Welcome and Introduction

10 minutes

Ground Rules and Expectations

10 minutes

Communication Model Process

10 minutes

Learning Activity 3. Identify the Noise

10 minutes

Congruent Communication

5 minutes

Vocal Tone and Word Emphasis

10 minutes

Discussion and Brainstorm: Symptoms of Fear and Anger

15 minutes

BREAK

10 minutes

Emotional Hijacking and the Reptilian Brain

5 minutes

Indicators of Relaxation

10 minutes

Communication Awareness Model

10 minutes

Learning Activity 5. Surgical Analysis of Your Story

35 minutes

Morning Debrief

10 minutes

Assessment 1. Listening Behavior Assessment

15 minutes

Basic Listening

5 minutes

Learning Activity 7. The Listening Stick (Part 1)

15 minutes

Principles of Active Listening (Part 2)

15 minutes

Small-Group Brainstorm: Barriers to Listening

15 minutes

Day 1 Summary

10 minutes

Welcome and Reconnect

10 minutes

Learning Activity 9. Alpha Beta Exercise

50 minutes

BREAK

10 minutes

Model for Effective Business Writing

10 minutes

Whiteboard: Mind Map

5 minutes

Brainstorm … Brainstorming!

10 minutes

Learning Activity 12. Five Cs

15 minutes

Learning Activity 14. Concise Communication

15 minutes

LUNCH

60 minutes

Learning Activity 17. Considerate Communication: Circles of Influence

20 minutes

Learning Activity 18. Identify Your Reader’s Needs

20 minutes

Most Commonly Forgotten Communication Factors

10 minutes

Design the Document

10 minutes

Day 2 Summary

15 minutes

Upload the presentation files.

One week prior to the first session.

Review the facilitator guide and any other course materials.

Ideally, one week prior to the start of the first session, but no later than 72 hours in advance.

Validate the final participant list.

Ideally, one week prior to the start of the first session, but no later than 72 hours in advance.

Send a welcome email to participants. Let them know you are looking forward to the class, and include reminders to complete any necessary prework and to verify connection and compatibility. Highlight the fact that this is designed to be an interactive workshop, which means that they may be asked to share their screen and video camera during the sessions, so they may want to ensure appropriate and respectful appearance and attire. In addition, they will be asked to interact with others in the session frequently and will need to minimize any external distractions to get the most favorable learning experience from the course.

One week prior to the first session.

Create polls and breakout rooms.

At least 72 hours before the first session.

Ensure you’re familiar with how the interactivity functionality within your presentation platform works. You need to be able to explain this to participants. You may also want to create a short cheat sheet that you can use to demonstrate these functions as you welcome participants to the session. This is particularly important if you are conducting a session for participants from multiple organizations.

At least 72 hours before the first session.

Slide 2 (Objectives)

•  Identify the most common barriers of communication.

•  Explain the Five Cs of Effective Communication.

•  Assess your listening skills.

•  Explain and practice active listening skills.

•  Determine the best way to get your point across.

•  Examine situational dynamics to assess the best approach for communicating in challenging situations.

•  Apply effective principles for face-to-face, written, and virtual scenarios.

Before Slide 7 (Communication Pie)

•  Words we use

•  How we say words, tone of voice, style

•  Facial expression, body language

Create enough breakout rooms that the participants can be split into groups of five or fewer.

Randomly assign each participant to a room so that the groups are roughly equal in number.

Label rooms:

•  Room 1

•  Room 2

•  Room 3

•  Room 4

•  and so on

You will use these breakout rooms for the following activities:

•  Learning Activity 3. Identify the Noise

•  Learning Activity 5. Surgical Analysis of Your Story

•  Barriers to Listening

•  Brainstorm … Brainstorming!

•  Learning Activity 18. Identify Your Reader’s Needs

Create four breakout rooms and randomly assign each person to one.

