Situational Communications: Strategies For Success (G083)

Complete List > Situational Communications

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Work days are filled with encounters with others in managing a project, developing a program, delivering a service, or briefing a senior decision-maker. Often, these encounters require collaboration and team-work involving trust. Most inter-active situations are managed easily. Then there are situations that tend to result in a challenging, and sometimes destabilizing, outcome.

Depending on the circumstances, the context and the people involved, the approach to managing a situation requires situation-specific communication. It is essential to know how to read and size up a situation so as to act appropriately. The main value in taking a situational approach is the merit in being able to consider the "back story", and to examine and weigh the alternatives involved in how to approach the communication needed in a specific situation. Communicating with a complete grasp of a situation can help save the day, while uncertainty and mishandling a situation with ineffective communication can cost time, money, diminished productivity and loss of face.

Understanding situational communication strategies will enable participants to initiate communication and react to situations in an effective manner and achieve success. Understanding the workings of an interactive process system and situational communications style will help to appreciate the need for the strategies and competencies required to identify a communications approach that would be helpful in managing potentially negative situations.

Before handling a situation that requires a strategic communications response, one needs to consider the best approach, attitude, and means for achieving a beneficial outcome. Knowing how to communicate in a variety of situations, sharing information, minimizing misinterpretations, and cultivating positive interactions can help build collaboration, trust and an effective working relationship leading to successful results. Situational communication strategies are vital as organizations continue to experience challenges inherent in destabilizing changes.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

• Understanding and applying the principles of the communication process
• Being aware of others’ communication needs in different situations
• Recognizing and appreciating particular communication styles and competencies
• Identifying more effective communication strategies to increase the potential to influence people successfully
• Anticipating communications challenges in interactions and being prepared
• Minimizing misunderstanding, stress, frustration and achieving positive results
• Applying approaches that need to be deployed to achieve successful outcomes

PRE-WORKSHOP PREPARATION

Prior to the workshop, you will be requested to prepare a summary of three to five situations that required effective communication strategies for a positive outcome (for you and the message receiver) and how you dealt with these situations. During the workshop you will be able to refer to this summary when you provide input in group discussions and the inter-active process of learning.

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY?

• A comprehensive participant workbook
• A case study -- a public sector conflict (involving situational communication)
• Situational communications style assessment technique and tool
• Examples of a variety of situations and possible communications response
• References

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMPETENCIES

• Thinking Things Through: Innovating through analysis and ideas
• Engagement: Working effectively with people, organizations and partners
• Excellence: Delivering resutls
• http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tal/kcl/ekl-eng.asp

Agenda
8:45 - 9:00	Introductions and Workshop Overview
9:00 - 10:15	An Overview of Organizational Communication and the Communication Process Theory – the reasons we communicate Different types of communication in organizations Communication networks, processes, effects of hierarchy Communications model (filtering) Communications styles Listening, talking and non-verbal cues Factors that affect quality of communications Factors that impact on the potential outcome
10:15 - 10:30	Break
10:30 - 11:15	Interactive Process System and Situational Communications Style Five dimensions: Response, Elicitation, Open, Acceptance, Mild What constitutes communication style? Push-and-Pull styles of communication Autocratic communication style (S-A) and application Consultative communication style (S-C) and application Participative communication style (S-P) and application Laissez-Faire communication style (S-L) and application Exercise: Participants will: determine their communication style using a questionnaire; identify strengths and challenges inherent in each style and what effect a communication style may create on situations at work
11:15 - 12:15	Strategies and Competencies for Managing Situations Competencies in listening, talking and non-verbal communication Exercise Using a case study, participants will: identify, review and analyze situations in the case study that carry potential for negative communications encounters;. identify a strategy or a communications approach and style(s) that would be helpful in managing the potentially negative situations;. engage in group discussion with instructor feedback, guidance and suggestions
12:15 - 13:00	Lunch Break
13:00 - 14:15	Participants' Own Examples of Situational Communication Round-table review of situations Round-table exchange of ideas re resolution Making a list of the "best possible solutions" Simulation: 3 to 5 situations (based on number of participants) De-briefing and refining the approaches
14:15 - 14:45	Situational Application of Theory and Learned Techniques Situations involving communication: Information-Sharing Decision-making Persuading Following-up on performance Conflict resolution Unanticipated issue/challenge Unexpected rude behaviour/language
14:45 - 15:00	Break
15:00 - 16:15	One-on-One Consultation with and Feedback from the Instructor Participants will bring one or two concrete examples of situations that require a custom-tailored approach. All participants will have one-on-one time with the instructor. While one person meets with the instructor, others waiting "in the queue" will have problem situations to work on in the work book. Each participant will work with and receive feedback from the instructor in developing a situation-specific approach.
16:15 - 16:30	Wrap-up and Workshop Evaluation Participants will complete a short evaluation