LESSON PLAN

Title___Effective Communication____________________ Name__Kendra Manwill__________________________

Target Audience___Managers (Interns)______________ Method_Consensogram, Illustrated instruction_______

Terminal Objective

By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to explain what

makes up communication, why it is important, and be able to list

several ways they can become better at communicating.

Domain_Cognitive________ Taxonomic Level_Comprehension

Terminal Concept

Effective communication is essential to progress and success in

the business world.

References

Anderson C. How to give a killer presentation. Harvard Business Review. 2013: 121-125

Blume BD, Baldwin TT, Ryan KC. Communication apprehension: A barrier to students’ leadership, adaptability, and

multicultural appreciation. Academy of Management Learning & Education. 2013;12(2):158-157.

Groysberg B, Slind M. Leadership is a conversation. Harvard Business Review. 2012: 76-84.

Keyton J, Caputo JM, Ford EA, Fu R, Leibowitz SA, Liu T, Polasik SS, Ghosh P, Wu C. Investigating verbal workplace

communication behaviors. Journal of business communication. 2013;50(2);152-169.

Leary K, Pillemer J, Wheeler M. Negotiating with emotion. Harvard Business Review.2013: 96-103

Patterson K, Grenny J, McMillan R, Switzler A. Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. 2nd

ed. New

York: McGraw-Hill; 2002.

Preparation

Prepare the large graph with verbal communication behavior, and bring markers for participants to color things in

Pull up presentation on Prezi

Pre-assessment

First question in content outline (what is communication?)

Introduction

Today we are going to be focusing on the art of communication

within a business setting. It may seem pointless to focus on

something we do every day, but the presence of communication

and why you communicate can make or break a career or a

business.

Supporting Objectives Content Outline Time Learning Experience (Activity Outline)

Learners will be able to explain

what makes up communication.

What is communication?

Involves you and at least one other

person, you exchange words to achieve

some sort of purpose.

There are several different forms,

including:

Conversation

Negotiation

Presentation

A conversation will be the most common

form of communication.

Person to person

Essential attributes of interpersonal

conversation:

Intimacy- getting close, shifting

from a top-down distribution into

a bottom-up exchange of ideas

Interactivity- promoting

dialogue. Talk with, not to.

Inclusion- expanding employees’

roles.

Intentionality- pursuing an

agenda

Often the conversations could be

considered crucial conversation.

Discussion between 2+ people

where: stakes are high, opinions

vary, and emotions run strong.

Often the more crucial the

conversation is, the less likely we

are to handle it well

4 min

Slide 1- view of people talking

Ask the audience what they would describe

communication as

Slide 2- speech bubble 1

Slide 2- speech bubble 1

Slide 3- image of 2 people talking

Learners will be able to identify

at least 2 different ways that

communication is important.

Why is communication important?

The heart of almost all chronic problems

in organizations, teams, and relationships

lies in crucial conversations that are

either not being held, or not being held

well.

Regularly holding mutually beneficial

conversations

Avoid coming to the choice

between being honest and being

effective.

If you are always honest (and

appropriate in tone and conduct),

then you will have an easier time

communicating with those

around you.

Often problems aren’t due to the process,

system or structure.

Is usually employee behavior

Nonhuman change like

restructuring won’t fix it

Solution: getting people to hold

one another accountable to the

process

Appropriate communication behaviors:

Inherently social

Used to engage in relationships

with other members of org.

Link micro actions of individuals

to macro communication patterns

and collective structures

2 min

1 min

Slide 4- heart

Ask: Do any of you have an example of poor

communication at work? How did it affect

yours or others’ performance?

Slide 5- Gears

Slide 6- image of all 4 talking

Learners will be able to identify

at least 5 ways that they

personally can improve their

communication skills.

How can one become a good

communicator?

Put up the chart, ask which top 4

behaviors they see most often in

successful people

These workplace communication

behaviors are functional (they are

related to and productive of

outcomes). Notice some seem

contradictory? Need to be

flexible.

These behaviors fall under 4

factors: information sharing,

relational maintenance,

expressing negative emotion,

organizing

They should be goal-directed,

and regarded as intentional.

They should represent

communications as being

interactive, involving other

people.

Master crucial conversations

The core of every successful

conversation lies in the free flow

of relevant information

(dialogue).

