Elevate Culture and Performance by Having Better Conversations (The 4 Core Conversation Skills)

  

 

 

 

The quality of your workplace culture, and ultimately business results, depends on the quality of the conversations. The stories about the past, present, and future shape the identity of your company. From casual conversations to passionate meeting debates, how people engage with each other (or not) is a true indicator of your company culture.

When conversations go south, frustration rises and your team gets stuck reliving the “good old days”—like that time someone brought donuts to the meeting and nobody argued. But here’s some good news: a thriving culture and top-notch performance start with better conversations. When teams talk it out, they cook up smarter solutions—and sometimes even remember to unmute themselves on calls.

Everything your team members do is facilitated through conversations. They envision the future through dialogue. They uncover new possibilities to move the organization forward. Conversations bring culture to life – both what's working and what's not.

Crucial conversations lie all around us – all the time. Curiosity starts conversations. Conversations spark action. Action drives change.

From coaching to performance reviews to making decisions, conversations are the foundation of effective team collaboration. Your company's culture is created and reflected in the conversations people have – and the ones they avoid.  

How to Have More Effective Conversations

Defining moments in the workplace are the result of crucial conversations – they shift our mindsets and behaviors.

Facilitating candid conversations is not easy. It requires courage. You must be able to work with people rather than through people. Take the first step. Listen more than you plan. Reflect, learn, and explore possibilities.

The purpose of conversation is to grow as a team, not to win an argument.

Better conversations are built on the four most important core skills, according to research by The Center for Creative Leadership:

1. Listening to understand: There are multiple levels of information we must tune in to during conversations. Move beyond the facts. Listen to the values at play and understand the other person's perspective.

2. Asking powerful questions: Great questions spark curiosity, opening new paths for more interesting conversations. Open-ended questions drive clarity, promote critical thinking, inspire reflection, and challenge assumptions. Often beginning with 'Why,' 'How,' or 'What do you think about…,' they set the stage to uncover new perspectives.

3. Challenging and supportive: Successful teams embrace cognitive diversity by challenging underlying assumptions. Psychological safety is vital to encourage candid conversations – to challenge the idea, not the person. Providing support is about ensuring that people have been heard. Find the right balance between challenge and support. 

4. Establishing next steps and accountability: Great conversationalists go with the flow – they focus on the journey, not the destination. However, regardless of their relentless curiosity, they always wrap up with concrete next steps. Your team should walk away from a conversation with a shared understanding, clear agreements, and next steps.

Check out a related poss: How to Get Clarity, Accountability, and Results In Five Minutes.

Fortunately, the four conversational skills can be developed. You can use them one at a time or together.

Building a strong company culture starts with candid conversations. Which conversations are you avoiding? Which ones harm or nurture your culture?

Check out a two related posts: 

7 Strategies for Shifting from a Blaming to an 'Owning' Culture 

Boosting Team Collaboration and Performance with Effective Communication

 To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

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