Communication

Foundations
Learn from
Brenda Bailey-Hughes and Tatiana
Kolovou
Detail

Learn how to communicate more effectively.

Helps communicate better in a variety of situations, including meetings,

email messages, and presentations.

Introduce the four building blocks of communication—people, message,

context, and listening—and show how they apply in different
circumstances.
Learning objectives
• Recall the four pillars of a business scenario.
• Explore the term 'people' in the context of a
communication scenario.
• Recall how the Think, Feel, Do model applies to a
communication scenario.
• Identify the parts of the message in a
communication scenario.
• Recognize the 'channel' in a communication
scenario.
• Apply the importance of context in a
communication event.
• Review the most important components of
listening.
Contents
• The Four Communication
Building Blocks
• Communication for
Common Situations
• Communication for
Challenging Situations
 The Four Communication Building Blocks
• Who will be there?
• What do I need to know about • Is email appropriate, or should I
them? pop in for a quick chat?
• What kind of listener do I want
to be right now?

• How's the timing of this email?

 • it's important to think about the other
person's perspective.
• consider the Think Feel  Do model

Mental Filters
certain levels of knowledge, personal concerns, or
preconceived notions
• message in a conversation is more than
the words that we speak or write
• not only how you word or you write
something, but also the channel that
you use to send it

Chanel
Considering Messages
• Is your message meant to
inform?
• Is your message meant to
persuade?
• bundle primary and secondary
information
• Check your message for
understanding
• Location, timing, and relationships

Communication never happens in a vacuum. Bad timing, bad location makes for
a horrible listener.
• activity that takes up to 55% of our
working time
• Listen with your ears, eyes, and heart
• Use reaffirming nonverbals
• Connect
Communication for
Common Situations
"Before people decide what they think of your message, they
decide what they think of you "
 • Smile authentically
Socializing
in • Stand or sit tall
profession • Minimize fidgeting
al setting • Mine for connections
• Keep it positive
• Ask open-ended question
 • Neutral context drills
• Introduce yourself
Toolkit: • Create rapport through the comment item
Social • Ask another open-ended question
settings • Workplace context drills
• Ask a colleague an open-ended question
• Practice open gestures and nonverbals
• Professional context drills
• Introduce yourself to three people
• Practice repeating names
• Follow up with your new contacts
When you • sent the agenda in advance
• A smart agenda is specific about how people can
run best prepare for the meeting.
meetings • Keep meetings to 60-90 minutes max
• Encourage discussion
• Write out your question
• Allow people time to think
• Loop in virtual participants
• Paraphrase context and emotion
• Pay attention to nonverbals
Toolkit: • Identify 3 new behaviors help run more effectiveness
meeting
Meeting • Send meeting agenda to prepare participants
• Plan thoughtful question
• Accommodate or rotate meeting times
• During meeting:
• Ask a great question
• Wait in silence for people to share
• Hold the floor
• After meeting
• Send short reminder (who said they would do what
by when?)
When you • Think of your reader’s action
• State the action in the first or second
send email sentence
• Think twice before sending if no action is
necessary
• Proofreading emails
• Grammar
• Numerical accuracy
• Spelling of names
When you • Determine a process or product
• Place action into buckets (consider lumping
are step into 3 buckets)
explaining • Flex to the learner’s need
• Follow What  Why  How logic
• Ask learner show and tell

Learners must practice in a safe space you create.

Communication for
Challenging Situations
“Our work lives are filled with opportunities to ask for
what we need"
 When you pitch ideas
• Think about the people whose approval you need
• Consider the decision-making style of the person
Thinker Feeler
• Evidence • People benefited
• Facts • Values honored
• Comparisons • Harmony upheld
• Benchmarks

• Consider the mesasages (What Why  How)

• What: explain your suggestion
• Why: explain why your idea is smart and support with evidence and talk to the heart
• How: Explain how your idea work (Can I get your thoughts on some suggestion I have?)
• Think carefully about time and location and history with the decision maker
• Timing matters when you’re influencing
• Ask questions, talk less and listen to deeply
Toolkit: Pitch • Make power list: Academic, Human
Resource, Industry, Community
new ideas • Develop a networking code:
• Reach out to your list once a month
• Stay organized and track your
communications
• Model for influence: name, influence goal,
incentive, head/heart, timing
• Back up your reason with evidence
• Get feedback on your pitch
When you're •
•
Be direct when asking
Stay the action
asking for • Create urgency
something • Make the step easy
When you're • Buy time
• Calm yourself
caught off • Use a response formula
guard • What I know + What I don’t know +
How I’ll find out
When you're •
•
Check your listening bias
Give time to ponder criticism
criticized • Demonstrate empathy
• Ask question
• Ignore your first two thoughts
• Lead with your third thought
• Use “Yes, and…”
 • Know your audience
• What are their pain points around the topic?
• How much do they know about the topic?
• What are their core values?
• Lead with your conclusion

When you are • Share your suggestion or key idea within the first 60-90 seconds
of your presentation

presenting up • Introduce your topic with SCQA

• Situation: what's the current situation?
• Complication: what complication has created a problem or an
opportunity?
• Question:  what's the one key question that needs to be
addressed?
• Answer:  what's the answer to that question?
• Go for the forest
• Expect to be grilled
• Be prepared
• Answer concisely
• Redirect back to the main theme