Leadership Communication Skills

Learning with the people I have the honor to collaborate with is one of my favorite parts of my work as a consultant. In my 20+ years of experience supporting leaders and teams to enhance their communication skills so that they communicate effectively and work better, together, to design actionable solutions to complex problems - I'm still learning!
 
A big piece I’ve come to understand is that often, when an organization’s efforts are primarily focused on external programmatic needs rather than internal culture, it can create conflict, inhibit effective program implementation, and reproduce inequities. During internal culture transformation process, communication is key. The most common question I hear is, how?
 
Do you find yourself asking HOW?
How might we facilitate the change we aim to see?
How might we align values with action?
How might we engage a more collaborative process that uplifts our innate diversity?
How might we center equity, justice, and joy while working within a system designed against us and/or those we care about and are in community with?
 
In response to this common struggle, I am constantly fine-tuning my approach while learning about new resources and creating them too! I am excited to be integrating emergent findings from my doctoral research project on peace and health equity innovation, highlights include:

Your communications approach
When faced with conflict (which is necessary for transformation!) do your best to start with a needs-assessment even if a brief ‘temperature check’ activity. When the group is ready, integrate dialogue, narrative, storytelling, and related healing-centered strategies focused on building relationships and connection through shared values, goals, and meaning. Some communication and facilitation prompts you might consider are:

• Name the most important/pertinent thing re: challenges and opportunities.
• Ask open-ended questions to generate deeper understanding and meaning.
• Summarize and check for understanding prompts: What I hear you saying is; What is important to me is; What I want you to understand is…
• Consider the reflexive, evaluative prompt: What? So What? Now What?

 
Your workflow management
Everyone has their own process for this, and it can take trial and error to find what works. Different methods might work for some and not others, and note the importance to consider cultural and personal differences, which are worth celebrating! Some tips to consider are:

• Create a tangible, visual calendar to map project priorities, actions, tasks, and milestones (use a dry-erase board, sticky notes on the wall, etc.).
• Set healthy boundaries and communicate those re: schedule and availability - as an accountability mechanism, ex. use an email signature that communicates your available working hours or reply time, and stick with it.
• Try the ‘parking lot’ in meeting to rollover ideas for future discussion and follow up, or a context-specific metaphor that works for the group such as gardening, bookshelves, etc.
• Practice self-care as community-care; note the importance of rest and check out these resources: Rest Is Resistance and Rest Life by Trisha Hersey of the Nap Ministry.

An additional resource is Nonprofit AF for those in the non-profit sector and beyond, these musings and resources on a variety of topics including ED Life, board relations, etc. are on-point, relevant, and useful!
 
>> If you’d like to learn more about how to integrate and apply these tools, or receive curated guidance specific to your unique context, please contact me to schedule a complimentary discovery session.