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: I compiled some free, spot-on and bite-sized resources on building strong communication skills at levels taught at top organizations. Relevant for a wide range (interviewing, sales etc). Especially relevant to problem solving! I'll keep adding more to this thread 
...
: I compiled some free, spot-on and bite-sized resources on building strong communication skills at levels taught at top organizations. Relevant for a wide range (interviewing, sales etc). Especially relevant to problem solving! I'll keep adding more to this thread ...
A quick intro. Communication skills are talked about a lot yet we often automatically discount them as "fluff" because the pressure cooker environments we work in leave little time fo anything beyond what we perceive as "getting stuff done"...
...Yet communication is the glue without which nothing gets done with teams, customers, etc! Advice often focuses on tone, posture, etc while real opportunities => 1.Understanding others, 2.Communicating with yourself first & 3. Structured communication to others. So here goes:
1- Understanding others
1a. The iceberg model: What we see or hear is almost always a small part of the story. Dig into history, processes, incentives etc that led to a conclusion or outcome. McKinsey recommends this video
1a. The iceberg model: What we see or hear is almost always a small part of the story. Dig into history, processes, incentives etc that led to a conclusion or outcome. McKinsey recommends this video
1b-Empathy: Key for making communications effective i.e. communications that drive actions and results. This is a solid talk by an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School around understanding empathy on a broader and emotional levels
1c- Cognitive Empathy: You can have empathy in a strictly practical/professional context. This mini lecture is about cognitive vs emotional empathy. How to understand others' (manager, teammate, client etc) goals, fears, incentives, etc
1d- Asking probing questions: about the problem being discussed or the person's goals, etc is super critical and usually ignored. This article by McKinsey is a good start but not enough. I'll write a crash course guide and add it to this thread https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-organization-blog/the-questions-you-ask-drive-the-action-you-see
2- Communicating with yourself first.
2a- Goals: Doing meetings, writing documents, making presentations w/o articulating Output goals (Objectives) & Input goals (Key results) is a waste. John Doerr (investor in Google, Amazon & others) sums it up here: https://www.ted.com/talks/john_doerr_why_the_secret_to_success_is_setting_the_right_goals#t-649615
2a- Goals: Doing meetings, writing documents, making presentations w/o articulating Output goals (Objectives) & Input goals (Key results) is a waste. John Doerr (investor in Google, Amazon & others) sums it up here: https://www.ted.com/talks/john_doerr_why_the_secret_to_success_is_setting_the_right_goals#t-649615
2b- Agendas: In communication events (i.e. meetings, interviews, calls etc) try to ensure the event has an agenda and for sure have one for yourself. This Harvard Business Review article outlines designing effective agendas with examples. https://hbr.org/2015/03/how-to-design-an-agenda-for-an-effective-meeting
Will add soon: Structured communication to others (The McKinsey minto pyramid principle, the SCR model and more stuff)