Do your best to make it safe for

everyone to add their meaning to

the shared pool. Shared pool =

synergy

It is not productive to withhold or

force our opinion into the pool

Recognize if you are falling into

3 min

2 min

6 min

Have a chart up or on the table that lists the top

20 most frequently identified communication

behaviors. Have slide 7 (speech bubble 2) up

with a list as well, so they can see it. Give them

a minute to pick their top 4, have them mark

those top 4 on the chart. Then show them the

actual distribution on another chart

Slide 8- speech bubble 3

Slide 9- image of 2 people talking

Slide 10- Teamwork picture

Slide 11- safe

Slide 12- look

silence or violence, and make it

safe and comfortable

The more you hold those

conversation, the better you’ll get

and the better you will be

received

Negotiating involves:

The things people care about will

stir up emotion, don’t dismiss it

Be aware of your own emotions,

and try to relate affirmatively to

the emotions of others

Understand how those emotions

affect thinking

In order to develop negotiating skills:

Different people respond

differently to demands due to

temperament, circumstance, and

mental state.

Be aware of what sets you off

To prepare, ask yourself:

How do you want to feel going

into the negotiation? (calm and

alert, proactive and patient)

What can you do beforehand to

put yourself in an ideal emotional

state? (meditation, relaxing,

music)

What can throw you off balance

during a negotiation?

What can you do in the midst of a

negotiation to regain your

balance? (deep breath, sit up

straight, power pose)

How do you want to feel when

you’re finished?

6 min

Slide 13- opportunities

Slide 14- handshake

Slide 15- 3 people

Ask: how do you want to feel?

Ask: what can you do beforehand?

Ask: what can throw you off balance?

Ask: what can you do to regain balance?

Ask: how do you want to feel?

Negotiation is just a more stressful form

of communication. Go into the exchange

knowing exactly what you want to say,

but ready to change what you say

depending on the course of the

conversation. Remember to try to make

it safe and comfortable for both parties.

Slide 16- speech bubble 4

Assessment (evaluation)

What are some things that you can start working on right away in order to be a better communicator?

Closure

The most important thing about communication: Do it.

The Good and Bad in Presentations

A Good Presentation Involves: Frame your story so you take the audience on a journey Decide what people already know and how much they care,

and build from there Plan your delivery. Bullet points on note cards are better than

reading from slides or a prompter Don’t stress about nerves. They’re natural Often people move too much, try to stand still and make eye

contact if you are prone to fidgeting Try to use visuals that enhance, not overpower. Look into alternative ways to present visuals Be choosy with who you practice with. You want quality feed-

back.

Ten Ways to Ruin a Presentation Take a really long time to explain what your talk is about Speak slowly and dramatically. Why talk when you can orate? Make sure you subtly let everyone know how important you

are Refer to your book repeatedly. Even better, quote yourself

from it Cram your slides with numerous text bullet points and multi-

ple fonts Use lots of unexplained technical jargon to make yourself

sound smart Speak at great length about the history of your organization

and its glorious achievements Don’t bother rehearsing to check how long your talk is running Sound as if you’re reciting your talk from memory Never, ever make eye contact with anyone in the audience

The Good and Bad in Presentations

A Good Presentation Involves: Frame your story so you take the audience on a journey Decide what people already know and how much they care,

and build from there Plan your delivery. Bullet points on note cards are better than

reading from slides or a prompter Don’t stress about nerves. They’re natural Often people move too much, try to stand still and make eye

contact if you are prone to fidgeting Try to use visuals that enhance, not overpower. Look into alternative ways to present visuals Be choosy with who you practice with. You want quality feed-

back.

Ten Ways to Ruin a Presentation Take a really long time to explain what your talk is about Speak slowly and dramatically. Why talk when you can orate? Make sure you subtly let everyone know how important you

are Refer to your book repeatedly. Even better, quote yourself

from it Cram your slides with numerous text bullet points and multi-

ple fonts Use lots of unexplained technical jargon to make yourself

sound smart Speak at great length about the history of your organization

and its glorious achievements Don’t bother rehearsing to check how long your talk is running Sound as if you’re reciting your talk from memory Never, ever make eye contact with anyone in the audience

Verbal Workplace Communication Behaviors

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

Listening Asking

Questions

Discussing Sharing Info Agreeing Suggesting Getting

Feedback

Seeking

Feedback

Answering

Questions

Explaining Cooperating Creating

Small Talk

Offering

Help

Revealing

Info

Making

Decisions

Seeking

Info

Showing

Respect

Giving

Feedback

Briefing

Others

Planning

Per

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of

Peo

ple

wh

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Verbal Workplace Behavior

Verbal Workplace Communication Behaviors

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Listening Asking

Questions

Discussing Sharing Info Agreeing Suggesting Getting

Feedback

Seeking

Feedback

Answering

Questions

Explaining Cooperating Creating

Small Talk

Offering

Help

Revealing

Info

Making

Decisions

Seeking

Info

Showing

Respect

Giving

Feedback

Briefing

Others

Planning

Nu

mb

er o

f In

tern

s w

ho

fin

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Beh

avio

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Verbal Workplace Behavior