Sunday, June 21, 2009

Excerpt from High Performance Communication workshop guide

The Workshop guide that goes along with the Public Workshop starting on July 10 is all new and really very good. It captures the important aspects from each of the subjects taught throughout the 3 day course in Outline form, as Summaries, and as full text which will be forever useful as a reference.

In the section on relationships, I explain the details of the perspective we need to adopt in order to develop really great relationships. Then, just before I give instruction on all the skills required to create amazing business relationships, I summarize the perspective we adopt towards our collaborators as follows:

In summary, our perspective in collaborating within our workgroup is:
The people with whom we collaborate are capable people with ideas about things that deserve to be heard. We are eager to understand their perspective fully. We believe that they want to hear our perspective as well and are willing to consider it if we present it in a factual manner, with a minimum of interpretation. We believe that the interpretation of the facts is best done collaboratively.

We recognize that blame is generally far less important than understanding the contribution system that leads up to a given outcome. Some systems MAY have a single point of failure with no other contributing factors, but these are rare and usually so simple that they don’t warrant much discussion. We know that other's will feel less defensive if we all can express our contribution to an outcome.

We know that the differences in our perspectives comes as a natural result of our diversity and that this is the great strength of our workgroup – that our diversity allows us to blend the best parts of our different perspectives and develop solutions that are better than any one of us would have developed alone. We have learned how to draw upon those differences and get the information out into the open and we practice it regularly.

We recognize that how we feel about ourselves and how others feel about themselves can come into question as we collaborate and we will practice methods to keep us open to all options and not “close off” into bifurcated (either/ or) thinking. We recognize that some of the ideas we hold about ourselves and others can be wrong, and that we can reconsider them at anytime using the tools we have learned.

We know that relationships are important to doing good work and that all relationships (and good decisions) have an emotional component. If feelings become an issue, we recognize that we will talk about them just as we would any other part of a problem.

We recognize that all of this takes training and practice in the methods that underlie these outcomes.

The book goes on to describe a collection of tools that make ALL of our business relationships as deep and powerful as the VERY BEST TEAMS you have been on.
Insist on great business results! Go to Pathfinder Communication

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Public Course Announcement

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your interest in these newsletters. The negotiation series that I just finished last week earned a lot of email and I hope I answered all the questions, because I can tell you all prepared them thoughtfully.

I am giving a 3 day public course in High Performance Communication that will cover material on Influence, Relationships, Critical Discussions, Learning, Negotiation, and Persuasion topics. These are the essential elements of what employers describe as their top performer's "secret weapons". The course is intended to tie together all of the material you learn from the newsletters, plus new material, and offer face to face access to provide coaching, training, and practice. I guarantee this course will make you a better communicator.

Day one of the course is July 10. That day will cover the topics of Learning and Relationships. This is where you learn the fastest and most powerful ways to learn new skills, and how to establish amazing business relationships. There is a two-week break in which you practice what you have learned. We will stay in touch during this “mastery period” via phone, email, or the Pathfinder Communicators group on LinkedIn.com so you can address issues that come up and really use the tools that you’ve learned.

Day two of the course is July 24 and we will share our experiences from the two week break and then cover the topic of Critical Discussions and begin working on Influence. This is about gaining the skills you need to generate the best business decisions collaboratively. That class is followed by another two week mastery period.

We wrap up the course on August 7, completing Influence as well as Persuasion and Negotiation. You will learn to persuade decision makers, resolve differences, and influence your organization. After completing the High Performance Communication course, you can feel free to contact me for further instruction anytime free of charge.

The economy has pressed many of us, and I am offering the course this time for the reduced price of $325 because it is one way that I can help you attend. 'High Performance Communication' is the best value for your training dollar in San Diego! For those of you that have taken the class before and would like to again, I am offering a brand NEW course book and a “pay-what-it's-worth -refresher” discount!

There is a great deal to talk about regarding the course, and I have posted answers for your questions as follows:

If you need more information about the course and SIGN UP, Click HERE and put a course in your basket!

If you need a Course Outline for your employer, click HERE

If you have other questions, call 858-245-9802 or email me at Gregg.Oliver@pfcomm.net

Insist on great business results! Go to Pathfinder Communication

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Negotiation – Last Installment

The last few weeks have (hopefully) been instructive regarding negotiations. We have talked about the two different kinds of negotiations, the appropriate planning measures to take, common problems encountered during negotiations, and some other ideas that I hope you found valuable.

For this last installment, I want to talk about a few more things that can plague an otherwise peaceful pursuit. The difficulties that arise when there appears to be personality differences in play.

1) Escalation – Either you or your counterpart is getting caught up in the heat of the moment. One of you feels like you are losing and become difficult to deal with or you find yourself in some kind of a bidding war with another individual.

  • The best thing to do is refer back to your BATNA and your walk awayprice. Were they set fairly? Did your team all agree with them? Can a good case be made for changing them? If not, STICK WITH IT! Walk away if things are not working out in a fair manner. These were set when things were clear JUST for this reason.


2) Bias – It seems that the other side is not being reasonable in their interpretation of the situation. They are looking at things narrowly and do not seem interested in your point of view.

  • Concentrate on understanding THEIR point of view. Try your best to understand it as thoroughly as they do. It may be that they are right OR it may be that once you understand it you can point out an error in their thinking, but they will be FAR more likely to listen to you if they know that you are listening to THEM! And when they do start listening, be careful to be respectful, factual, and authentic in explaining your side. Explain WHY you feel your perspective is reasonable. If you explain, for instance, that NO new widget has ever met the sales prediction in its first year of production, then your sales department might understand that an extra warehouse may not be needed.

  • Engage a third party for their opinion. It can be a colleague (so long as they don’t know what side you are on) or an independent third party.

  • Make sure that you are being realistic in your expectations.

3) Safety - I can’t over-emphasize the role that creating safety plays in a negotiation. Be humble (not arrogant) and respectful throughout. Do not offer things that YOU wouldn’t take. Don’t take it personal or make it personal. It may even BE personal, but if you act like it is, then you are on a road to nowhere.
  • If things get to be too much, suggest a break. If a break is impractical, suggest a moderator.


As far as last minute thoughts go:


  1. Make sure your goals for the negotiation are aligned to the organization’s goals.

  2. Make sure you understand your BATNA and walk away price.

  3. Do your best to estimate what the other side has at stake.

  4. Create safety using THE SCORE.

  5. Conduct your negotiations in a way that ADDS to your reputation and credibility


Insist on great business results! Go to Pathfinder Communication