Label rooms:

•  Winter

•  Spring

•  Summer

•  Fall

You will use these breakout rooms for the following activity:

•  Learning Activity 12. The Five Cs

Create enough breakout rooms to accommodate breaking the group up into pairs. For example, if you have 20 participants, you will need 10 breakout rooms. Randomly assign each participant to a room.

Label rooms:

•  Pair 1

•  Pair 2

•  Pair 3

•  Pair 4

•  and so on

You will use these breakout rooms for the following activities:

•  Learning Activity 7. Listening Stick (Part 1)

•  Learning Activity 13. Clear Communication

•  Learning Activity 14. Concise Communication

•  Learning Activity 15. Complete Communication

•  Learning Activity 16. Correct Communication

•  Learning Activity 19. Draft Your Message

Log into the workshop a minimum of 30 minutes prior to start of session to verify that the content is loaded and working as planned. Ensure that you have a printed copy of this guide in front of you.

Day of session.

Verify breakout rooms and participant assignments.

Day of session.

Ensure the desired settings are enabled for the presentation and participants.

Day of session.

As an audio check and to verify that participants are able to interact as planned, greet each participant verbally as they enter and ask them to write their first name and hometown on the whiteboard.

Start 15 minutes before the presentation begins. This serves as an initial audio and connectivity check for the annotation and interactivity tools.

8 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 1

Welcome and Introduction

Briefly welcome the participants and introduce yourself. Provide a quick overview of the functionality and interactivity elements that will be used during the session (e.g., polls, chat, whiteboard, breakout sessions).

A sample functionality overview has been provided. This sample is specific to the WebEx environment.

Ensure that participants are aware that they may be asked to share their screens or cameras as part of the exercises and activities during the workshop.

8:10 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 2

Learning Activity 1. Objective Decision

•  Handout 1a. Objective Decision

•  Poll: Objectives

This activity provides an innovative way to facilitate the discussion about session objectives rather than simply reading them to the participants.

Ask participants to follow the instructions in the handout. When they are finished ask them to use the poll to select the objective that corresponds to the one they highlighted. Share poll results with all.

8:25 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 3

Ground Rules and Expectations

Facilitate a discussion about ground rules and expectations for the course. Adjust times as needed for starting, breaks, and lunches. It is important to establish a positive learning environment.

Ask participants to give you a green check if they are in agreement with the ground rules for the session.

8:35 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 4

Whiteboard:

Who is the most difficult person in the world?

Learning Activity 2. The Most Difficult Person

•  Handout 2. The Most Difficult Person in the World

Get participants thinking by using Handout 2.

Debrief the questions using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand). Capture responses on the whiteboard so that all can see.

8:50 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 5

Communication Model Process

Present the diagram of the communication process on Slide 5. Explain the process of miscommunication and how noise—real and perceived—can influence the communication process.

9 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 6

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

9:10 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 7

Learning Activity 3. Identify the Noise

•  Handout 3. Causes of Miscommunication

•  Breakout Room

Direct participants to Handout 3.

Inform participants that they have been randomly broken into small groups for this learning activity. Show the list of participant assignments on the screen.

Instruct participants to work together to identify and discuss the sources of noise that create miscommunication.

Give the groups 5–7 minutes to complete the handout.

Bring everyone back to the main room and debrief the questions using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand). Capture ideas on the whiteboard.

Slide 8

Poll

Ask participants to rank the importance of three aspects of communication:

•  Words we use

•  How we say words (tone of voice and style)

•  Facial expression and body language

Share the poll results and introduce the next slide.

9:20 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 9

The Communication Pie (Three Modes of Communication)

•  Handout 4. The Importance of Body Language

Present the communication pie and explain the importance of how you’re conveying your attitude and emotion through nonverbal communication.

Direct participants to the Handout 4.

Emphasize the fact that 93 percent of communication is nonverbal.

