National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and your Brand

On 12 December 2017, the Commonwealth and Western Australian governments agreed that WA will join the nationally delivered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

From 1 July 2018, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will assume responsibility for the delivery of the NDIS in Western Australia.

Now that a decision has been made, business that provide disability services are ramping up for the new competitive environment.  Are you ready?

The customer’s expectations of the carer will become more demanding, with requests for workers with specialised skills, certain personality types, or cultural backgrounds. Success in this area is dependent on the NDIS service provider’s ability to match the right staff to their clients.

As specialised demand increases from customers, skilled care workers will become more selective of their employers with shift availability being of utmost importance and service providers must improve their operational efficiency in order to remain profitable under NDIS.

Under NDIS rules, more visibility is required around billing for services. Service providers must also store accurate and detailed customer information to allow for transparency and efficient delivery of services.

The NDIS will bring about wide-ranging changes for disability service providers in terms of the types of jobs and skills required. Needs are expected to extend across business management and service provision, with increased focus on areas like customer service, workforce flexibility, innovation and technology.

Early findings from NDIS trial sites suggest that NDIS participants are seeking workers with values and attributes they can relate to. This means demand for workers with a variety of backgrounds, reflecting the demographic diversity of clients, and values that put people with disability at the centre of decision making.

New skills and a new mindset are needed to make this transition successful, and this is where we can help!

We have 3 one day workshops designed specifically for NDIS providers that will enable you to start the process of developing change-capable leaders, creating front-line brand ambassadors and embedding effective workplace coaching.

Alive & Kicking Solutions is an established Perth based People Development consultancy, helping businesses prepare for the competitive challenges that the Aged Care Reforms and NDIS brings. 

We understand that the world of aged and disability care is changing. With the customer now empowered to decide what they require and who will provide it for them, organisations must approach their clients with a fresh and innovative perspective to stay ahead of the competition.

We are Human Behaviour Change experts.  We have worked successfully with  renowned organisations in the Aged Care sector assisting them transition their people to the more customer and brand focused mindset required as a result of the Aged Care Reforms.

Our deep understanding of ‘whole industry legal reform change’ positions us well to support NDIS providers with the current challenges.

Contact us on 1300 305789 for a confidential, no obligation chat to find out more.

NDIS

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4 STEPS TO SUCCESS

4 steps to a productive day in a flow state!

Have you ever noticed that some days you seem to be on top of the world – and everything flows brilliantly!  

You wake up full of energy, you experience a sense of ease in getting things done. 

Nothing seems to get in your way – and things simply go well.  

Then there are those “other days”. 

You feel like you have cement in your shoes, your brain isn’t clear, things seem to be a struggle, getting the simple of tasks accomplished feels like swimming in your sweat pants and jumper.

Things just seem to go from bad to worse!

What if we could manage that process?  What if we could find the keys that could make the difference and help us to have far less of those ugly days – and many more of the light and productive days? A productive day in a flow state!

Would that be useful to you?

 

Let’s investigate the formula for having wonderful and productive days!

A productive day in a flow state

 

The first “M” – is all about managing your own mindset.  For those of you who have encountered Alive & Kicking before – you know that we place a great deal of importance on the ability to stay “above the line” – or realising that we are in complete control of our own feelings, emotions, and results – we can CHOOSE our attitude.  We also spend a lot of time talking about the power of the mind and the connection the mind has to our outcomes and results in life.

OUTCOMES:  

  • Controlling the internal voices – you have a voice (negative or positive)
  • Staying focused and positive – do you lose focus when things get tough?
  • Calm the Emotions – do you know how to calm your emotions?
  • Accessing creativity – be able to access creativity – you ARE creative.

Learn to visualise what you want

Learn to focus your attention on that thing – and keep working on the internal focus and language so that there are no competing negative thoughts that happen along with your visualisation.

Visualisation and focus are great – and they are an integral part of the success journey.   They are, however, by no means the end of the story.   Just because you visualise something strongly, doesn’t mean that it will instantly materialise.   There is the issue of taking action!

Most of us know what to do to be healthy and have a fit body.  The challenge is always – DOING THESE THINGS CONSISTENTLY!

 

So now we address the second “M” – Motivation.

 

Our first issue is the difference between motivation and inspiration!  Inspiration is a feeling you get.   Motivation is the energy and the burst into action.   Example.  Have you ever watched the Olympics and felt inspired by the greatness that you were witnessing?  How about watching the Para-Olympics?   Do you get inspired by these people who achieve amazing things and overcome adversity and incredible life challenges?   Yes, most of us feel that way.  Our spirits are lifted and we feel a sense of great appreciation and gratitude and recognition that the human being is a limitless and amazing creature.

