Search Video Library for: Leadership, Communication
Communication Essentials™ Promoting Professionalism in the Workplace
SOLLAH EXCLUSIVE!
Effective communication is the cornerstone of any successful organization. Whether you're interacting with colleagues, clients, or stakeholders, the way you communicate can make or break the outcome of your interactions. Why maximize your workplace communication? Simply put, doing so helps you avoid common pitfalls associated with bad communication including: misunderstandings, low morale, conflict, missed deadlines, poor decision making, customer dissatisfaction, lack of innovation, employee turnover and legal issues. Addressing these pitfalls through improved communication strategies can significantly enhance organizational effectiveness and employee satisfaction.
Listen Up! Is That What This Is... A Discussion?
An important part of communication excellence is your ability to get your point across effectively by speaking clearly and confidently. In some situations, it’s not always easy to speak up. The situation may be tense, or you may lack confidence in our ability to get our point across effectively. When you want to get your point across, you need to plan for four aspects of your communication.
Listen Up! I'm Pushing Them All the Time
Listening is the most used aspect of communication, and the way we listen determines what we hear. The most common type of communication is passive listening - when you hear what someone else is saying, but you’re not really actively engaging in the communication process, getting involved with what the other person is saying or telling you, or trying to understand the communication. We need to become active listeners!
Accurate Communication - A Quick Conversation
In New York, taxi means a “black and yellow,” in India a “rickshaw,” in Thailand a “tuk tuk,” and in Haiti a “tap tap.” Travelers in foreign countries can be very surprised by another culture’s definition of taxi. Therefore, even with the most common of words, understanding the context in which that word is used is critical to understanding the significance behind what is being said, whether communicating across the world or across the hall.
Adapt to Encourage Growth - A Quick Conversation
Whales possess the ability to adapt what they hear and then make it their own. Adaptive communication is a skill that is also critical to organizational growth. Keeping something the same just “because this is the way we have always done it” hinders an organization from innovating and progressing.
Build an Army of Many - A Quick Conversation
When teams are working together, there are many roles that are vital to the success of the team, and yet, they are not visible to most people. When building effective, inclusive teams, create the opportunities to utilize the contributions of all team members in accomplishing team goals. Take time to stop and acknowledge the work done behind the scenes to accomplish team goals.
Focus on Communication - A Quick Conversation
A referee’s job requires them to be an impartial expert on the game, clear headed, and capable of fairly applying the rules. During games, it would be impossible for coaches, players, and fans to make unbiased calls without a referee. Similarly, in high-pressure work environments, differences between colleagues may lead to disputes that make it impossible for them to see past their biases, resulting in a conflict or stalemate.
Identifying Opportunities - A Quick Conversation
On teams, it is important to be willing to invest time into the lives of other team members. We do this by learning about what they need and what obstacles they face and by then offering our assistance. This investment pays off in greater team cohesion, inclusion, and trust, as well as the removal of obstacles that stand in the way. Invest in your relationships with other team members by getting to know them on a personal level.
Pay Attention To Nonverbal Communication - A Quick Conversation
While your colleagues in the workplace communicate both verbally and non-verbally, understanding how to interpret their nonverbal communication can be a great advantage. Keep in mind that the meaning behind body language and facial expressions may vary from culture to culture, so it is always good to check for understanding.
Everyday Leadership™ Yet Another Fire
Communication can make or break a project. Ensuring our team members are communicating effectively, efficiently, and timely is a key to success in the workplace. There will be times when we must have difficult conversations, but we need to confront and resolve these issues, not avoid them.
Build Trust
Building positive relationships by building trust.
Communication - Outline Intent
How to best prepare to communicate effectively with others.
Legal Briefs™ Workplace Privacy: Managing Expectations of Privacy
Managing employees' expectations of privacy in the workplace.
Legal Briefs™ Workplace Privacy: Obtaining Employee Consent
How to be sensitive to an employee's expectation of privacy; the obligation of a manager to inform employees about re-entry
Not About Bad to Good, But Good to Great!
The notion that to become a great leader one must focus not on going from bad to good,but from good to great.
Peer Today, Boss Tomorrow™: Set Clear Boundaries
This video provides a powerful example of how new managers/supervisors can learn to effectively dismiss rumors and communicating a no favoritism policy - easing fears and issues across your team or group. Learning to set clear boundaries for staff and employees is key to a new leader's transition.
Prepare for Communicating Effectively
How to best prepare to communicate effectively. Follow a process for getting ready to communicate with others.
