The Four Conversations: Daily Communication That Gets Results
Daily Communication That Gets Results
Published on 2. August 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-57675-920-2 (ISBN)
Description
raditional approaches to communication have emphasized such things as media, medium, and frequency of communication, as if leaders are engaged in campaigns of some type (which, at times, they are). What has been ignored, therefore, is the impact of day-to-day conversations on individual and organization performance and how those conversations can be altered and managed to bring about higher levels of performance.
The Four Conversations identifies, explains, and illustrates the four day-to-day organizational conversations people at work must use on a daily basis to be successful. These four conversations, either singularly or in combination, comprise every single interaction people have at work.
- Initiative Conversations
- Conversations for Understanding
- Performance Conversations
- Conversations for Closure
Failing to use these four conversations appropriately, accurately, and completely, can turn temporary barriers to success into chronic ones. In The Four Conversations, people will learn how to use each conversation appropriately, accurately, and completely to avoid the pitfalls that become barriers to success at work.
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E-Book
08/2009
1st Edition
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
€56.39
Available for download
E-Book
08/2009
1st Edition
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
€20.69
Available for download
Persons
Jeffrey Ford is associate professor of management in the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University in Columbus.
Laurie Ford is a consultant to managers and executives in business, government agencies, and associations on organization redesign and change implementation.
Laurie Ford is a consultant to managers and executives in business, government agencies, and associations on organization redesign and change implementation.
Content
Preface
Chapter 1 – Four Conversations in a Successful Workplace
1. The Importance of Conversations
2. Some Conversations Slow Things Down, Others Speed Things Up
3. Six Limitations to a Successful Workplace
4. Conversations: Your Personal Advantage
5. Key Points
Chapter 2 – Initiative Conversations: Create a Future
1. Leaders Have Initiative Conversations
2. Choose Your Initiative Statement: What-When-Why
3. Prepare for Your Initiative Conversation: Who-Where-How
4. Launch Your Initiative Conversation
5. If You Are Missing Initiative Conversations
6. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 3 – Understanding Conversations: Include & Engage
1. Help People Find a Positive Meaning in Your Message
2. Expand and Deepen Participation
3. The Limits of Understanding
4. If You Are Missing Understanding Conversations
5. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 4 – Performance Conversations: Ask and Promise
1. Commit to Performance: What-When-Why
2. Ask Others to Commit
3. Promises Create Agreements: Who-Where-How
4. Manage the Agreement
5. If You Are Missing Performance Conversations
6. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 5 – Closure Conversations: Create Endings
1. An Incomplete Past Can Prevent a New Future
2. The Four A’s of Closure Conversations
3. Build Accountability and Resolve “People Problems”
4. If You Are Missing Closure Conversations
5. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 6 – Using the Four Conversations
1. Using the Four Conversations
2. How the Four Conversations Work Together
3. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 7 – Support the Conversational Workplace
1. The Conversational Workplace
2. Practices to Support for the Conversational Workplace
3. Implementing the Practices: Four Tips
4. A Closing Note
Resources
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1 – Four Conversations in a Successful Workplace
1. The Importance of Conversations
2. Some Conversations Slow Things Down, Others Speed Things Up
3. Six Limitations to a Successful Workplace
4. Conversations: Your Personal Advantage
5. Key Points
Chapter 2 – Initiative Conversations: Create a Future
1. Leaders Have Initiative Conversations
2. Choose Your Initiative Statement: What-When-Why
3. Prepare for Your Initiative Conversation: Who-Where-How
4. Launch Your Initiative Conversation
5. If You Are Missing Initiative Conversations
6. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 3 – Understanding Conversations: Include & Engage
1. Help People Find a Positive Meaning in Your Message
2. Expand and Deepen Participation
3. The Limits of Understanding
4. If You Are Missing Understanding Conversations
5. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 4 – Performance Conversations: Ask and Promise
1. Commit to Performance: What-When-Why
2. Ask Others to Commit
3. Promises Create Agreements: Who-Where-How
4. Manage the Agreement
5. If You Are Missing Performance Conversations
6. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 5 – Closure Conversations: Create Endings
1. An Incomplete Past Can Prevent a New Future
2. The Four A’s of Closure Conversations
3. Build Accountability and Resolve “People Problems”
4. If You Are Missing Closure Conversations
5. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 6 – Using the Four Conversations
1. Using the Four Conversations
2. How the Four Conversations Work Together
3. Putting it into Practice
Chapter 7 – Support the Conversational Workplace
1. The Conversational Workplace
2. Practices to Support for the Conversational Workplace
3. Implementing the Practices: Four Tips
4. A Closing Note
Resources
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Authors