Communication Tools
Ground Rules for Productive Conversations
Ground rules are the foundation of productive discussions. Using ground rules, teams can establish norms for what is – and is not – acceptable communication. We recommend that every team adopt ground rules similar to these to ensure productive discussions.
Helping Groups Reach Consensus
This tool helps leaders reach consensus among a group of people. It gives the leader an easy way to gauge the level of support for a particular option or proposal, thus paving the way for consensus.
Leaders can use this tool to help people express their underlying conflicts and resolve them. It gives people a way to talk about their differences without triggering defensive responses. When used regularly, Inner Scripts can dramatically increase morale and cut down on the time spent dealing with conflicts.
All businesses face tough challenges at one point or another – a drop in sales, an increase in costs, a change in competition. Leaders can solve these issues and take the appropriate action steps using this issue mapping tool. It is often used in conjunction with A Method of Solving Tough Business Problems.
Straight Talk® Extended Profiles
This tool includes extended profiles of all 16 Straight Talk communication styles. Drawn from the book Straight Talk: Turning Communication Upside Down for Strategic Results, it describes how each style communicates, how each style manages, how each style deals with conflict, and each style’s compatibility with other styles. This is an invaluable tool for managers, consultants and trainers.
Straight Talk® Matrix of Communication Styles
This is a beautiful four-color poster showing all 16 communication styles. It comes in a digital format so you can size it to your needs. This is ideal for use with teams in a workshop setting.
Straight Talk® Survey, Scoring Guide, Profiles
This tool includes the Straight Talk® Communication Styles survey, along with instructions for taking the survey and scoring your results. Descriptions of all 16 communication styles are included.
This invaluable tool helps managers create and manage effective meetings. It describes the five types of meetings, how to put together an effective agenda, and the roles of the meeting leader.
When discussing an issue or solving a problem, people often jump to conclusions before they spend time talking about what the problem is – or what data they have at hand. The Circle of Assumptions teaches us an orderly way to think about problems, starting with data and building toward conclusions. It enables us to see how easily our communication can be garbled by our failure to be aware of our own assumptions – and how they affect the conclusions we reach. It helps us to anticipate and to head off potential miscues and misunderstandings.
Understanding intent is key to improving the quality of communication. This tool describes each of the four types of intent in detail and provides useful tips for people who want to display positive intent.
Four Advanced Communication Skills
The art of communicating authentically is a learned skill. It takes coaching and practice to do it well. Communicating authentically means being honest, open and thoughtful in what you say – and in how you listen and respond to what you hear. This tool describes four skills that will help leaders communicate authentically.
This tool describes how to work effectively with both broadcast and print journalists. It describes how to prepare for an interview, what to ask the reporter, what the journalist’s “ground rules” are, and how to handle the press when you are in “crisis mode.” This tool is invaluable for managers and leaders at any level.