Module 5 – Communication & Appreciative Inquiry

Communication is essential to all human interaction. As a leader, your ability as a communicator is critical.

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Introduction 

Module 5 will cover introductory aspects of communication, define effective communication, present the concept of Appreciative Inquiry and the use of open-ended questions. We will not cover written communication, lecturing, talks or digital means of communication in this module.

Learning Objectives

Personal competencies 

  • Increase the understanding of and strategies used in verbal communication
  • Foster understanding and use of appreciative inquiry in communication and leadership 

Skills 

  • Increase knowledge about types, styles and roles of communication

Module 5a) Communication

Introduction 

Personal awareness related to the use of words, tone of voice and non-verbal communication is the first step to advance your communication skills. Module 5a will point out a few aspects that might support your work in a multicultural environment and advance your attentiveness to your communication as well as to that of others. 

Reflections

  1. Reflect upon the relevance and importance of nonverbal communication in your culture.
  2. Reflect on the different communication styles and consider which is most culturally relevant to you. 
  3. Is it the same across the country and the same for women and men?
  4. What do you consider as the three key messages in Module 5a?

Resources

*We suggest to right-click and open each resource website listed below in a different tab/window.

  1. For public speaking or communication, visit Toastmasters International.
  2. For an interesting leadership and communication resource, visit TechnoFunc - Communication Skills.
  3. A nonverbal communication “pick-me-up” from the Frozen universe (video) - watch here.

Module 5b) Effective Communication

Introduction

According to Winston Churchill, the difference between management and leadership is communication. Effective communication is imperative for a leader in addition to emotional intelligence. We will offer tips that can help you reflect on your personal communication style.

Reflections

  1. Reflect on the skills linked to effective communication. Which do you consider most relevant for you and your cultural context, and why? 
  2. We introduce emotional intelligence as an important element for effective communication. Take some time to reflect on this concept and the link to the topics discussed in Module 2 - Interpersonal Skills. 
  3. What do you consider as the three key messages in Module 5b?

Resources

*We suggest to right-click and open the resource website listed below in a different tab/window.

Self-knowledge and awareness are imperative to harness effective communication. For a link between the themes in Module 2 - Interpersonal Skills and communication, visit Communication Theory - The Johari-Window Model. You can use the Johari-Window Model to build on the exercises you did in relation to Module 2 - Interpersonal Skills. 

Module 5c) Appreciative Inquiry

Introduction

Module 2 - Interpersonal Skills addresses the importance of knowing your personal strengths. We also discussed how to use these as you lead from a strength-based position. In organizational leadership, communication often focuses on problems, failures and flaws. Recent studies have demonstrated that a shift to opportunities, strengths, assets, and past success of an organization and team, harness future development, create a shared vision and stronger teams. You build on what works as you move forward. Appreciative inquiry represents a paradigm shift in communication, teamwork as well as in leadership. We will briefly present the concept, assumptions and approach of appreciative inquiry with a focus on communication. Module 5c will not cover the strategic application of appreciative inquiry in organizational leadership, however, we will introduce the use of open-ended questions.

Reflections

  1. Reflect upon the relevance of appreciative inquiry in relation to your work.
  2. List the aspects you think makes such an approach relevant and the aspects that makes it not relevant to your work.
  3. Reflect on your use of open-ended questions in your daily work. 
  4. What do you consider as the three key messages in Module 5c?

Resources

*We suggest to right-click and open each resource listed below in a different tab/window.

Supplemental Conversation

 

Professors Jeanette H. Magnus and Bernadette Kumar discuss the importance and various aspects of communication. Kumar reflects on the different forms of communication and the importance of communication while in a leadership role. Having the ability to associate and contextualize will lead to a stronger line of verbal communication, especially among diverse groups and within unfamiliar cultural settings. Non-verbal communication such as body language is just as important as verbal communication and can often be more challenging to translate. The act of observing or simply asking can assist you as a leader in building stronger and more universal communication skills.

 

Continue to Module 6 - Environment & Network

Published Mar. 11, 2022 12:38 PM - Last modified May 22, 2023 12:25 PM