Note: Data on the share of communication that is verbal versus nonverbal has been debated for decades, including the Mehrabian (1981) data presented here. The exact share, give or take a few percentage points, is not as important as the understanding that most communication is nonverbal. As a result, nonverbal behavior is the most crucial aspect of communication—to what degree depends on both the situation and the individual.

9:30 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 10

Congruent Communication

•  Handout 6. Impact of Congruent Communication

Direct participants to Handout 6.

Present the information about being congruent when you communicate. When your body language and tone match the words in your message, you are perceived as credible and believable.

(Slide 1 of 2)

9:35 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 11

Incongruent Communication

When communication is incongruent, your body language and tone do not match the words in your message, and you will come across as insincere, disingenuous, and possibly manipulative.

(Slide 2 of 2)

9:40 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 12

Vocal Tone and Word Emphasis

The key point here is that your words send different messages depending on the tone and emphasis you use.

Say, “I didn’t steal your cow yesterday,” six times.

Each time emphasize a different word (I, didn’t, steal, your, cow, and yesterday) and see how the meaning changes. For example, when you emphasize “I,” it can sound as if you didn’t steal the cow, but you know who did.

To create class interaction, ask different participants to say the sentence while emphasizing a different word. Use the raise hand feature to ask for volunteers.

This is a great place to point out how being in a virtual setting can influence the way a message is heard by the audience. This is especially true if you’re not using a camera because the audience doesn’t have the benefit of seeing any nonverbal cues.

9:50 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 13

The Role of Emotion in Communication

•  Handout 7. The Role of Emotion in Communication

This transition slide helps you shift the focus to the relationship between emotion and communication. Briefly discuss how quickly strong emotions can derail communication.

Direct participants to Handout 7.

Ask participants if they have experienced a situation where emotions derailed communication. Use a green check for yes and red X for no. Ask participants to raise their hand to share their experiences. Perhaps even tell a story about when this happened to you.

(Slide 1 of 8)

9:55 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 14

Discussion and Brainstorm: Symptoms of Fear and Anger

Lead a brief, large-group brainstorming session to identify the symptoms of fear and anger.

Explain that when you’re angry or scared your fight-or-flight response kicks in, flooding your body with adrenaline. Your body responds accordingly: increasing your heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety, and breathing. The increased blood flow is directed to the big muscle groups in preparation for the fight, flight, or freeze response. The end result of this reaction is that your brain has less oxygen to use, and you cannot think as clearly in this emotional state.

Ask participants to place a red X next to any of the symptoms they have personally experienced. Ask them to type any additional sensations or ideas into the chat feature. The goal is to identify the physical symptoms of fear. Read additional ideas as they come in through the chat. Ask for participants to elaborate as needed.

(Slide 2 of 8)

10:10 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 15

The Emotional and Rational Brain

•  Handout 8. Emotions and the Brain

Explain the roles of the emotional and rational brain. To make good decisions we need our whole brain to work effectively, yet our emotional brain receives the information first. If we overreact to input, we may find it difficult to handle a situation effectively.

Direct participants to record their notes and insights in Part 1 of Handout 8.

(Slide 3 of 8)

10:15 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 16

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

10:25 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 17

Emotional Hijacking and the Reptilian Brain

Present the concept of emotional hijacking and the role of our reptilian brain (which is somewhat animalistic and unedited). When we are overcome with emotion, it’s as if our brain is “hijacked” and cannot think clearly. You can learn more about emotional hijacking online by searching for the term amygdala hijack.

(Slide 4 of 8)

10:30 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 18

Strategies for Gaining Emotional Control

•  Handout 8. Emotions and the Brain

Present the idea of an emotional response versus a rational response.

Ask participants if they have ever reacted in an emotional way, even if they were trying to remain calm and in control. Use a green check for yes and a red X for no.

(Slide 5 of 8)

Slide 19

Whiteboard Activity

•  Handout 8. Emotions and the Brain

Ask for volunteers to share using the raise hands feature or have participants type their thoughts in the chat feature. Call on individuals to elaborate.

