Plain Talk - Communication Skills That Work


An Experiential Seminar Using The Strength Deployment Inventory

Either One Day or Three to Four Hours Format

Imagine understanding not only what someone means, but also why they said what they said! Plain Talk is a seminar that uses a powerful communications tool (The Strength Deployment Inventory) in order to help teams and individuals enhance their communications success and interpersonal effectiveness.

The Strength Deployment Inventory is a communications skills training and relationship awareness tool. It is designed to help people assess the strengths they use in relating to others under two kinds of conditions: when things are going well and when one is under pressure or faced with conflict.

The Goals of the Training Session

• Improve personal communications skills which improves relationships
  
• Understand and appreciate styles other than our own
  
• Encourage a range of styles appropriate to a situation
  
• Pre-empt conflict and stress that arises from interpersonal style differences
  
• With less conflict from style differences (unwarranted conflict), stress levels are lower, collaboration is more successful and relationships are more rewarding
  
• Better communication is the foundation of better teamwork, it makes support and mutual respect and understanding possible
  
• Engaged learning, it’s fun, and motivating and helps people in the session better understand themselves and those around them – Part of the mystery of why people do what they do is explained.
  
  

Why Use the SDI?

• Focus is positive and non-judgemental – each communication style has strengths
  
• Easy to remember and identify styles of others after the session
  
• Shows a change in styles in times of conflict and pressure
  
• Provides a method of easily “speaking” so others will understand by understanding their style. Builds better rapport on teams, between individuals, with clients and suppliers.
  
  

Key Theories – Relationship Awareness Theory
– Dr. Elias Porter

Premise One
We all do what we do because we want to feel good about ourselves.

Premise Two
We tend to take two different approaches to life: when we feel things are going well and when we are faced with opposition and conflict

Premise Three
A personal weakness is no more or no less than the overdoing or misapplying of a personal strength.

Premise Four
We naturally tend to perceive the behaviours of others through our own style “lens”. This often leads to our believing that people are doing things for the same reasons that we would be doing them. The odds are greatly against this being the case.

The S.D.I. is a paper and pencil inventory, based on Relationship Awareness Theory developed by Dr. Elias Porter. It develops and enhances communications skills and is often used as a team building exercise, conflict management/communications improvement tool and a customer service/sales training tool.

The S.D.I. is highly rewarding and enjoyable to do, very informative and immediately useful on the job. It is positive in its orientation and helps people to appreciate and expand their working and personal relationships. As importantly, it is fun to do and highly participative. People get involved.

We have used the S.D.I. since 1978 with professionals including those in the accounting, administration, sales, operations, and executive environments. It has been successful in increasing individual relationships and teamwork in industries as wide ranging as engineering, insurance, health care, library science and finance. Both staff and management have found it to be practical and applicable to their particular situations.

Here's what past participants have said about this seminar:

"This is the most enjoyable seminar I've been to. I received valuable information that I can use at work and at home." Surrey Memorial Hospital Participant

"I didn't look at my watch once!" West Vancouver School District Participant

"A most enjoyable workshop - information to use at work and at home." Health Care Education Council Participant

"The Strength Deployment Inventory will help me get the best out of myself and my staff." British Columbia Credit Union Participant

"I learned how we can better communicate with each other, especially during times of conflict and understand where we're individually coming from." Engineering Firm Participant

"The Strength Deployment Inventory seminar was the best seminar I've attended." Capilano College Participant

"It was fun and very energizing to learn this way. We talked about it for weeks." Insurance Brokerage Participant

"Thanks for the opportunity to learn more about myself and others." Association of Neighbourhood Houses Participant