Post by valerie on Mar 25, 2016 12:40:49 GMT
A. What are some of the characteristics of influential communicators?
He approaches the stage with the energy of an athlete and he says in a booming voice if you can hear the sound of my voice, clap once! The crowd claps once. He repeats with more energy, if you can hear the sound of my voice clap two times! And the crowd follows his command with heightened energy. He says for the third time, if you can hear the sound of my voice clap three times and the room explodes into three thunderous claps. You can feel the energy already flowing as the speaker moves onto his agenda for the day. He has already set the tone. The audience is awake, they are riveted and the presenter, my supervisor Michael Carrion is ready to deliver the message. He is an influential communicator who is confident, Knowledgeable and credible.
Barrett argues that a leader can achieve credibility and knowledge through hard work. For example, a Director who works for Fedcap weCARE to talk about the program with effectiveness and conviction, he or she must understand the nuances of the journey from the HRA job center to employment. He or she must be able to make the connection between case management and all other units. Mike Myatt in 10 Communication Secrets of Great Leaders posits that a great leader must have a technical command of (her)subject matter. When a leader knows what he or she is talking about, and is well prepared to answer all questions then the audience sees him/her as credible and these can build his or her confidence. Such confidence allows him or her to move with ease, it allows for eye contact and to easily engage with the audience. This is not to say that they are all knowing, but will inform the audience if s/he does not know something but points out that s/he will find the answer for them. Attempting to pretend you know the answer when you do not know may result in the audience losing faith in your ability.
B. What negatively impacts communication?
Deborah Barrett in leadership communication argues the words used in the message, the image of the speaker, etc. all influence the meaning traveling successfully. In other words if a message is not carefully planned out and carefully written, all the outside noise from both receiver and sender can impact how the message is received. Earlier this week, I had an experience where communication was so unclear that it resulted in a three way face to face meeting and an attempt at resolution. I learned that on my end, the wrong medium was used (Email instead of Face to face), and that a face to face interaction would have been better due to my writing style (juxtaposition of words resulting in what was heard as- a tone). For me it goes back to emotions and how our emotions fuel the way we respond and act. Our emotions impact the way words are written and sometimes we should step back from an issue in order to process and think it through. Barret talks about the communication Triangle which shows all the noise that affects how the message is sent and how the message is received. The message can be unclear, the timing can be poor and these variables can result in poor communication.
There are times when I have heard messages and tune out because I really don’t trust the messenger or their character. Barrett calls this “negative ethos”. Many appear to follow Creflo Dollar, a popular religious leader but in 2015 he asked his members and other casual supporters of his ministry to donate sixty-five million dollars to buy him a jet. Many of his parishioners are struggling financially and can barely afford to get to and from their various jobs. In 2012, he was arrested for physically abusing his 15 year old. Mr. Dollar’s actions are contrary to Religious/Christian doctrine and so I find it difficult to listen or trust anything that he says.
C. How can a leader ensure they are hearing the bad news as well as the good news?
A leader must first be comfortable with accepting critical feedback. For this to happen, he or she must be self-aware and recognize the signals others send to them (Barrett). Some leaders and some people in general may surround themselves with yes men and women but leaders who wants to hear the right message will surround themselves with people who will be honest. Baldoni tells us that Winston Churchill expected his generals to disagree with him. Churchill didn’t want yes men. He wanted commanders who could think and plan for themselves. A leader who stay in the midst and develop connections with those they lead will develop strong relationships where people feel comfortable in approaching and sharing information. We learn more by asking questions but again we must be open to feedback.
D. How can a leader ensure a message sticks?
During a monthly staff meeting we had laid out the goals for the team. The goals set were higher than agency expectations and required staff to go the extra mile. We also used the whiteboard to chart our wellness completions by employee. We then told everyone what the goal was, everyone seemed excited but while some surpassed the targeted goal, a few did not. When we sat down with the team to discuss, we were told they thought it was just a friendly competition. What we failed to do was to implement the “brief back” a term Baldoni uses. Baldoni argues that instead of settling for a noncommittal head nod, we should ask people if they understood what was said. You would then ask them to tell you their understanding of what was said in their own words. We then echo the message in future communications by sending it in weekly emails, bi-weekly supervisions, our monthly staff meeting until it was clear to everyone what our targeted monthly goal is.