Capture ideas on the whiteboard.

Direct participants to record their notes and insights in Part 2 of Handout 8.

(Slide 6 of 8)

10:45 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 20

Indicators of Relaxation

Facilitate a short discussion about the physical indicators of relaxation as a contrast to the earlier discussion of the physical symptoms of fear. Ask participants to place a green check next to any indicators they have experienced personally.

Explain that peace and calm trigger the opposite reaction of fear or anger. When your body is relaxed, acetylcholine is produced, which decreases your heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety, and breathing rate. Being calm ultimately enables your brain to stay focused and think clearly.

(Slide 7 of 8)

10:55 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 21

Managing the Emotion

Share these four techniques for managing the impact of emotions on communication. Explain that implementing techniques such as breathing deeply can help buy some time to reframe your perspective and respond to the situation more effectively.

Ask participants if they have any other techniques for effectively managing emotions. Have them enter their thoughts in chat and then comment appropriately as they come in. You may want to call on a few people to elaborate.

(Slide 8 of 8)

11:00 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 22

Communication Awareness Model

Review the communication awareness model to present the five steps to better communication.

It is helpful if you can share a real story to demonstrate the model.

Before moving on, ask participants if they have any questions about the model. Use the raise hand function to select speakers.

11:10 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 23

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

11:20 a.m.

(35 min)

Slide 24

Learning Activity 5. Surgical Analysis of Your Story

•  Handout 9. Surgical Analysis of Your Story

•  Breakout Room

Ask participants to reflect on a difficult situation they’ve experienced recently. Then use the five-step communication awareness model to analyze a challenging conversation. Once they have completed the worksheet, ask them to return to their breakout groups to discuss what they learned about the effectiveness of approaching difficult conversations this way.

NOTE: You will want to drop into the breakout rooms to get a sense of what people are discussing so you can better tailor the debrief.

11:55 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 25

Five Steps to Effective Communication

Once the participants have met with their breakout groups, bring them back together to facilitate the group discussion.

Use the green check, red X, and raise hand functions to solicit interactions.

12:10 p.m.

(10 min)

Slide 26

Morning Debrief

As a morning process check, conduct a large-group discussion about emotion, communication, and having difficult conversations.

Use the green check, red X, and raise hand functions to solicit interactions.

12:20 p.m.

(60 min)

Slide 27

LUNCH

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

NOTE: If you haven’t already done so, create the breakout rooms for pairs to be used in the listening stick exercise.

1:20 p.m.

(15 min)

Slide 28

Assessment 1. Listening Behavior Assessment

Instruct participants to complete the assessment on listening behaviors. The tool also includes instructions to score the assessment.

Facilitate a large-group discussion once all participants have completed the instrument.

Ask:

•  What did you notice about yourself?

•  What were you surprised about?

•  What should you do differently?

Instruct participants to type their responses in chat or on the whiteboard. Read them aloud as they come in, and select one or two people to elaborate. Invite participants to use the raise hand function to add insights or ask questions.

1:35 p.m.

(30 min)

Slide 29

Learning Activity 6. Listening Is More Than Hearing

•  Handout 28. Speaker’s Diagram 1

•  Handout 29. Speaker’s Diagram 2

Follow the instructions provided in the learning activity.

Debrief the questions using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

2:05 p.m.

(5 min)

Slide 30

Basic Listening

•  Handout 10. Mistakes in Listening

Explain and define the features involved in typical, nonempathetic listening (shown on the slide). The listening skills content starts with “typical” listening and then moves into active listening skills in later slides.

Encourage participants to capture notes and insights on the handout.

2:10 p.m.

(10 min)

Slide 31

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

2:20 p.m.

(15 min)

Slide 32

Learning Activity 7. Listening Stick (Part 1)

•  Breakout Room

Tell participants that they have been randomly paired and assigned to breakout rooms for this activity. Post the list of pairs on the screen.

