We talked recently about managerial communications, looking at the various ways you as a manager can deliver your message and the organization’s messages to your team. There’s more to talk about there, but we’re going to tackle a different type of communication this time.

Mark’s core skill is coaching managers and executives on their effectiveness. These efforts take many different forms, because different managers have different strengths and weaknesses. Some managers barely speak to their teams, are not personable, and are perceived (rightly) as not caring about their direct reports. They wonder why they can’t seem to get anything done.

Others of us show genuine care and concern for our team and communicate often, but our desks are a disaster. We don’t know how our team is performing against the standards the organization sets, and we’re constantly late meeting deadlines.

So, different managers need different help in achieving what OUGHT to be our core mission: effectiveness, which is achieving the right results for our organization.

And yet, Mark notices that regardless of their other skillsets, regardless of other strengths and weaknesses, almost all managers and executives he coaches need help with what he calls micro-communications, which is a critical but overlooked subset of interpersonal communications in general.

So, in this cast, we address some things you can do immediately to become more effective in your micro-communications.

Last week, we discussed the “Listening” side of communications. This week, we cover the other side, the “Responding” side. Of course, responding when you’re in agreement is the easy part. However, how do you respond when you disagree or there is potential conflict? That, my friend, is what this week’s podcast is about!

It’s been quite a while since we talked about feedback. We think one of the reasons for that is that there’s some negativity to it. What we mean by that is that one on ones are an easy winner. It’s about your team member, they want more time with you, a half hour with you every week seems too good to be true. And, if you’ve stuck to it, you’ve noticed improvements in areas that go beyond just employee relationships. Maybe they’re kind of hard on your schedule INITIALLY, but they’re perceived positively.

Not so much with feedback. I bet when we even SAID feedback, some of you cringed. Even though we encourage AFFIRMING as well as adjusting feedback, for some reason managers have a somewhat negative reaction to the feedback model.

And we think we know why: because adjusting feedback introduces conflict, or tension. Let’s not argue the merits of the value that sandpaper delivers to fine woodwork here today. Rather, we have an additional level of learning for you to use when you deliver feedback. Or put differently, we have an add-on to this tool which will make you more willing to use it, and will make the tool even MORE effective. (Though those of you who use it will find that hard to believe.)

During the show, we make reference to the DiSC® Behavioral Model. You’ll find a useful summary of the DiSC model here. You may even want to print it out and have nearby while you listen to the show.

If you are interested in learning in detail about YOUR profile, you may purchase the online version of the DiSC Profile here.

This is the first of 4 shows giving a high level overview of how to communicate with different behavioral styles at work. We recently used the DiSC® profile system to supplement the way we give feedback. This is a broader application of the four major styles of behavior in the workplace, and how to modify OUR behavior to be more effective with them.

After listening to the show, print and use the information below to serve as a quick reminder of some of the key characteristics of the high “D”.

Dominant Director Business Characteristics

• Prefer time frames
• Seek personal control
• Get to the point
• Strive to feel important and be noteworthy in their jobs
• Demonstrate persistence and single-mindedness to reach goal
• Express high ego strength
• Prefer to downplay feelings and relationships
• Focus on task actions that lead to achieving tangible outcomes
• Implement changes in the workplace
• Tend to freely delegate duties, enabling them to take on more projects

Dominant Director: Preferred Business Situations

• Like to call the shots and tell others what to do
• Like to challenging workloads which fuel their energy levels
• Tend to personally oversee, or at least know about, their employees’ or co-workers’ business activities
• Like to say what’s on their minds without being concerned about hurting anybody’s feelings
• Enjoy taking risks and being involved in changes
• Prefer to interpret the rules and answer to themselves alone
• Interested in the answers to what questions, not how ones
• Like to see a logical road toward increasing and ongoing advancement, since bigger is better to them

Discussion Forums

As we discuss at the end of the podcast, we’ve noted that although many of our listeners really would like to engage in more meaningful discussions on management topics, the blog doesn’t lend itself too well to the task. We’ve attempted to improve the situation by implementing discussion forums on our website. You can find the discussion forums here. We’d very much appreciate it if you would direct your questions and comments to the discussion forums vs. leaving them here on the blog or sending them to us via email. There are an awful lot of good conversations happening, particularly on email, that we would like to share with the broader Manager Tools community. If you have a particular challenge or question for us, it’s very likely that others do so as well … sharing your problems/questions on the discussion forum will allow all of us to benefit and learn!

