Recently, a coaching client wanted to challenge herself to become a better communicator in meetings as well as in conversations. As a result, I devised the "Authentic Communication Checklist" to help her with this goal.
Sarah kept the checklist in her iPhone so she could refer to it both before and after important interactions. She also made a commitment to look at the checklist every day for 30 days. At our next meeting, Sarah told me she felt so good about the progress she had made that she decided to share the checklist with her team!
Thought you might appreciate the Authentic Communication Checklist below. Use it before important interactions to help you focus, and after conversations and meetings to confirm you communicated what you intended.
Did I express my ideas?
Did I invite and consider other points of view?
Did I explore the status quo and take action to be creative in ways that will bring about the best outcomes?
Did I listen to advice or ideas that I need to consider or act on?
Did I ask for what I want by focusing on a solution (instead of focusing on / or pointing out what someone else did wrong)?
Did I share my objections or concerns in a way that the other person could hear me?
If you answered "yes" to all the above questions, you created authentic communication. If you answered "no" to any question, this is an area where you may need to circle back and reopen the conversation.
For a download of the Authentic Communication Checklist, click here!
Feel free to share this! It's a simple, easy way to encourage everyone on your team to take the time to communicate authentically.