The objective of this activity is for the participants to experience ineffective listening. Display Slide 32, which provides brief instructions for the participants.

Refer to the learning activity for directions on the facilitation process.

2:35 p.m.

(15 min)

Slide 33

Principles of Active Listening (Part 1)

Show the Franklin Covey quote on Slide 29 about active/empathetic listening to introduce the concept of active listening (in contrast to typical listening, which is usually a more common experience). Ask participants to read the quote and give you a green check when they are finished.

Wait for green checks.

Explain that empathetic/active listening is:

•  Motivated by a sincere desire to understand

•  Built one step at a time

•  Founded on character and trust

•  Interactive, sincere dialogue

•  Focused on understanding, not “fixing”

(Slide 1 of 4)

Slide 34

Principles of Active Listening: Skills

•  Handout 11. Active Listening

Present the four skills at the heart of active, empathetic listening: repeat, rephrase, reflect, rephrase/reflect.

Encourage participants to follow along and take notes on the handout.

(Slide 2 of 4)

Slide 35

Whiteboard Discussion

Write the question “Why Rephrase?” on the whiteboard.

Ask participants to use their text tool to write a brief suggestion on the whiteboard of why it is important to rephrase. Alternately, participants may enter their responses in chat.

Select a few to read aloud. Ask if anyone would like to elaborate on their thoughts.

Then move to the next slide to explain in more detail why rephrasing is an important aspect of active listening.

(Slide 3 of 4)

Slide 36

Principles of Active Listening: Rephrasing

•  Handout 11. Active Listening

Explain why rephrasing is important when practicing active listening.

(Slide 4 of 4)

2:50 p.m.

(15 min)

Slide 37

Principles of Active Listening: Paraphrasing

•  Handout 11. Active Listening

Present tips on rephrasing and paraphrasing. Emphasize the importance of personalizing the approach so you don’t sound scripted or insincere.

(Slide 1 of 4)

Slide 38

Whiteboard Discussion

Write the question “What is empathy?” on the whiteboard.

Ask participants to use their text tool to write a brief phrase on the whiteboard that defines empathy. Alternately, participants may enter their responses in chat.

Select a few to read aloud. Ask if anyone would like to elaborate on their thoughts.

Then move to the next slide to define and discuss empathy as it relates to active listening.

(Slide 2 of 4)

Slide 39

Principles of Active Listening: Empathy Guidelines

•  Handout 11. Active Listening

Define empathy: “Empathy expresses how you think the other feels and why. It does not mean that you agree or feel the same way.”

Present guidelines for communicating with empathy. Explain that these sample phrases are meant to be starters to help them practice. It is always better to find your own words so you don’t sound scripted or rehearsed.

(Slide 3 of 4)

Slide 40

Learning Activity 8. Listening Stick (Part 2)

Display Slide 40 and share this key learning about active listening.

(Slide 4 of 4)

3:05 p.m.

(10 min)

Slide 41

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

3:15 p.m.

(15 min)

Slide 42

Small Group Brainstorm: Barriers to Listening

•  Handout 12. Barriers to Effective Listening

•  Breakout Room

•  Whiteboard

Display the question on Slide 42 and tell participants they will be working in groups to brainstorm things that get in the way of listening.

Inform participants that they have been randomly broken into small groups for this learning activity. Show the list of participant assignments on the screen.

Ask participants to join their assigned breakout rooms to discuss Handout 12 and record their ideas.

Bring everyone back to the main room and ask each group to report what barriers to listening they identified.

As participants share, capture their ideas on the whiteboard. Time permitting, you could share a time you experienced a barrier to listening and what happened as a result.

3:30 p.m.

(10 min)

Slide 43

Reflection and Action Plan

•  Handout 13. Reflection and Action Plan

Ask: “What will you do differently as a result of this workshop?”

Give participants time to reflect and complete the action plan. This will help them to solidify what they’ve learned.

