Tips for High-Stakes Conversation Preparation

I recently had the pleasure of presenting on crisis comms to a group of Central Washington University students. It’s a topic I get asked about all the time, so sharing 6 key learnings I usually highlight: 1) Preparation is key – If you wait until you are in a crisis to think about your plans, you’re starting at a huge deficit. Scenario plan early and build out as much process/content as you can so you have a running start when the time comes. With careful planning and an early warning system in place, you may even be able to intercept an issue before it turns into a full-blown crisis. 2) Stakeholders (and their roles) matter – A critical part of preparedness: who needs to be involved and in what capacity. Who is the decision maker, who needs to be informed, who is part of the working group, etc. It will vary based on the situation, so see point #1 and get this sorted out in advance. Including how to reach people after hours. 3) Get the facts first ­– Resist the urge to “message” a situation or talk tactics until you understand the facts, including what is unknown. A comms strategy is only as good as the data it is based on; faulty information = faulty strategy. 4) Consider ALL audiences – Customers, partners, employees, the local community, etc. Again, it will vary by situation but things can go sideways fast if you forget about a major audience. You need to own your story across all of them. Pro tip: If you find yourself prioritizing press as your top audience (vs. say, customers or employees), you’re probably doing it wrong. 😊 5) Third parties can tip the scales – They can work in your favor or they can keep fanning the flames. For any given situation think about who can be an advocate…and who is likely to be a detractor. For those who are advocates, remember to nurture those relationships over time vs. simply tapping them when you need something. 6) Practice, practice, practice – The best way to ferret out gaps is to do a few practice drills. But don’t pick a day/time where everyone is around, has time available, etc. Mimic a real scenario which likely includes a couple key people being on vacation, on the road, tied up in all day meetings, etc. The final bit of advice I give people: keep calm. Comms leaders have a unique opportunity to set the tone. Showing up as calm and in control can go a long way to settling others’ nerves. (And yes, it’s completely fair to be stressing out internally/privately.) Joe Tradii thanks again for the opportunity to spend time with your students! #PR #CrisisComms #VoxusPR

I’ve been helping leaders do better storytelling in workplace meetings for 12 years I come from a highly deferential culture (Indian) and I’m often working with women of color raised to respect authority. 2019, a pharma company about to be acquired by a much bigger one. Given its largely Asian population, I was brought in to teach a workshop on how speak up (and do it gracefully). Especially as folks stood to become small fish 'in a much bigger pond.' Here are 7 most common mistakes I noticed (+ how to fix them): 1/ 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 Plan 1:1 meetings with your boss to share  recent wins  priorities ask specific questions that you need his/her input on bring new ideas to the table Put awards and laurels in your email signature 2/ 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 Practice training your eye on your audience for 5-7 seconds. Look away. Try it in low stakes environments, like standing in line at Trader Joe’s and chatting with the person behind or in front of you. 3/ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Fix: Prepare your points ahead of time and practice assertive communication. Use phrases like "In my experience" or "From my perspective" to share your views confidently. 4/ 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 Download the “The Just Not Sorry Google Chrome Extension for email. It builds self awareness around both written and oral words that undermine your authority. Save apologies for genuine mistakes. Skip words like “for example, very or really.�� 5/ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 Get your idea out there. Again, practice in low stakes environment first to flex that muscle. Be clear. Be direct. Keep bullet points handy and prepared ahead of time so you don’t miss key points. 6/ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 Fix: Introduce diversity of thought with scripts like this: "I realize this might be a bit controversial and different from what we’re accustomed to...“ "I know this might be a departure from our usual approach, and it may seem a bit controversial at first...." "I’d like to discuss an idea that might be a bit unconventional, but I believe it has the potential to significantly benefit our project...." 7/ 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 & 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 Fix: Address challenges and risks openly. Present them as opportunities for improvement and learning. Come to the table with the problem ---and a potential solution. _______________ "When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you." — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching) In tomorrow’s newsletter, I’ll break down how I helped my Pharma client and its Asian American Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group become better advocates for themselves in that exact workshop Subscribe here. https://lnkd.in/gk_MAUrh

Hard conversations don’t have to be quite so hard if you understand how to approach them — and what to say. Preparation is important. Before the #conversation, give thought to what you want for the relationship. I once had a boss I didn’t fancy all the much (haven’t we all!) When I stopped to consider what I wanted for the relationship, I realized we didn’t have to like each other—but it was important that we respect each other. With that in mind, I started the conversation with a statement of mutual respect and a curious mindset. If you are approaching someone about a behavior, you’d like them to stop, this wording might be helpful: “(Name) I really appreciate X about you. There is one thing I’m curious about though. I’ve noticed you often do Y. Help me understand how Y helps you do Z.” A statement like this mitigates defensiveness and gives insight into why the other person does what they do. You can then share how the behavior impacts you and move to brainstorming a solution. My boss and I never warmed up to each other. But I did get her to stop looking at her watch & rolling her eyes when I arrived at the office at 9:30 am each day implying I was late and lazy. She had never before realized that when she left the office at 3:00 pm, I was still there. And would be until 7:00 pm. Preparation = managing nerves = mutual respect = an easier ‘hard’ conversation. #toughconversations #crucialconversations #courageousconversations

In my consulting work, I often work with high-level executives to help develop their messaging. Whether they are preparing to present to a major prospect, the media or to stakeholders, we always have to address one common challenge: how to communicate complex issues without getting into complicated explanations. In the digital age, attention spans are short. You cannot positively influence people by boring them into submission. The solution is not to talk about everything you know on a topic. You need to get it down to THE ONE THING that matters most… to them, not to you. Here are my Top Three Tips: 1      Express your one key point so it is clear, memorable and repeatable 2     Resist using acronyms or obscure vocabulary words that may confuse 3     Take out anything that dilutes or distracts from your key message This is not only important in the conference room, but also critical in the court room. An expert witness that can’t communicate effectively to the jury does not help your case. As a successful litigator once told me: “If you are explaining, you’re losing.” How have you seen this play out in your work experience? #Influence #MelindaMarcus #Leadership #LeadershipSkills #WitnessPreparation #Litigation #CommunicationsTips #StrategicMessaging #ExecutiveAdvisor