121. Transformative Communication

Descriptor:

Communicating deeply transformative insights/ideas to motivate people to change their worldview and enhance their lives. 

Consciousness Raising Facts & Questions

Effective dialogue is the key to Transformative Communication, where effective is defended as communication which results in a positive worldview shift of those involved in the dialogue.

• Why did the priority of this value peak in 2012 and again in 2017?

• For many people, this value is not a very high priority. Why might this be so?
• What is likely Brain-Preference of a person who has this as a high priority value? [Not familiar with Brain-Preferences? Click here for a brief introduction.] 
• Are you able to effectively communicate with people who have a different Brain-Preference to your own? 

A Core Principles of Effective Transformative Dialogue: 

• C = R + I

Which stands for Change = Rapport + Information. In other words, if you wish to effect change, firstly you must gain rapport through respecting people's values, only then will people trust you and be receptive to information you provide—then and only then is long-lasting change possible.

Demonstrating the principle the principle of C = R + I [NOT]

• What steps do you take to make sure your communications with others build rapport with them?
• What would be the likely outcome to effect a positive worldview change if you were to alienate people with your conversation and/or behaviour?
• Are you open to changes to your own worldview as a result dialogue with others? 

• L = P + Q:  Learning = Programmed instruction + Questions.

Reg Revans, the father of action learning, explains...

The Importance  Developing and Asking Good Strategic Questions

"The power of a good question cannot be underestimated. Good questions are catalytic. They open up the learning field. They stimulate thought processes, curiosity, and the desire to engage with a group, and they are central to what defines and distinguishes dialogue.

"Often, we arrive with answers and expertise, statements to be discussed, or positions to be advocated or negotiated. But in dialogue, questions are actually in many ways more powerful than answers. Questions pull people toward the future, while answers – while useful of course - are of the past. A question that has meaning to the people involved can ignite the whole process of learning and change. The knowledge that the people involved are genuinely needed to bring forth the answers and solutions collaboratively changes the entire field of interaction. Where Bill Isaacs describes dialogue as a “conversation with a centre, not sides”, that “centre” is often created by one or more good questions.

"It is an art to identify questions with real power and meaning to a group of people, a community, or a nation. These are questions that can come alive inside of us, as we seek to work with them. The most powerful questions come directly from the field (the hearts and minds) of the people involved.

"There might be one or more overriding question/s framing an entire process. During a process we can then continue to work with questions as a powerful tool. Many of the tools here use questions as an integral part of their make-up." - Bojer, M., Knuth, M. &  Magner, C. 2006. Mapping Dialogue: A research project profiling dialogue tools and processes for social change, Produced by: Pioneers of Change Associates.

• Frame the Dialogue 

By telling people don’t do this, don’t do that, etc. we are actually evoking the frame in their head associated with the very thing we don’t want them to do – bad strategy! So focus instead on desired outcomes. Focus on where to go rather than on avoiding negative aspects of the past and present - see Framing.

• Transformative leadership is a team effort. 

Constructive dialogue is required between between Transactional leaders (the implementers) and Visionary leaders (the dreamers). It's through effective dialogue between these two groups that a new tacit worldview can emerge. For further understanding of this topic, see...

• Principles to Live By: Transformative Leadership is a Team Effort 
• In the following video, equate the conservatives to the concrete-things (certainty through existing structures) brain-preference and liberals to the people-abstract (creating new social systems) brain-preference.

What are your learnings from the material shared here?