3:40 p.m.

(10 min)

Slide 44

Day 1 Summary: Take Aways

Ask participants to use their text tool to write down the concept that most resonated with them. Alternately, participants may enter their responses in chat. Read the comments aloud and ask for elaboration as needed.

3:50 p.m.

(10 min)

End 4 p.m.

Slide 45

Close: Final Q&A, Homework, Day 2 Reminders, and Informal Evaluations

Field questions about any Day 1 workshop topics. Assign homework and conduct informal evaluations if applicable.

Homework:

Assign the Personal Case Scenario worksheet (Handout 16) as homework.

Optional:

•  Assessment 2. Communication Style Inventory

The communication style inventory provides a comprehensive assessment of individual communication styles. If you choose to assign this as homework, remember to debrief it on Day 2.

•  Learning Activity 24. Informal Evaluations

You may also choose to conduct informal Day 1 evaluations. See Learning Activity 24. for some easy and innovative ideas.

Prepare a sample mind map that you can use before slide 50.

Day before the session.

Log into the workshop a minimum of 30 minutes prior to the start of the session to verify that the content is loaded and working as planned. Make sure to have a printed copy of this guide in front of you.

Day of session.

Verify the breakout rooms and participant assignments.

Day of session.

Ensure the desired settings are enabled for the presentation and participants.

Day of session.

As an audio check and to verify that participants are able to interact as planned, greet each participant verbally as they enter and ask them to write their first name and favorite ice cream flavor (or another random question) on the whiteboard.

Start 15 minutes before the presentation begins. This serves as an initial audio and connectivity check for the annotation and interactivity tools.

8 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 46

Welcome and Reconnect

Briefly welcome back the participants. Ask them to take a few minutes to verify that all their interactivity functions are working as planned.

Remind participants that they may be asked to share their screens or cameras as part of the workshop’s exercises and activities.

Remind participants to complete their personal case scenarios (Handout 16) if they haven’t already done so.

8:10 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 47

Revisit Ground Rules and Expectations

Reconfirm ground rules and program expectations. Check on progress toward objectives.

If you assigned homework, acknowledge that and answer any questions participants had.

8:25 a.m.

(50 min)

Slide 48

Learning Activity 9. Alpha Beta Exercise

•  Handout 14. Alpha Beta Exercise

This activity seems more complicated than it is, so be sure to use the full facilitation process and follow instructions in the learning activity. It is a silent activity, so once you explain the directions all participant communication will be done in writing.

Show Slide 48 and present the rules for this exercise.

Encourage participants to reference their handout during the activity.

(Slide 1 of 4)

Slide 49

Learning Activity 9. Alpha Beta Exercise

•  Handout 14. Alpha Beta Exercise

Show Slide 49 and present the rules for the communication process that is used in this exercise. It’s important that the organizational hierarchy is strictly followed.

Encourage participants to reference the handout during the activity.

(Slide 2 of 4)

Slide 50

Learning Activity 9. Alpha Beta Exercise

•  Handout 14. Alpha Beta Exercise

Show Slide 50 and present the format the participants will use to send messages in this exercise.

Encourage participants to reference the handout during the activity.

(Slide 3 of 4)

9:15 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 51

Learning Activity 9. Alpha Beta Exercise

•  Handout 14. Alpha Beta Exercise

This activity has the potential to drive a very rich discussion. Debrief the questions using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

Encourage participants to record their insights on the handout.

(Slide 4 of 4)

9:25 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 52

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

9:35 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 53

Discussion

Write: “What makes good business writing?” on the whiteboard.

Ask participants to either raise their hand or reply in chat. Capture their ideas on the whiteboard.

9:40 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 54

Model for Effective Business Writing

•  Handout 15. Model for Effective Business Writing

Introduce the model for effective business writing and summarize the steps. Encourage participants to follow along on Slide 47 or Handout 15.

