jalléCafe

Communications skills. Applied.

In my business, I consider communicating for influence on three levels: individual, team/group, and culture.  Naturally in any company, each level influences the other.

I find that the most creative and challenging aspects of communicating occur at the intersections of these three levels.  For example, how do we know ourselves well enough as individuals to communicate effectively in group situations?  You need to understand your own style, strengths and goals.  You need to understand the group context and culture.  Then you must jump in and communicate something new (this last bit often being the most off-putting!).

We can study all aspects: take an assessment about different communication styles, make lists of positive team dynamics, study the effects of culture.  I focus on the connecting part - how do you link your style to a context?  How do you bring yourself to it?  Make a difference?  Change it even?  Adapt yourself?

In other words, I care most about how we practice & adjust our communication to drive change.  I love all of the assessment frameworks and models.  Read 'em. Can quote 'em.  Even have one of my own. At heart though I'm an "applied" girl.  I want to take all of those good ideas and do something with them.  Build on our learning for ourselves and others.

I mean I want us to influence ourselves and others starting with our own courageous ideas and first steps.  Afterall, if we do not learn how to take on good ideas ourselves, how can we influence someone else to do so?  :-) 

Weeks 42 & 43: Cloudy & cluttered, but clearing!

For decades, I've left a clear and clean desk in my office virtually every evening.  No matter how chaotic the days. No matter how many meetings and flying from one project to the next.  At night, I put everything in its place.  It has always been worth that extra 10 minutes at the end of one day to walk in each morning with a fresh start.

The mindset that each day is a new day in which something interesting - even exciting - might happen fuels my spirit.

But this photo is a morning shot! (And I know, some people would not exactly call my idea of clutter "chaotic.") Yet, that's my US absentee voter's ballot in the big yellow envelope (sitting under my calendar, beside two unfinished glasses of water and a stack of stuff to read, sign, or distribute.)  It's exactly where I left it all week - saying every day I need to mail my vote. 

In the last two weeks, though, I've started what feels like a "refresh" at work and home.  Lots of changes are now initiated and in progress: new deal and understanding with my largest client, new web site for my company initiated (look for it by year end) and 2009 calendar organized with new perspectives about where my clients and I are going.  And at home, I took down all of my curtains to give my apartment a more open look. I even have a new haircut and learned from a Bobbi Brown stylist what's fresh and modern.

Busy as we are, I'm rested overall and find a great deal of energy to inspire exploring.

By Friday, I left my desk once again clear.  I even bundled up the recycling (cardboard goes out on Monday) and found some new spaces for client project notebooks that had avalanched as they were overtaking my credenza.  

I will mail my vote on Monday.  First thing.  A fresh start to a new week of possibilities.  Life's simple symbols of freedom, choice and living where you can be yourself matter. One of my symbolic acts is starting my day with open space on my desk for new ideas...

New communications approaches for our high speed global context

I'm picking up a theme lately as I scope new workshops with clients and also as our Executive Committee plans events for the Professional Women's Group:  the design should create an atmosphere that allows participants to relax and reflect on a topic and find new solutions together.

Training almost always takes people out of their normal routines. But now I'm specifically asked how our methods can help people hear their own voices and exchange ideas with others, as if it is new.  I begin to wonder if this heightened theme reflects a greater and growing challenge that we cannot or do not take time to interact in-person in such productive ways as part of our normal working lives.

That idea, of course, speaks to corporate culture.  24/7 email.  Global travel.  Myriads of Netmeetings.

I suspect that what seems new today is, at its basis, the concept of hosting in-person forums at all. In-person has been downplayed in light of today's cost-saving internet-based technologies. I believe recent interest in "hearing ourselves" reflects leaders' recognition that in-person interaction still proves critical to understanding complex topics, especially in challenging emotional times of rapid change.

What's actually new is that we must build these forums more effectively for today's context.  For people who do not know each other personally and who rarely meet together.  To establish candor quickly among "text or audio only" acquaintances and to get decisions or action plans in a few hours, not a few days.

It can be done. In-person interaction can create the feeling of relaxed informality with others while still giving enough structure to meet the business goal. We can plan in-person events selectively and productively, integrated with tech-based forums and tools to manage costs and time. (My desire to create such events and forums were my reason to start my own business.) 

I used to hate wasting time in corporate meetings and feel happy to participate in any revolution that shortens them, makes them more useful, and creates environments to which we can actually enjoy bringing ourselves to contribute. 

Week 41: Zurich in the Fall

Fall in Zurich 2008, originally uploaded by jalléCafe.

I like all seasons, but Fall remains my favorite. Warm colors from low sun angles. The sound and smell of crunching leaves. Pumpkins.

Business continues to be brisk enough. Of course, Zurich and the world are also falling at the moment. The markets. The economic outlook. Our team discussed this week what, if anything, we can do to prepare for a slowdown. We decided it is a good time to stay "present" with clients.

I am surviving now perhaps my third economic downturn in my career. In 1987, I was just starting and too kniave (and surely with no assets) to notice as long as I had a job. In 2001-2002, I was in school per my plan. Good timing in some ways, although many of my colleagues were in school because they could not find work. The feeling was certainly depressive at times.

This time? I don't know yet. My young business may take a hit. Yet I'm small with relatively low costs. I really cannot foresee what it will mean. I'm just taking each day and week with patience and no panic. I guess that's what I've learned. Time, the same time that will bring the New Year in a flash and makes my life feel fast like the Concorde, will work out the details.

The only thing in my control this Fall is taking a look over things for prudent adjustments given the changing context and then staying "present" to enjoy what is working so far and anticipate what I might need to do later.  What's new about that? Nothing really.

So I think I will cook my first pumpkin soup this weekend with great pleasure (it never cost more than a few francs in any economy).