Redirect
Redirecting focus when mistakes are made is a key strategy to building positive relationships.
Redirection and the Five Steps Explained
Explains how to refocus attention and energy on desirable behavior.
Redirection With a Coworker
How using positive redirection with a coworker improves relationships and performance.
Redirection With a Team Member
How using positive redirection with a team member improves relationships and productivity.
Redirection With an Employee
How a supervisor uses positive redirection to correct a mistake and meet customer needs.
Shamu Special
Review of the power of positive relationships.
So, How Am I Doing? (from Achieving Communication Excellence)
The importance of being proactive and clarifying information when giving and receiving feedback.
Whale Done! Response and the Four Steps Defined
Introduces the importance of 'catching' people doing things right as a way of building positive relationships and motivating employees.
Whale Done! To a Manager
How using specific language to describe a job well done encourages management performance.
Whale Done! To a Work Team
Explains the positive impact a Whale Done! approach has on a work team.
Whale Done! To an Individual
Using the Whale Done! approach to encourage an employee to take initiative with a new process.
Discussion Card: Nonverbal Communication
Did you know that 55% of communication with others happens without words? That means your body language is key in your daily conversations. These easy-to-use cards provide a simple model (W.A.T.C.H.) along with thought-provoking questions to help learners understand the importance of nonverbal communication - helping leaders, managers and supervisors address individual or team issues. These cards are great for a quick training reminder, reinforcement or as a conversation generator.
Case Study: AWOL Paul (a manager)
When privacy and productivity clash.
Case Study: The Rivals (manager)
Handling conflict between two employees
Good Enough
Not meeting expectations on the job
I Beg Your Pardon
Unprofessional hygiene practices
I Deserve It
Not performing up to expectations
Promises, Promises
Over-promising and under delivering.
Shared Resources
When a colleague monopolizes shared resources
Teamwork
What is an "unfair advantage" when you are up for a promotion?
The Assistant
Insubordination and unprofessional behavior
The Concerned Neighbor
Sharing confidential patient information via social media
The High Performer
Coaching high-performers who have trouble getting along with their co-workers
Trouble at Home
Workplace privacy and performance
Work-Life Imbalance
Competing priorities and lack of time
Article: Promote Wisely
We often do this dumb thing in corporations. We want to recognize employees who do brilliant technical work, so we reward them with our plum management jobs. Sure, sometimes these people are brilliant managers, too. Far too often they end up cutting a destructive Tasmanian Devil-like swath through the organization as they spin their way up the corporate ladder.
Equal Employment
Understanding the concept of "Equal Employment"; introduces the obligation to treat everyone fairly.
The Future of Work™ Generations in the Workplace
SOLLAH EXCLUSIVE!
Each generation brings its own unique work styles and expectations to the workplace, based on common experiences many of them share. Generational influences - like parenting styles, the pandemic, war, the economy, global impacts, popular culture and other defining moments or events - contribute to generational characteristics that are brought into the workplace. To have an inclusive workplace, you have to be intentional and willing to listen to others, gain perspectives, and make adjustments, with the ultimate goal of staying connected… across generations.
Peer Today, Boss Tomorrow™: Action Steps for Success
SOLLAH EXCLUSIVE!
World-Wide Best Seller! Making the leap from peer to boss is never easy. In addition to dramatic change, new managers frequently struggle to balance their old coworker relationships with their new management responsibilities. Designed to help participants make a successful transition from “coworker” to “manager” or “supervisor,” Peer Today, Boss Tomorrow presents four proven strategies that will help new supervisors navigate changing relationships and prepare for the most difficult situations they’re likely to encounter as they assume their new role.
ATTITUDE!™ Resolving Difficult Situations in the Workplace
Powerful tools to fix everyday workplace issues! Let's be honest, nobody likes to deal with a difficult attitude... In fact, most of us would rather sit in a dentist's chair before we'd confront one of those bad apples who are making our lives miserable at work. But did you ever stop to think about what kind of price we're paying for that self-imposed misery? This program helps employees and leaders use emotional intelligence skills to recognize the characteristics of difficult attitudes in today’s diverse workforce and sort out the problems when they arise.
L.E.A.D. with Integrity™: Promoting a Culture of Ethical Conduct and Compliance
Digitally Re-Mastered in HD Format! Help managers and supervisors step up to the daily task of promoting ethical conduct and ensuring compliance. Using the L.E.A.D. model, your managers, directors, supervisors and team leaders will develop the skills needed to foster, influence and sustain a culture of ethics and compliance.