9:50 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 55

Planning Your Writing Content

Review the brainstorming questions on Slide 49, and explain how they can be used in the mind-mapping technique.

10:05 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 56

Demonstrate the development of a mind map.

Each main limb of the map is used for building on the original concept and branching out by adding relevant ideas to the main concept:

•  Choose a topic to place in the center of the map (for example, an upcoming event).

•  Label the first limb “audience” and then add additional branches for each stakeholder member identified.

•  Label the next limb “need” and add branches with answers in that category.

•  Label another “expectations” and add branches.

•  Label another “content” and add branches.

10:10 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 57

Learning Activity 11. Document Planning Mind Map

•  Handout 17. Mind Map: Plan Your Content

Now it is your participants’ turn. Instruct them to choose a personal case scenario from Handout 16 and map all content planning considerations.

Ask participants to give you a green check when they have completed their maps.

Debrief the questions using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

10:25 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 58

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

10:35 a.m.

(10 min)

Slide 59

Brainstorm … Brainstorming!

•  Handout 18. Brainstorm Other Brainstorming Methods

•  Breakout Room

Ask participants to join their assigned breakout rooms to brainstorm other brainstorming techniques besides mind mapping. Instruct them to record their insights on the handouts, which also include best practices for productive brainstorming.

Bring everyone back to the main room and debrief using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand). Capture the responses on the whiteboard.

10:45 a.m.

(5 min)

Slide 60

Five Cs of Effective Communication

•  Handout 19. Five Cs of Effective Communication

Present the Five Cs of Effective Communication. Participants can follow along and take additional notes on the handout.

10:50 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 61

Learning Activity 12. Five Cs

•  Whiteboard

•  Handout 19. Five Cs of Effective Communication

•  Breakout Room

Follow the facilitation instructions in Learning Activity 12.

Inform participants that they have been randomly broken into four groups—winter, spring, summer, and fall—for this activity. Display the list of groups on the screen.

Ask participants to work in their assigned breakout rooms to identify communication pitfalls.

Bring everyone back to the main room and debrief using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane and raise hand). Capture all responses on the whiteboard.

11:05 a.m.

(25 min)

Slide 62

Learning Activity 13. Clear Communication

•  Handout 20. Practical Practice—Clear Communication

•  Breakout Room

This exercise gives participants practice writing with clarity by assigning an unexpected task: writing instructions for a Martian!

Direct them to work as pairs in their breakout rooms so they can check each other’s work. Post the list of pair assignments on the screen.

Follow full facilitation instructions in the learning activity.

After 15 minutes, bring everyone back to the main room and ask for volunteers to share their instructions with the class.

Debrief using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

11:30 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 63

Learning Activity 14. Concise Communication

•  Handout 21. Practical Practice—Concise Communication

•  Breakout Room

This exercise will give participants practice rewriting wordy phrases so only relevant information is included and there’s no unnecessary repetition.

Direct participants back to their paired breakout rooms so they can check each other’s work. Follow the full facilitation instructions in the learning activity.

After 7–8 minutes, bring everyone back to the main room and ask for volunteers to share their responses with the class.

Debrief using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

11:45 a.m.

(15 min)

Slide 64

Learning Activity 15. Complete Communication

•  Handout 22. Practical Practice—Complete Communication

•  Breakout Room

This exercise will give participants practice rewriting a business document so that it provides complete information.

Direct participants back to their paired breakout rooms so they can check each other’s work. Follow the full facilitation instructions in the learning activity.

After 7–8 minutes, bring everyone back to the main room and ask for volunteers to share their responses with the class.

Debrief using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

12 p.m.

(60 min)

Slide 65

LUNCH

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

1 p.m.

(20 min)

Slide 66

Learning Activity 16. Correct Communication

•  Handout 23. Practical Practice—Checklist for Correct Communication

•  Breakout Room

This handout provides a list of ideas that are often forgotten when drafting a message. Use it when drafting a business document to make sure it provides the correct information.

