Conversational Capacity®
When challenges or conflicts arise, keep communication constructive
It’s no secret that honest and open conversations foster teamwork, progress, trust, and just about everything else positive in the workplace. However, poor communication derails important initiatives, wrecks morale, and torpedoes projects.
As a result of Conversational Capacity®, people can find the best solutions and make informed decisions, even under pressure, by engaging in constructive, learning-focused dialogue when challenging topics or conflicts arise. Then complex exchanges become learning opportunities, and unfocused meetings become incubators for innovation.
Conversational Capacity: Unlocking the Keys
A person or a team’s Conversational Capacity is their ability to engage in open, balanced, nondefensive dialogue about complex subjects and challenging circumstances. It is also where innovation is born.
Learners learn the following through Conversational Capacity:
- Awareness: Recognizing when fight-or-flight reactions prevent real listening and create discomfort in others allows learners to respond more intentionally to challenging conversations.
- Mindset: The most significant opportunities for insights and growth are exploring diverse perspectives and listening to opposing views.
- Skillset: Four behaviors are essential to Conversational Capacity: two that build genuine candor and two that make curiosity. Balancing candor and curiosity creates the conversational sweet spot.
Delivery Options to Meet Your Needs
We can deliver Conversational Capacity in-person, as virtual sessions, as part of a learning journey, or delivered in a self-directed online or moderated online version, so your managers can learn the methodology wherever they are and whenever they have time.
1 Day Instructor-led Course
The in-person course is one full day. With hundreds of facilitators worldwide, we can deliver sessions for your organization or equip you to run them yourself. Public courses are also available.
Prework: LAUNCH — Welcome the participants and set the context for individuals and teams to reach new levels of performance through various activities to engage in open, balanced, and nondefensive conversations.
Session 1: LEARN — Defines awareness as the ability to recognize the two powerful emotional reactions and how they are essential for staying in the sweet spot.
Session 2: PRACTICE — Defines the Conversational Capacity Skillset, which includes specific behaviors people can use to balance candor and curiosity.
Session 3: APPLY — Introduces the Curiosity Skills, which highlights the advantage of having the humility to seek out information that might be missing and to understand others’ points of view.
Virtual Instructor-led Course
The Conversational Capacity virtual course includes prework assignments completed before the first course, with three two-hour live virtual sessions spread out over time. The virtual sessions offer learners an engaging experience that includes instruction, group activities, and opportunities to practice new skills.
- In the virtual sessions, participants develop new skills by completing activities based on personal work challenges
- Participants receive a set of online tools to aid in mastering the content and using it with others
Collaborative Online Course
Conversational Capacity can be delivered online in a collaborative, moderated class over five weeks, with assignments and cohort meetings once a week during one-hour live virtual inspire session. It is self-directed learning blended with discussions, exercises, reflection, and offline assignments. Participants gain skills for keeping conversations open, balanced, and productive, ways to maintain a learning-focused mindset, methods for overcoming obstacles to Conversational Capacity.
Online Overview
This 35-minute online overview teaches the core concepts of Conversational Capacity through micro-learning activities. Ideal for learners who need an overview of the content or a refresher, this course design can be used along with virtual and in-person sessions, or as part of a learning journey, to create more flexible learning experiences.
Digital kbassets
Set of nine micro-activities ranging from one to five minutes that learners can use during moments of need. The playlist includes videos, activities, and worksheets on topics such as influencing up, tackling touchy topics, why arguing backfires, and leaning into difference.
Business communication can be a driver or a derailer
Over 80% of U.S. workers report feeling stressed because of ineffective company communication, and 63% have wanted to quit since it interfered with their ability to do their jobs.
The productivity of companies with better relationships and communication is 20% higher, the profitability is 21% higher, and the absenteeism rate is 41% lower.
Your workplace's potential is unlocked by
good listeners and communicators
Conversational Capacity is the foundation for a positive and productive workplace. It redirects energy wasted in unproductive exchanges into channels that benefit the enterprise and its people.
Are you ready to get started?
Learn how we can help your leaders become more effective communicators by contacting us today.