Adversity Creates Inspiration - A Quick Conversation
When diverse teams come together, there can be conflict if there is a lack of understanding and trust among team members. When there is a lack of trust, the team is fighting its differences instead of embracing them. When teams embrace the challenges that come with differences, the differences can be leveraged for inspiration and growth.
Challenge What Needs To Be Changed - A Quick Conversation
There are times when faced with the choice of following the rules or fighting for a principal such as equality, that a fight against the rules is the right action to take. When working in a diverse environment, pay attention for opportunities to fight for the principal of inclusion instead of following the unspoken rule of “that is the way it has always been done.”
Craft Your Message With Purpose - A Quick Conversation
An enduring whimsical tradition that many people are familiar with is the act of placing a written message in a bottle and tossing it into the sea. The composer of the message has no idea who is going to receive the message or when they might get it -or if anyone will at all. Not knowing the end recipient of the message limits the ability to communicate with intention. Communication across differences is often done in a similar fashion.
Create Your Own Opportunities - A Quick Conversation
When working on diverse teams, sometimes you have to create your own opportunities by putting forth new ideas, proposing collaborations, and building networks that will help accomplish your goals.
Differences Create Insights - A Quick Conversation
When working on teams, having a different point of view can provide powerful insight, if people feel respected enough to share that idea. If the team lacks respect for individuals then great ideas won’t be shared. Being respectful of others’ points of view is the first step to developing powerful teams.
Explore Unchartered Territories - A Quick Conversation
America’s best-known Colorado River explorer was John Powell, who lost his right arm in the Civil War at the Battle of Shiloh. In 1869, he started with 10 men to explore the length of the Colorado River. Three months later, six would complete their journey after some harrowing experiences. Powell returned in 1871, to map the river and to conduct geological studies. Powell inspired courage and belief in the men that he led and he never put any limitations on his abilities. While not battling white water rapids, working on diverse teams with divergent points of view, creates opportunities for a different kind of courage.
Invest Your Time for Others - A Quick Conversation
On teams, it is important to be willing to invest time into the lives of other team members. We do this by learning about what they need and what obstacles they face and by then offering our assistance. This investment pays off in greater team cohesion, inclusion, and trust, as well as the removal of obstacles that stand in the way.
See Potential Contributions, Not Limitations - A Quick Conversation
When working on teams, it is important not to look at limitations but instead at the potential contribution that each person can make – regardless of what kind of package that contribution comes in. This will allow you to maximize the skills and abilities of all team members.
Tell Stories to Build a Strong Community - A Quick Conversation
Across the globe, cave drawings thousands of years old have preserved the remnants of ancient civilizations. While the drawings may be scattered over great distances and originate from different cultures, they all have one aspect in common: they tell stories. The drawings recount stories about successes, hunts, trials, and daily life. Storytelling is at the heart of what makes us human and is a universal tool used by groups of people to explain who they are and the experiences that shaped their history. While we might not use cave drawings anymore, we still use storytelling to capture collective histories and lessons learned.
Understand How To Use Your Skills - A Quick Conversation
A guitar in the hands of a novice is simply an object to hold. In the hands of a master, that same guitar becomes an instrument that makes beautiful music. The guitar itself does not change; it just requires well-developed skills to unlock its musical potential. With effective instructions, open communication, and management support, employees are able to unlock and cultivate their natural talents and interests into skills that add to the strength of their team.
Understand Preconceived Notions - A Quick Conversation
Hear the word flour and what comes to mind is probably baking, bread, and pizza crust. The preconceived notion that flour is only found in baked goods can lead to surprise when it is discovered that it can also be an ingredient in: pasta sauce, hot dogs, salad dressing, soup, taco sauce, and even dog food. Having preconceived notions about other people is like assuming that you know all of the ingredients of an item of food just by looking at it.
Understand Your Significance - A Quick Conversation
Both captains and lighthouse keepers have roles that, although different, are important to the navigation of ships. Likewise, each position within a company plays an important role in helping the company to navigate the global marketplace. When employees understand how their role contributes to team success, they are able to take pride in doing their job well and in contributing to the overall progress of the company.
Understanding Context - A Quick Conversation
When a rubber band is stretched taut it has potential energy. This potential energy is only important if the rubber band is released and the band moves towards a target. A diverse team can also have incredible intrinsic potential. However, if team members do not feel comfortable contributing their unique ideas, they will not release their great potential energy towards the target of innovation.
