Category Archives: Communication

How Solving Conflict Boosts Management Skill Set – Part 4 of 4

Start building new management skills in conflict management

Self-awareness is one of the most important management skills there is. Self-awareness is the first step to diffusing conflict. Think about your style of managing conflict. Do you avoid? Acquiesce? Compete? Compromise? Collaborate? 

Which one of these styles do you perceive to have the most value? And given that, which one will you begin to practice more and more?

What else can you do to boost your self awareness and in turn your management skill set?  Try reflective activities, talking to open-minded colleagues, and reading books that guide you towards more awareness.

For more resources about how to increase your management skills through management training, managing change, or free reports on building team effectiveness, visit our website at  
http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or learn about management training at 
https://boldnewdirections.com

 

Adapted from Managing From The Inside Out by Jim Hornickel, Director Training and Development, Bold New Directions

 

 

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Is Conflict Management An Essential Management Skill? – Part 3 of 4

This is part 3 of the 4 part series on Conflict Management & how is it an essential management skill.  One of the important steps in conflice management is to Identify the true source of the conflict. 

When you are feeling in a calmer and more objective frame of mind, turn your attention to identifying the source of the conflict. Most of the time you’ll find that the topic of disagreement belongs in one of four main areas:

A. Power struggles based on ego: Some people respond to the demands of their egos by needing to have and exert power. Don’t take it personally. Accept that this is their story and it’s not about you. By disentangling yourself from someone else’s emotional needs, you’ll be able to listen more objectively to what they have to say. You might even feel centered enough to respond to the other person with empathy. While this is not easy to do (and takes practice), responding with acceptance and understanding may encourage the other person to set aside their ego and join with you to solve the conflict. Through management training, participants get the opportunity to learn and practice these types of new responses to conflict.

B. Poor Communication
Communication is deeply influenced by factors like language, gender, culture, age, skills, personal experience, etc. With so many distinctive ways of communicating, it is inevitable that conflicts will arise due to misunderstandings in communication. An essential cornerstone to all our management training seminars is practicing and learning effective communication skills.

To raise the level of your management skills, always be aware of the challenges of communication and how easy it is for us to misunderstand one another. When addressing a disagreement with another party(s), be sure to ask yourself what you would like to get from the discussion. Then ask the other party(s) what they want to get from it. Be aware of your assumptions and check them out. Exercise great curiosity about what the other person wants to communicate. Be that person’s ally and you both will benefit from your good intentions to bridge communication gaps.

C. Personality Differences
How many times have we been miffed at someone because they seemed just too different from us? When personality differences produce conflict it would be worth your while to invest some time and a little money in searching out a personality or behavioral styles assessment. There are many, including the well-known Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator. The basic benefit of these inventories is the reminder that people differ in how they approach life. These assessments help people understand their own personality styles and how they can work with co-workers whose personalities and temperaments are naturally different from their own.

D. Differing Needs – (What’s in it for me?)
“What’s in it for me?” is a question that each of us naturally asks ourselves consciously or unconsciously. In our management training seminars we stress that, as managers, we must be aware that there are always needs in the picture or at stake. When there appear to be differing or opposing needs, first look to define what those needs are; what do you or the other/s truly want? Then, look to see what strategy options there are. Brainstorm until you run dry! Be extra creative! And negotiate from an attitude of win-win. Actively look for ways that will bring each of you more of what you want. If it feels like too much of a compromise is going on, step back and look for options that will bring greater mutual satisfaction.

Watch for Part 4 in this series on Management Skills and Conflict Management.  For more resources about how to increase your management skills through management training, managing change, or free reports on building team effectiveness, visit our website at: http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or learn about management training at https://boldnewdirections.com.

