If you have followed this blog for any amount of time you know that one topic I am passionate about is communication. I’ve written about it on numerous occasions, my most popular post being this one all about communication. I speak on it and even did my first DisruptHR talk about it. I firmly believe that many issues in the workplace could be avoided with better and more thorough communication.
SHRM 2017 speaker Dr. Tony Alessandra agrees.
Dr. Alessandra is facilitating a workshop on June 18th, titled: Adaptability: How to Talk so that People Will Listen. I spoke with Dr. Alessandra about this session and wanted to share a few takeaways.
Dr. Alessandra says that the most important thing people will take away from this workshop is how to practice communication. This is a “you had me at hello” moment for me. We are very reactive. We speak before we think. More than that, we speak the way we think without forethought or strategy. Dr. Alessandra is going to teach attendees how to adapt (change) their communication style depending upon the person or situation you are facing.
So important and yet rarely done.
Dr. Alessandra will provide a model that describes the 4 basic communication styles and how to identify each. He takes a “when in Rome” approach to communication which I really like. We should not be communicating based on our preferences but based on the preferences of those we are communicating with.
If I say it once I say it 20 times a week to leaders – let’s figure out how to frame this information in a way that the receiver can hear it. So many misunderstandings could be avoided if the person communicating would have taken a bit of time to think about how they wanted to say what they needed to based on how the receiving individual communicated.
This topic hit home for Dr. Alessandra when he moved from New York to San Diego years ago. He quickly realized that the New York style of communicating did not work well in Southern California. My own experience moving from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2014 reiterates that story well. Whether it be with people from different parts of the country, experiences or personality preferences, everyone communicates differently and using a one size fits all approach will not fly in the long run.
Dr. Alessandra says that his workshop is best for anyone who has to deal with people, so I’m certain any SHRM attendee will get something out of this session. He promises actionable content, stories and group activities that make 4 hours fly by.
Although this is the first time presenting this topic for SHRM, Dr. Alessandra is a noted keynote speaker and member of the National Speakers Association where he is in the Hall of Fame.
Sabrina Baker, PHR is the owner of Acacia HR Solutions a human resource consulting and recruiting firm. She specializes in the four main developmental stages of the employee life cycle: recruiting, training, succession and outplacement. You can connect with her on Twitter and Linkedin.
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