Understanding From Experience - A Quick Conversation
A documentary about life in the sea will provide knowledge about ocean life. However, that knowledge is enhanced when it is combined with the experience of scuba diving. The combined knowledge and experience deepens your understanding of the sea exponentially. Scuba diving augments book knowledge with a visceral experience. The act of learning about people with different cultural backgrounds can be viewed in a similar way. Learning about a culture by reading a book or talking to people from that culture gives you a base of knowledge.
Understanding Hidden Beauty - A Quick Conversation
The majority of the time, a male peacock looks ordinary and small. However, when given an opportunity to showcase himself, he becomes a world-renown beauty. While he has the beauty every day, it is only when he feels duty-bound to be his best, that it is displayed and appreciated. People can be like peacocks. When they are not given opportunities to shine, they don’t let their true beauty show.
Understanding Impact - A Quick Conversation
A single drop of water splashing against a rock may not seem to have an erosive impact. However, there is power in water drops, for over time water has the strength to wear down stone. The Colorado River, which began millions of years ago as a drop of water, carved the Grand Canyon. Positive every day actions are like water drops. While each act may not seem to have much impact, over time, the cumulative impact of many drops of water can wear down fear, negativity, and resistance to help forge a new path ahead.
Understanding Passion - A Quick Conversation
The energy of a “match on the pitch” comes from a group of people sharing in their common passion. Being in the midst of your passion is an energizing experience. It is obvious when people are in their passion: their eyes light up, excitement fills their voice, and they are “in the zone.” Inquiring about a co-worker’s passion is a great way to gain insight into a person that you work with. Demonstrating a desire to understand a co-worker’s passion enables you to build connections and begin to create common ground.
Understanding Perceived Value - A Quick Conversation
During the Revolutionary War, lobster was considered such inferior food that it was used to feed the British prisoners, and even they revolted against it. With the advent of railroads, trains brought lobster to the Midwesterners, who had no cultural bias, and found it to be a delicacy. Gradually, New Englanders came to the same conclusion. Often it takes an outside perspective to realize the inherent value that is already on your team and within your company.
Understanding the Fear - A Quick Conversation
Jumping out of an airplane might seem insane to some people, while to others it is an exhilarating and often repeated experience. What makes one person deeply afraid may not be at all scary to another person. Much of what causes people to react with fear to a situation are perceptions and assumptions about what that situation will be like. After facing their fears, people often realize that the perception of the experience created more fear than the experience itself.
Discussion Card: Peer Today, Boss Tomorrow™
Help newly promoted managers, supervisors and leaders navigate their changing roles and have immediate impact! These easy-to-use cards provide a simple model along with thought-provoking questions on better understanding what it takes to truly and successfully lead others. These cards are great for a quick training reminder, reinforcement or as a conversation generator.
Managing Essentials™ Communicating Plans for a Change
Changes are being made in your organization and employees are going to be concerned. You can’t control the changes but you can help control the employees’ reaction to the changes. What do you do? This video scenario provides the just-in-time information and tools needed to help a manager address the situation while maintaining a respectful workplace.
Direct or Indirect: What's Your Route?
How communication styles differ within cultures and impact decision making and working relationships.
Clarify Actions and Outcomes (Interviewing Tips)
Explanation of the probing strategy of clarifying actions and outcomes.
Create a Probe from a Job Task (Interviewing Tip)
Interviewee is asked to describe a time when they were able to get another person committed to an important work goal. This video shows an example of an interview question and candidate response to prompt probing question.
Dealing with Sensitive Comments (from Fearless Facilitation! How to Lead Effective Training™)
Responding to disparaging remarks during a training session
Follow a Verbal or Non-Verbal Lead (Interviewing Tips)
Explanation of the probing strategy of following a verbal or non-verbal lead.
Peer Today, Boss Tomorrow™: Communicate
This video provides an example on how to properly and appropriately communicate sensitive information (like layoffs or organizational changes) that impact a work team.
Probe Based on Non-Verbal Cues (Interviewing Tip)
Learn how to listen for words or phrases... clues... that will lead you to probe for the information you need. Or, an expression or gesture during an answer can suggest discomfort or conviction. Here you might probe based on non-verbals.
Probe for a Current Work Example #1 (Interviewing Tip)
Explanation of the probing strategy of probing for a current work example
Probe for a Current Work Example #2 (Interviewing Tip)
Example of interview question and candidate response to prompt probing question. Interviewee is asked about a time when they followed procedures when it wasn't convenient to do so.
Probe for a Current Work Example #3 (Interviewing Tip)
Interviewee is asked to describe when they were especially successful in managing several important priorities? Example of interview question and candidate response to prompt probing question.