 

Adapted from Managing From The Inside Out by Jim Hornickel, Director Training and Development, Bold New Directions

 

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http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com

How is Conflict Management An Essential Management Skill? – Part 2 of 4

This is Part 2 of a 4 Part Series on how conflict management is an essential management skill.  If you do not feel confident in your conflict management skills, take heart.  Conflict management can be learned through management skill training courses.  An essential element involves increasing your self awareness as a key step in preventing and decreasing conflict. 

One of the most important managements skills: self-awareness

Many of us become riled up when faced with a conflict. You may already have discovered that when emotion takes over, whatever actually triggered the conflict tends to get lost in the commotion. High Emotion=Low Intelligence! In our management training seminars participants learn that self-awareness is the first step toward de-escalating conflict. If you are facing a conflict, notice if you are beginning to feel emotionally overwhelmed or angry. If so, be honest with yourself about your feelings. Then take the time you need to calm and center yourself.  Make improved self awareness a goal.  Read books, write in a journal, reflect, talk to others – all these tools will grow your self awareness and your conflict management capacity.  And that in turn will enhance your ability as a manager. 

Join us for parts 3 and 4 of this series on Conflict Management  – An essential management skill.

For more resources about how to increase your management skills through management training, managing change, or free reports on building team effectiveness, visit our website at: http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or learn about management training at https://boldnewdirections.com.

 Adapted from Managing From The Inside Out by Jim Hornickel, Director Training and Development, Bold New Directions

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Conflict Management – An Essential Management Skill – part 1 of 4 part series

Conflict Management: one of the most essential management skills

 

As managers we know that, for good or for bad, conflict is part of the workplace. On the good side, it sometimes takes an outright conflict to uncover a problem that’s been simmering beneath the surface perhaps for some time. While most of us would rather acknowledge problems in more thoughtful and intentional ways, an outburst or confrontation may force us to face a problem squarely and find a solution.

1) To manage conflict successfully encourage empathy and openness to others’ views

Often, however, conflict means that people who disagree get stuck in a mind-set of “I’m right and your wrong”. Rigidly holding to a view that prevents us from trying to understand someone else’s perspective can result in continuing and disruptive conflict.

Successfully resolving conflict calls for dedication from all sides to find a resolution that meets some, if not all, the needs of everyone involved. To understand those needs, we need to give up rigidly adhering to a single view, and be willing to explore other people’s perspectives with empathy and openness. In our management training seminars, participants practice management skills to help themselves and others avoid inflexible attitudes and to listen to each other with curiosity and a receptive frame of mind.

For more resources about how to increase your management skills through management training, managing change, or free reports on building team effectiveness, visit our website at: http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or learn about management training at https://boldnewdirections.com.

 

Adapted from Managing From The Inside Out by Jim Hornickel, Director Training and Development, Bold New Directions

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Boost Presentation Skills With Training On How To Bookend Your Remarks

Bookends Boost Presentation Impact

Have you ever wondered how to start your presentation? Lots of people struggle with how to open up their remarks. Even more worry about how to have a powerful close. Learn how bookending your presentation takes the stress of both these problems away. Bookends are simply communication devices and presentation tools that you use at both the opening and closing of your comments. They can range from a story, to a quote, to a combination of statistics and questions. The point is to use powerful hooks at the beginning of your presentation as your first bookend. Then re-use the same hooks at the end of your presentation comments, but with a closing twist. These bookends really work well with questions. For example, you may start by asking your audience a powerful question then close by asking them the question again.

For example, you may start by saying:  "Did you know that less than 10% of professionals have set aside enough money for retirement?". Then in the middle of your presentation remarks outline a plan for saving for retirement successfully. In closing, to use your bookend again for reinforcement by asking "And how many of you would like to be in that 10% of professionals who have signficant retirement savings?". 

As a powerful presenter, your presentation remarks will emphasize all the audience has learned in between the opening and the closing bookend.  If you want additional information on how to hone your presentation skills visit our website to get a free copy of report on how to Master Your Presentation Skills at https://boldnewdirections.com or at http://www.presentationtraininginstitute.com

 

 

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