The Misconceptions of Communication Skills
Misconception #3: I can learn to communicate in a training event.
Where training alone falls short.
How many workshops have you attended in your professional business career? How much of what you learned are you using every day of your professional life? A well designed workshop that includes interactivity certainly help you to learn the topic more than simply reading about it. However, learning about a topic is not the same as developing the skill in your day to day work life. It’s not just about developing knowledge, it is about developing and using the capability. It’s about developing habits.
How Coaching Closes the Gap
Consider your objective: to develop exceptional communication and presentation skills in order to become an impactful leader. In essence you want to present your ideas so that you influence others into action.
Depending upon the approach, your results will be different.
Training will share information – some will be new information, a new perspective while the rest is information that you know as an expert. There will be increased awareness, and even increased knowledge, but not sustained behavioral change.
Managing is about giving direction. Often used with fear and force, which does not provide learning or behavior change, and only short term action.
Coaching is about helping the individual develop the strengths within themselves. This is the most sustainable relationship for developing skills.
Why does training or managing alone not create an exceptional leader? Because once you leave the training room, or if the manager is not there to give direction, then the desired behavior stops.
For you to embody the new behavior it takes time. It takes time and effort. It is more than just experiential learning, it is inquiry learning. Guiding the student to learn herself by giving her the tools and process that is repeatable.
Acquiring a complex skill such as exceptional communications is difficult and can be discouraging. Think of the first time you tried to learn to drive a stick shift or play golf.
That’s why it’s a game changer to have a good coach. A coach will do much more than demonstrate technique and correct errors. She inspires and sustains hope by communicating her belief in you and pointing out the small improvements you’re making, which often you don’t notice yourself.
BUT THERE IS MORE…
That is why the presentationYOU programs are not workshops. The are designed to utilize what we humans have learned about ourselves and how we learn and change behavior. That’s really what it’s about – changing behavior. We’ll focus on changing how you think, what you say, what you do, and why you do it.
Those are significant changes, and change is difficult.
Significant change happens over time and with action. To have a chance of sticking, these new behaviors need just the right elements. This program is based on evidence drawn from existential psychology, design strategy, neuroscience, learning theory, linguistics, cognitive science, behavioral science, process improvement, the arts, human centered design, and client-centered coaching.
Simply put – the program focuses on that space between intention and impact. Between your intention (what you think and feel) and the impact you have on others as a result of your behavior. If you are not having the impact you intend, it’s important to look at your behavior, and that is one element of what we do in the presentationYOU master program.
If change were easy, we would all be fit, healthy, wealthy, and happy. But change is not easy. Consider these statements:
- Individuals with heart disease who are told to change their lifestyle or they will need open heart surgery: 1 in 9 actually change and sustain that change.
- In a $20 billion per year diet industry, 3 % lose weight and keep it off for 5 years.
- 1 in 3 Lottery winners are broke within 6 years.
It’s true that these facts alone will not motivate you to change. It didn’t work on the people mentioned in these studies either. It’s not just about the numbers. It’s not just about the process. It’s about creating an environment for change. Even with an environment for change, you may decide not to change. But without the environment for change, your results are worse. So why not become the successful elite, not the majority.
Change is possible. YOU can influence others into purposeful action.
This program is designed to facilitate change. It is a proven process to help you change what you think, say, and do to get the results you desire.
If you have been unsuccessful in developing exceptional communication skills you most likely attempted to change by one of the following methods:
- MISTAKE #1: Relying on facts to motivate change.
- MISTAKE #2: Relying on fear to motivate change.
- MISTAKE #3: Assume everyone sees the world as you do.
- MISTAKE #4: Your actions are not aligned with your words.
Now that I’ve set your expectations of what you can and can not get out of a workshop event, you are ready to read the next issue: How we change.
