Our Methodology
Delivering feedback is one of the hardest communication situations to master. Managers don’t like giving it, and employees worry about receiving it. But it takes feedback to help someone improve skills or move beyond a behavior or impression that may be limiting them.
These conversations can be uncomfortable to lead and while it can be tempting to turn them into a step-by-step review of project work, feedback is rarely effective until a manager can shift to a mindset of guiding a development conversation rather than just reciting feedback.
This workshop applies the fundamentals of good communication skills to delivering feedback and coaching individuals to move from feedback to results with an employee. Through role-plays and discussion, we’ll explore non-verbal cues, handling resistance and distinguishing between skill gaps and behavior issues.
Content – Most listeners give a communicator about 30 seconds to set a message and direction for their storyline. An effective communicator learns how to format ideas to frame a message and set the structure quickly to keep the listener(s) involved. We teach how to organize a storyline, create a compelling message and leverage stories to be sure sound bites are heard and remembered.
Style – Personal style, is presence, the ability to engage an individual or a group from the start of a conversation. An effective communicator comes across as confident and credible, conveying a sense of commitment to their topic and a personal interest in connecting the topic to each listener. The SW&A approach to style teaches the intentional choices communicators make to deliver on those impressions.
Situational – While the tools stay the same, the situations don’t. Every communicator thinks about their audience differently from those who interact with small groups to those who deliver keynote speeches. They think about outcomes differently, too. From meetings that generate discovery to recommendations that gain approval. That’s why the third dimension of our work applies the fundamentals to specific situations. It helps a communicator shift from competence in their skills to consistent outcomes in their communication.
