Constructive Conversations

How to communicate when the stakes are high and emotions on edge

COURSE OVERVIEW

In today’s organizations, communication is the business - meetings, proposals, memos, or presentations - and conversation is the work. Skillful conversations move the business forward - sharing the vision, achieving results, building relationships, negotiating resources, engaging customers, solving problems, etc. Effective conversations make effective leaders at all levels in an organization. But conversations become fierce, critical, or difficult when the stakes are high and emotions on edge. Relationships are tested and the business interest is not served.

This is a how-to course that helps learners become better at skillful and effective conversations that serve the purpose and maintain the relationship.

Constructive conversation situations may include conversations about setting expectations, planning resources, negotiating pay raise, fencing off perceived attacks, interviewing for a new role, or breaking bad news. Depending on the magnitude, urgency, and complexity of the issues, individual personality dispositions may create emotional imbalances that may interfere with constructive and skillful engagement needed to achieve business results and sustain healthy relationships. But by committing to certain proven approaches, these tendencies can be effectively navigated, and organizations can promote conversations that are positive in intent and constructive in outcomes.

Participants will be coached to sense a potential conversation where the stakes are likely to be high and emotions intense, with each party digging in. They will be guided to reflect on how their tendency to quickly form assumptions and make inferences about events and people may impact the direction and outcome of conversation situations. They will practice how to ask questions that surface unspoken concerns or motives; create and maintain rapport, and how to advance conversations to desirable end results for the business and for the individuals.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Key objectives of the first-time managers and supervisors course include to:

1. Consider purpose and relationship ahead of a conversation meeting
2. ?Recognise the dual role that emotions play in crucial conversation settings
3. Practice the balance of pushing your view versus hearing the other’s story
4. Deal skillfully with attempts by the other party to stonewall or derail your efforts
5. Role-play various critical conversation situations

CONTENT

MODULE 1: CONSIDER PURPOSE AND RELATIONSHIP
Every conversation has a purpose and involves relationships between parties, sometimes in an extended range. Leaders who handle crucial conversations skillfully do not plan to trade one for the other. Rather they guide the conversation toward achieving the purpose of meeting with the relationships intact. This module covers how to achieve this

1. Determine a preferred outcome from the conversation
2. Evaluate the risks to purpose and relationship after the conversation
?3. Clarify assumptions and misinformation in a proactive manner

MODULE 2: THE DUAL ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS

Humans are wired to function with both the cognitive and emotional brain regions. Given its autonomous and instinctive tendencies, the emotional brain tends to respond impulsively to triggers that signify danger or pleasure. Where interests are perceived to be threatened during a conversation, the emotional brain is activated at the expense of the rational thinking brain, resulting in raised tempers and other potentially fierce behaviors. Dealing with this situation is the goal of this move.

1. The 3-part brain: emotional, critical, and creative thinking
2. Individual emotional hot buttons
?3. Emotional control strategies

MODULE 3: ASSESS TEAM STRENGTH AND DEVELOP INDIVIDUALS

By dimensioning team strength into technical, functional, and relational skills, the supervisor can make accurate assessments of individual development needs and delegation readiness. This module takes a very practical approach to help participants achieve this objective. They will learn how to:

1. Determine team development needs
2. Assess the delegation readiness of each member based on the evaluation
?3. Provide effective result-oriented delegation, feedback, and coaching

MODULE 4: PERSONAL INFLUENCING AND COLLABORATIVE SKILLS

Effective supervision and management sit on a set of core personal attributes that complements other skills, and capabilities. Some of them are covered in this module.
1. Mindsets and systems thinking
2. Emotional self-awareness
3. Influence capital when legitimate power is lacking

AUDIENCE
This course is most beneficial to First-time Supervisors, Managers, and Team Leads, especially those in technical roles. High-performing individual contributors who are prepared for supervisory roles will have a needed head start preparation. Participants in groups of three or more from the same organization are likely to benefit most from the activities and exercises.

No. of Days:	2
Total Hours:	12