If you are interested in learning in detail about YOUR profile, you may purchase the online version of the DiSC Profile here.

DiSC is a registered trademark of Inscape Publishing, Inc.

This is the second of 4 shows giving a high level overview of how to communicate with different behavioral styles at work. Last month we covered the “D” in DiSC®, today we cover the “I” (influencer) in detail.

If you’re looking for a quick review of the DiSC Model, you can find it here.

04/09/2006 Update: In addition to the DiSC Summary document, we’ve also added the How To Use The DiSC To Be More Effective Every Day cheat sheet. You’ll really like this one … be sure to check it out here.

If you are interested in learning in detail about YOUR profile, you may purchase the online version of the DiSC Profile here.

Today’s show is the third of four shows giving a high level overview of how to communicate with different behavioral styles at work. Over the last two months, Mark covered both the “D” (Dominance) and the “I” (Influence) in DiSC®; in this show he’ll walk us through the “S” (Steadiness) profile in detail.

A couple of notes …

1. Although it isn’t necessary that you have listened to the previous High I and High D podcasts, you should listen to the “Improve Your Feedback” show from Feb 17, 2006 show where we first introduced the DiSC model. Without the high level overview, today’s podcast won’t be nearly as effective for you.
2. If you’ve been following these DiSC podcasts, you’ll be aware of the “How To Use The DiSC To Be More Effective Every Day” cheat sheet available in the members section on the website. For those of you trying to get the most out of this cast, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have printed the cheat sheet and have it next to you for reference during the podcast.

If you are interested in learning in detail about YOUR profile, you may purchase the online version of the DiSC Profile here.

Today’s show is the fourth of our shows on the DiSC® model, a highly effective model for improving our ability to communicate with different behavioral styles at work. Over the last three months, Mark covered both the “D” (Dominance), the “I” (Influence), and the “S” (Steadiness) in DiSC; in this show he’ll walk us through the “C” (Conscientious) profile in detail.

Like last month, it isn’t necessary that you have listened to all the previous detailed DiSC shows, but you should listen to the “Improve Your Feedback” show from Feb 17, 2006 show where we first introduced the DiSC model. This will give you a high-level overview of the DiSC model that will make this particular cast more effective.

Also, remember about the “How To Use The DiSC To Be More Effective Every Day” cheat sheet (available in the members section on the website). Print it out and have it next to you for reference during the podcast.

If you are interested in learning in detail about YOUR profile, you may purchase the online version of the DiSC Profile here.

If you’ve ever given a presentation, you’ve probably been asked to leave time for questions. You may have even gone the extra step of thinking about what questions might you get. However, in our experience, 80% of the managers we’ve coached haven’t, but maybe you’re in the 20% category.

But have you ever thought not about the content of the questions, but rather the delivery of your answer? Even if you have a perfect answer, if the question is even slightly confrontational, your delivery could doom you from the start. Most presenters give away their fear and lack of preparation by behaving in ways that actually INCREASE the conflict inherent in a challenging question. In this podcast, the first of a two-part series, we discuss how to answer questions in a manner that leaves you, the presenter, in the best possible position.

In this podcast, we finish our conversation on answering questions during a presentation.

Four easy steps:

1. Your initial response when you first hear the question
2. PHYSICALLY catching the Medicine Ball
3. VERBALLY catching the medicine ball
4. And how to finish up once you’ve answered the question

Finally we tackle a topic that we’re surprised no one asks about: How does one receive feedback? We know how to deliver it (even if far too many of us shy away from it all too often). But that’s only half the battle. One of the things many managers realize is that once you start giving feedback, you’re going to start receiving it as well.

Sometimes it’s well intentioned - your directs realize that you really mean it, and they’re willing to give you feedback. And yes, sometimes it’s intended to be a riposte from a nervous or insecure subordinate. But what’s great about receiving feedback effectively is that it sets a powerful example.

And we guarantee you the most effective way to receive feedback will surprise you.