‘Communication works for those who work at it.’ -John Powell
Have you ever left a meeting with a headache? Did it feel something like beating your head up against a brick wall? And that brick wall was the person across the table from you? ‘What happened?’ You mumble as you leave the room and shake your head. You prepared for the meeting, carefully listed your main points. Prepared an impressive presentation complete with research data supporting your position. You walked into the meeting with confidence. Then, about 5 minutes into the conversation you felt as if you were talking to a brick wall.
Chances are the person on the other side of the table tuned out after your first detailed slide. When you made your decision that this proposal was the correct approach, you spent hours reviewing the research data. You verified and validated the assumptions. You know this is the right thing to do! Guess what? The person on the other side of the table didn’t care about the research data. They wanted to know the bottom line. They wanted to know what the next action would be.
Do you know what your problem is? Same as many people. You tried to communicate using your preferred style, not theirs.
The following is a powerful tool that will help you to improve communication in every conversation.
How to Break Down the Brick Wall
Improving your communication skills begins with recognizing your own style. This is a critical step in understanding communication. First you must know yourself, and then you can understand and know others. I recommend a powerful tool called LIFO® Method. It can be instrumental in improving communications, productivity, learning, leadership, and many other aspects of your life and business.
The full survey will provide you with a personalized report with an assessment of your preferred styles and strategies to improve communications among other things. For now, I want to provide you with a small taste of the Method.
LIFO® Tool (short version)
Step 1: From the following list, select the 7 words that best describe you in your approach to work. There are no right or wrong answers so do your best to be authentic and true to yourself.
| Idealistic | Loyal | Seeks excellence | Modest |
| Competitive | Risk-taking | Quick to act | Directing |
| Detail-oriented | Analytical | Practical | Steadfast |
| Enthusiastic | Flexible | Socially adept | Negotiating |
Step 2: Now add up the number of words you selected in each row. The row with the highest number is your preferred style. What does this mean? Of course you can not make an accurate assessment from just this mini exercise, but to give you an idea of your preferred styles, take a look at the following:
____Row 1: Style – Supporting. Keyword – Excellence. Goals – prove worth, be helpful.
____Row 2: Style – Controlling. Keyword – Action. Goals – be competent, get results.
____Row 3: Style – Conserving. Keyword – Reasoning. Goals – go slow, be sure.
____Row 4: Style – Adapting. Keyword – Harmony. Goals – know people, get along
STEP 3: Observe how often you use language or behave in a way that supports your preferred style. Use the chart below to track how many times you observe yourself using language or behavior in each of the 4 styles by adding a checkmark in that quadrant.
Increasing your self awareness of how this style appears in your day to day life is the first step in bridging the communication gap.
The LIFO Method is a powerful tool with strategies that can be used in many situations beyond communication. For more information on the LIFO Method and to order your own assessment and personal report, please submit a contact request.
*Note this is not an official LIFO assessment and is being presented here for demonstration purposes only. azione scopo llc holds a Master Certified Trainer license to administer and and train on the LIFO method.
