Mastering Conscious Communication SkillsWhat is the difference between being a good communicator and being a master of conscious communication skills? Great question! Conscious Communication implies first and foremost that a level of consciousness is present. As the communicator, I need to be conscious of at least four key elements. 1. I need to be aware of my self. Included in this, I need to be aware of my intention in the conversation, my personal agenda, my emotions, fears, judgments and opinions. If I am unable to get over any of my personal judgments and emotions about the person to whom I am communicating, then the result will be less effective communication. 2. I need to be aware of the other person or people to whom I am communicating. I need to be willing to understand their worldview, their fears, judgments and opinions. This sounds easy, but is a lot harder in real time, and is covered in more depth when we look at the Integral Map. 3. I need to be aware of the environment in which I am communicating. Is it ideal? Appropriate? Will it allow the best outcome? Who else will hear the conversation? Is my timing right to have this communication? What sort of changes do I need to make? The environment also includes physical aspects, such as noise, feeling of safety and the general space around us. Are there distractions etc? 4. I need to be aware of the support structures that may help or heed the communication. Do I need documentation, visuals, evidence, tools, witnesses, an agenda?
The Dare to Care workshop, as either a teleseminar or live workshop, covers not only the four key points above, but also looks at the entire skill sets required to form the foundation of mastery of conscious communication skills. We look at; Responsibility and accountability-take responsibility, be clear in having others be responsible and accountable The leader as coach-leadership development via effective communication
Negotiation skills Conscious Communication skills and working with teams
For example, if you can imagine you need to speak with Jo, with whom you have had a major disagreement. You feel that Jo did not keep her promise, and that she has let you down. You may well be angry. However, if you start the conversation with anger, unless Jo is a very conscious communicator herself, she will be unlikely to respond in any other way than more anger. Anger to anger and you get more anger. However, if you step back from the situation prior to speaking with Jo, and use the 7 Step process as your map, focusing on Step 1, you may realize that what you want for Jo is for her to do really well in her role, and that you want to support her in this. Entering the conversation from this place, instead of anger, will create a very different outcome for both you and Jo. Change the way you show up, get a different result. Positive Deviants have a head start on conscious communication skills because they usually display a higher degree of conscious awareness. However, all of us will benefit from becoming better communicators. We hope you find the information under this category extremely useful to you. As always, we welcome feedback, comments, and questions. Speaking of Compassion
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