “The Habits of Highly Effective Facilitators”
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