Probe for a Negative Example (Interviewing Tip)
Another follow-up strategy is to seek contrary evidence. This is a fairly advanced technique for gaining representative skill information. When using the skill, ask for a negative example after you hear a positive answer. And vice versa ask for a positive example after you hear a negative answer. Seeking contrary evidence is simply about looking for representative information on skills ...successes and failures, positives and negatives, achievements and disappointments. Look for a well-rounded picture of the candidate's skills.
Probe for a Positive Example (Interviewing Tip)
A final follow-up strategy is to seek contrary evidence. This is a fairly advanced technique for gaining representative skill information. When using the skill, ask for a negative example after you hear a positive answer. And vice versa ask for a positive example after you hear a negative answer. Seeking contrary evidence is simply about looking for representative information on skills ...successes and failures, positives and negatives, achievements and disappointments. Look for a well-rounded picture of the candidate's skills.
Probe for Actions Taken (Interviewing Tip)
Example of interview question and candidate response to prompt probing question. Interviewee is asked to describe a time when they did a market research that was a meaningful influence on product sales.
Probe for Causes (Interviewing Tip)
Another follow-up strategy involves Clarifying Actions And Outcomes. Sometimes a candidate's answer will refer to what "we" did or what the "team" accomplished. With these types of responses probe for the specific actions taken by the candidate. You'll also hear answers with outcomes that were caused by the economy, a new product, or a financial commitment. You can then ask a follow-up probe to identify the specific causes of the outcomes.
Probe Into Verbal Cues (Interviewing Tip)
Interviewee is asked to describe a recent programming challenge, which required they to be particularly systematic in developing a solution. Example of interview question and candidate response to prompt probing question.
Progressive Intervention (from Fearless Facilitation! How to Lead Effective Training™)
Managing pervasive disruptions
Repeat the Question (Interviewing Tips)
Example of interview question and candidate response to prompt probing question. Interviewee is asked about a time when they had to deal with a difficult customer.
Return to the Target of the Question (Interviewing Tips)
Explanation of the probing strategy of returning to the target of the question
Seek Contrary Evidence (Interviewing Tip)
Explanation of the probing strategy of seeking contrary evidence.
Whale Done! - Program Introduction with Ken Blanchard
Ken Blanchard introduces the Whale Done! approach to building trust and positive relationships.
Whale Done! in Action - Program Introduction/Whale Done! Philosophy
Introduces the Whale Done! philosophy of building positive relationships to turn your workplace into a place with a positive and passionate spirit.
Whale Done! - Program Summary (Building Relationships)
Review of Whale Done! approach; building relationships to get positive results.
Discussion Card: Starting Conversations
When it comes to having a tough conversation, just starting is often the most difficult part. These easy-to-use cards provide a simple model (S.P.E.A.K.) along with thought-provoking questions to create a respectful flow of communication. These cards are great for a quick training reminder, reinforcement or as a conversation generator for all employees and managers.
Managing Essentials™ Doesn't Interact Well With Others
You have an employee who doesn’t interact well with other people. If this is important in the person’s job, you need to address it... effectively and thoroughly. How do you do that? This video scenario provides the just-in-time information and tools needed to help a manager address the situation while maintaining a respectful workplace.
Must Do's As a Mentor
There are some "must do’s” that will help you be a successful mentor. Having an open communication channel between you and your mentee is a must!
Article: Selling Your Ideas
All we have to do is look into a mirror. I know. It isn’t pleasant to consider that we could be responsible for our lack of success, but there it is. If we have not convinced someone, the onus is still on us to do so. It is not the decision maker’s job to convince him or herself of the idea’s merit.
Conflict 101™ - The Freeze Response
It’s not uncommon for people to simply “freeze up” when another person tries to steamroll the situation. Yet, moments later we want to kick ourselves because we now know what we should have said--only it’s too late.
Consensus Building (from Fearless Facilitation! How to Lead Effective Meetings™)
Rarely does an entire team agree on everything - especially during a time of stress. The video demonstrates the power of consensus building and making decisions that net the largest benefit to the team and organization.
Marcus' Dilemma
Adapting to a restructure change within the workplace.
Discussion Card: Difficult Conversations
Having a crucial discussion with coworkers and/or employees could mean the difference between resolving an issue or disrupting a relationship. These easy-to-use cards provide a simple model (S.O.R.T. O.U.T.) along with thought-provoking questions on better understanding & addressing conflict. Great for a quick training reminder, reinforcement or as a conversation generator.
Dysfunctional Teams
Dealing with team conflict