Direct participants back to their paired breakout rooms to review the checklist and contribute any additional, relevant ideas. Follow the full facilitation instructions in the learning activity.

After 7–8 minutes, bring everyone back to the main room and ask for volunteers to share their responses with the class.

Debrief using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

1:20 p.m.

(20 min)

Slide 67

Learning Activity 17. Considerate Communication: Circles of Influence

•  Handout 24. Practical Practice—Your Role in Considerate Communication

This activity helps participants explore the influences that have shaped them into the people they are today and identify cultural biases and filters that affect considerate communication.

Emphasize that each person has a role to play in considerate communication.

Follow the facilitation instructions in Learning Activity 17. Use the whiteboard to model the activity for the participants.

1:40 p.m.

(15 min)

Slide 68

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

1:55 p.m.

(20 min)

Slide 69

Learning Activity 18. Identify Your Reader’s Needs

•  Handout 25. The Wants and Needs of Your Reader

•  Breakout Room

Use your method of choice to facilitate a discussion around the reader’s wants and needs. Have participants begin by considering what they themselves want and need as readers and then extrapolate to their audience. This conversation is very helpful for encouraging them to carefully consider and plan the content of their written messages.

Your audience is looking to answer these questions:

•  What is this about, and does it matter to me?

•  What do I have to do now, and when is it due?

•  What data do I need to know from this?

•  How does this make me feel?

•  Can I skip this all together?

Use the breakout rooms to allow groups to complete the worksheet in the handout. After 7–8 minutes, bring everyone back and ask for volunteers to share their responses. Capture their answers in appropriate column on the screen.

Debrief the questions using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

2:15 p.m.

(30 min)

Slide 70

Learning Activity 19. Draft Your Message

•  Handout 26. Draft Your Message

•  Breakout Room

This activity helps participants practice drafting a document that considers the needs of the reader and conforms to the Five Cs (clear, concise, complete, correct, and considerate).

Direct participants back to their paired breakout rooms to share their thoughts and provide each other feedback. Show the list of assignments on the screen.

Follow the full facilitation instructions in Learning Activity 19.

After 15 minutes, bring everyone back and ask for volunteers to share their responses with the class.

Debrief using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

2:45 p.m.

(10 min)

Slide 71

Most Commonly Forgotten Communication Factors

It is helpful to discuss the Five Cs from a big-picture perspective. Use Slide 71 as a focal point for a final wrap-up conversation before participants take the last step of designing the document.

Encourage input using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand).

2:55 p.m.

(10 min)

Slide 72

BREAK

Encourage participants to get up and move around. Emphasize that they should try to look away from their computers or phones during the break if possible.

3:05 p.m.

(10 minutes)

Slide 73

Design the Document

Once crafted, great communication goes an extra step and incorporates design—not only what it says, but what it looks like.

Review design considerations with participants, including whitespace, paragraph length, fonts, and bullet points.

3:15 p.m.

(15 minutes)

Slide 74

Reflection and Action Plan

•  Handout 27. Reflection and Action Plan

Ask: “What will you do differently as a result of this class?”

Solicit input using any method you wish (e.g., chat pane or raise hand). Capture any comments on the whiteboard.

Allow participants time to reflect and complete the action plan. This will help them solidify what they’ve learned.

3:30 p.m.

(15 minutes)

Slide 75

Discussion: Day 2 Summary

Facilitate a discussion and solicit feedback about the best take-aways from the course. Capture their responses on the whiteboard.

3:45 p.m.

(15 minutes)

End 4 p.m.

Slide 76

Close: Final Q&A and Evaluation

•  Assessment 3. Course Evaluation

Field questions about any Day 2 topics or the workshop as a whole. Share any final details or follow-up activities (see chapter 9 for ideas for follow-up coaching).

Distribute the session evaluations (Assessment 3).

Consider including an inspiring quote or story to close the workshop on a positive note.