E. What steps can you take to overcome objection in your message:
We were informed that we would be getting a pay raise by the first pay period in August 2014 but the money did not come through. Many of the staff was obviously disappointed and upset, we were being inundated with questions, there was gossip and there was frustration. We called a staff meeting and what we did was to first acknowledge the issue. We understood that some people had made arrangements with their promised raise as many had said they had bills to pay. We then empathize with them as this was very necessary. To not acknowledge their feelings around this issue would have created more anger. Our aim was to let staff know their feelings were valid. Myatt said that empathetic communication displays a level of authenticity and transparency. It made people feel like the company was really sorry and that they could trust in the organization’s intention. We also shared that our leadership was moving at a speed to ensure that all promises of raises were met.
F. What strategies can you use to be sure the audience is engaged?
In TED Talks, Anderson states that the opposite of poverty is not wealth, it is injustice and right away this quote stuck with me but paints a broader picture of how can I engage an audience and how can I make the message stick. I do know if I am able to feed your mind and stimulate a spark in you that you are more likely to stay engaged with the message and learn more of its meaning.
People gather meaning through storytelling which allows you to connect dots to something that the speaker is saying. Maybe the story is about something you have experienced or something you have interest in. A person once asked me how do you know if you want a job (she had just done an interview)? I asked her if she had ever tried on two different outfits. I stated the one that you are meant to wear is the one that felt just right. I said to her if it doesn’t feel like a good fit that maybe it is not the job for you. She stated to me that is a very good analogy, I never thought of that. Storytelling helps us to recall and remember points, connections, and relations to other things.
G: What does it mean to be an authentic presenter?
The speaker gets on the stage and he moves with grace and agility. He has assessed the mood of the moment and the crowd is warmed up. They seem riveted to his every hand movement, to the tone of his voice which carried the rhythm/music of traffic on a busy day. You can sense the audience rapt attention with all feedback from the nods of their heads or the look of awe. He is funny as they laughed( sometimes uncontrollably and he tell stories that allows the audience to understand and connect the dots . He is himself and is comfortable being vulnerable. He speaks human to human as his ego is in check. He talks about his mistakes and the audience identifies with him. He has positive ethos and the crowd walks away feeling inspired.
He approaches the stage with the energy of an athlete and he says in a booming voice if you can hear the sound of my voice, clap once! The crowd claps once. He repeats with more energy, if you can hear the sound of my voice clap two times! And the crowd follows his command with heightened energy. He says for the third time, if you can hear the sound of my voice clap three times and the room explodes into three thunderous claps. You can feel the energy already flowing as the speaker moves onto his agenda for the day. He has already set the tone. The audience is awake, they are riveted and the presenter, my supervisor Michael Carrion is ready to deliver the message. He is an influential communicator who is confident, Knowledgeable and credible.
Barrett argues that a leader can achieve credibility and knowledge through hard work. For example, a Director who works for Fedcap weCARE to talk about the program with effectiveness and conviction, he or she must understand the nuances of the journey from the HRA job center to employment. He or she must be able to make the connection between case management and all other units. Mike Myatt in 10 Communication Secrets of Great Leaders posits that a great leader must have a technical command of (her)subject matter. When a leader knows what he or she is talking about, and is well prepared to answer all questions then the audience sees him/her as credible and these can build his or her confidence. Such confidence allows him or her to move with ease, it allows for eye contact and to easily engage with the audience. This is not to say that they are all knowing, but will inform the audience if s/he does not know something but points out that s/he will find the answer for them. Attempting to pretend you know the answer when you do not know may result in the audience losing faith in your ability.
B. What negatively impacts communication?
Deborah Barrett in leadership communication argues the words used in the message, the image of the speaker, etc. all influence the meaning traveling successfully. In other words if a message is not carefully planned out and carefully written, all the outside noise from both receiver and sender can impact how the message is received. Earlier this week, I had an experience where communication was so unclear that it resulted in a three way face to face meeting and an attempt at resolution. I learned that on my end, the wrong medium was used (Email instead of Face to face), and that a face to face interaction would have been better due to my writing style (juxtaposition of words resulting in what was heard as- a tone). For me it goes back to emotions and how our emotions fuel the way we respond and act. Our emotions impact the way words are written and sometimes we should step back from an issue in order to process and think it through. Barret talks about the communication Triangle which shows all the noise that affects how the message is sent and how the message is received. The message can be unclear, the timing can be poor and these variables can result in poor communication.
