In today’s highly volatile, ever-changing, and ever-ambiguous and unpredictable world, the key to successful outcomes—whether in organizations or more generally social—rests on skillfully relating and talking with one another.
Unfortunately, we are often not very good at this, especially when stress is high: Conversations go around in circles; conflict remains buried, though ever-simmering; well-intentioned conversations end up in hell-land of one sort or another. In general, our conversations leave us less empowered, less related, less effective.
We refer to these moments of breakdowns as “conversational traps”: moments when we find ourselves in unproductive and sometimes down-right crazy-making conversations.
In this practical, hands-on “clinic”, two things happen. First, we examine the nature of these traps: how they arise, and how they are constructed. We essentially “reverse-engineer” the trap, in order to understand its workings, its structure, its deadly design. The awareness which this understanding generates, allows for an avenue by which we can intervene—in real-time—on those unproductive patterns. Simply bringing them to our collective awareness begins to free us from the effects of those patterns.
Taking things further in the second part of the clinic, we introduce a simple conversational pattern language that equips us with specific conversational moves that empower and enable greater the quality of shared understanding, clarity, and commitment needed in the heat of the moment of collective sensemaking.
Here are some of the topics we will cover:
- The anatomy of the conversational trap: How to spot and how to talk about it collectively
The base assumptions we all hold—both individually and collectively—as they relate to relationship and communication, and how they limit our ability to engage in open and authentic dialog with others
The power of ‘framing’ and ‘illustrating’ as a way of revealing and testing our otherwise hidden assumptions, thereby increasing mutuality and collaborative openness
From 50%/50% to 0%/100% in relationships
How to influence others without having to “change their minds”
How to speak “your truth” so that it is a contribution to, rather than a way of alienating, others
The clinic is 3 hours long.
Register for the Clinic ($89USD)