The Laws of Communication: A Foundation for Better Collaboration

Communication & FeedbackTeamwork & CooperationAll employees≈ 20 min

Key skill: Intergenerational communication

Summary

Four concrete laws for smoother professional exchanges: nailing the first five minutes, limiting the loss of a message between sending and receiving, calibrating non-verbal cues, and accounting for your listener's subconscious.

Target audience

Anyone looking to promote a positive model of communication and collaboration.

Learning objectives

Use simplicity, openness, and candour to make a strong first impression and smooth your relationships.
Prepare and adjust your messages to avoid the 5 points where information gets lost.
Adjust your verbal and non-verbal communication to your listener to be more impactful.
Account for the unconscious impact of your communication on your listener to communicate better.

Module outline

StorytellingDiscover the impact of storytelling through striking examples like Martin Luther King, Obama, Churchill, and Malala Yousafzai
ArticlesMore positive, impactful language (comparison tables of limiting vs. empowering words and phrases) · Smoothing interactions (Bank of America case study) · Communicating with humour
Expert videoAn overview of the 4 major laws of communication: the first 5 minutes, the gap between sending and receiving, communicating beyond speaking, and the iceberg person
AnchoringQuiz and True/False questions to dive deeper into the topic and cement what you've learned
Memo cardDownloadable coaching memo card: the key points from the expert video
CommitmentConcrete examples to help you define your own commitment
BonusA selection of videos to go further (TED, YouTube)

Models & methods

4 laws of communication; the first-5-minutes rule; simplicity, openness, candour; the iceberg-person metaphor.

Research-based

Nicholas Boothman, "How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less"; Albert Mehrabian's 1960s experiment (the 55/38/7 rule); the iceberg metaphor originating from Freud.