Initiate More Productive Conversations: Chris Fenning

How to participate in more productive conversation

What must you do in the first minute?

Episode 141 (Chris is based in The Netherlands)

In this conversation with Chris Fenning we explore:

• How to structure your conversation before you speak
• How to clarify the conversation in your head from the spoken one
• The three step GPS model to frame your conversation like a story
• Why you might need to zoom in and out when discussing details
• How to use the validation checkpoint to ensure interest and timing
• Recognize the danger of your assumptions

About Chris Fenning:

Chris has written several books on business communication, including his latest, The First Minute.

Organizations that he teaches at include Google, Pepsi and NATO.

Chris has a goal to give away one million communication skills books to students around the world to help them prepare for careers in business.

Learn more about Chris Fenning, his products and services at his website:

https://www.chrisfenning.com/

Check out his book, The First Minute

https://www.chrisfenning.com/books/

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Excerpts from this conversation with Chris Fenning

 

We start at the beginning in our heads. And then we start talking, we're already partway through the chain of though. So the conversation begins in the detail.

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01:58

The first minute is a practical how to guide for how to be clear and concise when you start communicating verbally or written.

It's about planning and delivering that first minute of a corridor conversation, rather than meeting of an email, or chat or a meeting that you've got with your boss.

So how to structure that message so that you get to the point, make your intentions clear, which ties in nicely with your intended message, because it's all about making sure your intended message comes across clearly and concisely. And really make sense to the person or people that you're talking to.

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30:20

There's a summary of some of what I've  said. and it's, it's this, never assume your team knows what you're talking about.

All the things we've talked about today about assuming people understand the context of the topic, or I thought my intention was clear, I didn't maybe not exactly say it, but it was obvious what I meant.

All of those things. Never assume the team knows, always start from the beginning of the story. And do that zoom out.

So never assume that they know the context. Never assume they know the intent, make it clear why saying it.

Here's the topic we're going to going to talk about, here's why I'm talking to you about it. You need to take action, you need to listen to this information and work out if it impacts you.

Those sorts of things should be explicitly stated. And that by itself will remove a lot of frustration in teams, particularly the conversations that end up having Well you never You never asked me to do it. Yes, I did. I told you about this situation.

Well, you guessed but you've never told me that back and forth. Get really explicit. Never assume. Always. state very clearly.

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Your host is George Torok

George is a specialist in executive communication skills. That includes conversation and presentation. He’s fascinated by way we communicate and influence behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

 

Connect with George

www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

 

For weekly tips to improve your presentations visit

https://toroktips.com/