There are times when I have heard messages and tune out because I really don’t trust the messenger or their character. Barrett calls this “negative ethos”. Many appear to follow Creflo Dollar, a popular religious leader but in 2015 he asked his members and other casual supporters of his ministry to donate sixty-five million dollars to buy him a jet. Many of his parishioners are struggling financially and can barely afford to get to and from their various jobs. In 2012, he was arrested for physically abusing his 15 year old. Mr. Dollar’s actions are contrary to Religious/Christian doctrine and so I find it difficult to listen or trust anything that he says.
C. How can a leader ensure they are hearing the bad news as well as the good news?
A leader must first be comfortable with accepting critical feedback. For this to happen, he or she must be self-aware and recognize the signals others send to them (Barrett). Some leaders and some people in general may surround themselves with yes men and women but leaders who wants to hear the right message will surround themselves with people who will be honest. Baldoni tells us that Winston Churchill expected his generals to disagree with him. Churchill didn’t want yes men. He wanted commanders who could think and plan for themselves. A leader who stay in the midst and develop connections with those they lead will develop strong relationships where people feel comfortable in approaching and sharing information. We learn more by asking questions but again we must be open to feedback.
D. How can a leader ensure a message sticks?
During a monthly staff meeting we had laid out the goals for the team. The goals set were higher than agency expectations and required staff to go the extra mile. We also used the whiteboard to chart our wellness completions by employee. We then told everyone what the goal was, everyone seemed excited but while some surpassed the targeted goal, a few did not. When we sat down with the team to discuss, we were told they thought it was just a friendly competition. What we failed to do was to implement the “brief back” a term Baldoni uses. Baldoni argues that instead of settling for a noncommittal head nod, we should ask people if they understood what was said. You would then ask them to tell you their understanding of what was said in their own words. We then echo the message in future communications by sending it in weekly emails, bi-weekly supervisions, our monthly staff meeting until it was clear to everyone what our targeted monthly goal is.
E. What steps can you take to overcome objection in your message:
We were informed that we would be getting a pay raise by the first pay period in August 2014 but the money did not come through. Many of the staff was obviously disappointed and upset, we were being inundated with questions, there was gossip and there was frustration. We called a staff meeting and what we did was to first acknowledge the issue. We understood that some people had made arrangements with their promised raise as many had said they had bills to pay. We then empathize with them as this was very necessary. To not acknowledge their feelings around this issue would have created more anger. Our aim was to let staff know their feelings were valid. Myatt said that empathetic communication displays a level of authenticity and transparency. It made people feel like the company was really sorry and that they could trust in the organization’s intention. We also shared that our leadership was moving at a speed to ensure that all promises of raises were met.
F. What strategies can you use to be sure the audience is engaged?
In TED Talks, Anderson states that the opposite of poverty is not wealth, it is injustice and right away this quote stuck with me but paints a broader picture of how can I engage an audience and how can I make the message stick. I do know if I am able to feed your mind and stimulate a spark in you that you are more likely to stay engaged with the message and learn more of its meaning.
People gather meaning through storytelling which allows you to connect dots to something that the speaker is saying. Maybe the story is about something you have experienced or something you have interest in. A person once asked me how do you know if you want a job (she had just done an interview)? I asked her if she had ever tried on two different outfits. I stated the one that you are meant to wear is the one that felt just right. I said to her if it doesn’t feel like a good fit that maybe it is not the job for you. She stated to me that is a very good analogy, I never thought of that. Storytelling helps us to recall and remember points, connections, and relations to other things.
G: What does it mean to be an authentic presenter?
The speaker gets on the stage and he moves with grace and agility. He has assessed the mood of the moment and the crowd is warmed up. They seem riveted to his every hand movement, to the tone of his voice which carried the rhythm/music of traffic on a busy day. You can sense the audience rapt attention with all feedback from the nods of their heads or the look of awe. He is funny as they laughed( sometimes uncontrollably and he tell stories that allows the audience to understand and connect the dots . He is himself and is comfortable being vulnerable. He speaks human to human as his ego is in check. He talks about his mistakes and the audience identifies with him. He has positive ethos and the crowd walks away feeling inspired.