Communication Leadership Training Resources

Welcome to the training resource page for Communication Leadership . Everything here supports what you discovered and learned on the training. If you’ve found this page without doing the training, then feel free to browse all the same. You can also use the form below to receive a FREE email series of embedding strategies.

Video Clips

Power of Words

How language changes responses.

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A great example of how changing words can help people associate more deeply with the message or how it is for another person.

Held Hostage

An extreme example of compassion and purpose.

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“After my ordeal, a lot of colleagues asked me, “But why do you continue? Why do you do this sort of job? Why do you have to go back to it?” My answer was very simple: If I had quit, that would have meant my kidnapper had won. They would have taken my soul and my humanity.”

Body language & who you are

What signals your posture gives off.

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Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

Dare to disagree

Conflict as a form of collaboration.

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One of the bigger skills sets we practice on Communication Leadership is being able to preserve a relationship whilst disagreeing with someone. In this TED talk Margaret Heffernan talks about constructive conflict, being able to critique someone’s view or idea with – very importantly – the intention of helping them ‘grow’ their idea, or at least their thinking about it. The sweet spot is doing this in a way that strengthens the relationship and breeds trust. Achieve this and more people step forward with ideas that may be left of field, but hold real value.

The Emphatic Civilisation

Jeremy Rifkin explores empathy.

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In this talk from RSA Animate, bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy and the profound ways it has shaped human development and society.

Violence & Poverty

Reducing conflict/violence to end poverty.

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From TED: Collective compassion has meant an overall decrease in global poverty since the 1980s, says civil rights lawyer Gary Haugen. Yet for all the world’s aid money, there’s a pervasive hidden problem keeping poverty alive. Haugen reveals the dark underlying cause we must recognize and act on now.

Influencing Values

What nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola.

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From Ted: At TEDxChange, Melinda Gates makes a provocative case for nonprofits taking a cue from corporations such as Coca-Cola, whose plugged-in, global network of marketers and distributors ensures that every remote village wants — and can get — a Coke. Why shouldn’t this work for condoms, sanitation, vaccinations too?
Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

Musician Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to reveal one surprising result of the way our brains are wired. You will be intrigued by how humans process thoughts and think. Look at this video you are going to absolutely love it. Watch it till the end."It's an exploration of what constitutes a "musical" sound -- all notes are just tones of a certain frequency, yet our minds find certain sequences of tones more aurally pleasing than others. If you play a certain note, or a certain couple of notes, your mind will want to fill the next one in predictably. It's the scientific pursuit of why we consider certain things to be beautiful, and why certain sequences are embedded in our brains."- I'm a Freaking Genius. #IMAFGe

Posted by I'm a Freaking Genius. #IMAFGe on Wednesday, 9 October 2013

V.A.K. Rapport

Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to reveal one surprising result of the way our brains are wired.

Excerpt

“It’s an exploration of what constitutes a “musical” sound — all notes are just tones of a certain frequency, yet our minds find certain sequences of tones more aurally pleasing than others. If you play a certain note, or a certain couple of notes, your mind will want to fill the next one in predictably. It’s the scientific pursuit of why we consider certain things to be beautiful, and why certain sequences are embedded in our brains.”

Books

Transforming Communication by Richard Bolstad

NLP based book on communication, excellent text book for Communication Leadership training.

The Eight Essential Steps to Conflict Resolution by Douglas Weeks

Problems that “just won’t go away” can be settled through methods developed by one of America’s leading experts in conflict resolution.

Seven principles for making marriage work by John Gottman

John Gottman revolutionised the study of marriage by using rigorous scientific procedures to observe the habits of married couples.

The New Leaders by Daniel Goleman

Research based book illustrating how emotional intelligence informs outstanding leadership.

Articles by David Savage

Chaos, Collaboration & Sustainability

Chaos, Collaboration & Sustainability

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There’s a short exercise I often run when I’m speaking and training. I give twelve to fourteen volunteers a simple brief to create a certain formation together but without communicating. When I ask them how they think it’ll go, “Chaos” is the word that normally arises from what they perceive is an impossible task. However, in less that two minutes, they complete the task and it’s mind-blowing!

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Crayfish & Conflict

Crayfish & Conflict

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How a scuba diving emergency illustrates key principles of conflict resolution “Twenty-metres down I feel a tug on my fin… my buddy signals he’s out of air, his face full of fear… “

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Lack-luster team performance: Ten questions to ask!

Lack-luster team performance: Ten questions to ask!

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What are the signals of lack-luster team performance, and what are the solutions? David Savage shares the questions he looks to get answered when starting to coach a new team. #1: Commitment: Does everyone in the team want to be in the team? There's a difference...

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Useful Links

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Using other people's values to make effective arguments

Extract: Stanford sociologist Robb Willer finds that an effective way to persuade people in politics is to reframe arguments to appeal to the moral values of those holding opposing positions.

Conflict in NZ workplace study by Fairway

A well written study of conflict in New Zealand workplaces with plenty of statistics.
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Can psychology help solve long-running conflicts?

Great article that points out the value of self-awareness and vulnerability in conflict resolution.

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Conflict similarities in Love and War

As strange as it may seem, what we can learn from love to help us (avoid) war.

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What great listeners actually do

Chances are you think you’re a good listener.  People’s appraisal of their listening ability is much like their assessment of their driving skills, in that the great bulk of adults think they’re above average.

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Power & Authority

The Milgram Experiment: How good people do bad things because they were told to.
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How toxic colleagues erode performance

From the Harvard Business Review, the business and human cost of conflict.
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The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do (And What to Do About It)

Following on from goal setting and the difference between future self and present self.
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Nine More Compassionate Ways to Say No

“Every rejection is different. Declaring that you want a divorce is not the same as sending rejection form letters to hundreds of candidates not hired by your company. Still, there’s a general art to saying clean, compassionate “No, thank yous” that runs through all such communications. It’s an art, not a science, and there’s no perfect formula for ending things.”

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