Inspiration, however does not always turn into motivation – or the impetus to take action!   You may watch the Olympic swimming – and think to yourself:  “I’m going to start swimming again – I could use the exercise and I really do enjoy swimming.”   But do you take the action?  Or do you simply fall back into the same old routine that you currently have

So what do we do? – LEARN TO RECOGNISE MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION AND TURN THE M TO MOTIVATION!

There must be a catalyst for action!   There must be a compelling reason and a plan.  This is all about Goal Setting and action planning!

This is the Master Plan.   They key is to create an overall outcome and then break the process down into lots of finite little steps.  Then TAKE THE FIRST STEP!

Here is where the CYCLE BEGINS!

When Action is taken – Momentum is created!  

HERE WE GET TO THE 3RD M – MAINTAIN MOMENTUM – When momentum exists, it affects the mindset – and we want to do more.  We are then motivated to take another action!  Then more momentum is created and the cycle continues.

This is called FLOW STATE!  Actions inspire actions.

Think about cleaning your house.  Once you take the first action, you’ve done the dishes – and you feel proud.  You are then inspired to wipe the counters down – you feel even better.  Then you think, well I still have a full sink of hot and soapy water, so I might as well wipe out the inside of the fridge – then you feel like you’ve really accomplished something.

LEAD TIME VERSUS LAG TIME

In order to create REAL momentum – you must continue to operate in LEAD TIME.   Lead time is when you’ve done something a bit extra.   Get up 1 minute earlier.  You are now in lead time.   Do one more thing, take one more step.

The opposite of this is LAG time.  Lag time is created when you are running late, not doing what you intended to do – and especially – being REACTIVE instead of PROACTIVE.

THE FINAL M – THE MASTER PLAN – So, let’s get back to the Master Plan – as this is where it all begins!

RRA

RESULTS – WE ALWAYS GET RESULTS – The question is whether they were the results you wanted or not!

What do you want?  What is the desired result?   It’s amazing to me that many people neglect to ask themselves this question – much less come up with an answer!   It should be asked in every facet of your life.

For my home – what do I want?  

For my work – what do I want?  

For this project – what do I want?

And get specific!  What EXACTLY do I want?   What does it look like, smell like, taste like, sound like, feel like?

REASONS – REASONS GIVE YOU INSPIRATION!    Why do I want this?   This is the real compelling factor that can get motivation happening.   Why is this important?  Why should I do this?  Why will this be good for me?  Why will not having or doing this be bad for me?

ACTIONS – ACTIONS CREATE AND MAINTAIN MOMENTUM – ACT UNTIL. . . .

What can be done now?  What are all the steps?  What are some steps?  What step comes next?

Lets quickly review the 4 M’s of success.

  1. Manager you MINDSET! PRACTICE BEING POSITIVE
  2. Manifest MOTIVATION – take the first step!
  3. Maintain Momentum – Create LEAD TIME! & Keep taking actions – even the smallest ones will keep you in momentum.
  4. Do Master Planning – RRA

Good Luck – go an achieve a productive day in a flow state!

 

Bruce Lee and the Art of the Team Vision

‘A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at’

Bruce Lee

Most likely, you are aware that Bruce Lee was a martial artist and body builder. What many people don’t know is the true breadth of his influence in the non-ass kicking arts!  Philosophy, poetry, film choreography, fitness and nutrition are all areas where Lee made major contributions and blazed trails.  

Bruce Lee commanded the world’s attention – and his own inner powers – like no man before him, and none since. 

Aside from his physical preparation, Lee would always set aside time every day to train his powers of concentration and focus. 

He would train wearing a headset and through one side of his headphones were loud noises – car engines and horns – while the other side produced soft, tranquil sounds like raindrops hitting a pond.

The idea, Lee explained, was to train to separate both sides so he could focus only on the soft sounds.

“.. fighting is mainly practiced with one’s attention on one person,” he said. “But in the street, one might be attacked by four or more people, so I want to have my senses heightened to be receptive to the slightest sound.”

His ability to maintain a laser like focus on his goals, together with his dedicated practice and work ethic, is what ensured his success.

In the corporate world, keeping focus on the goal or vision can often be the most challenging part of a leader or managers’ reason for being.  The individuals and teams who are able to maintain focus on the end goal are the ones most likely to drive and achieve success.

There is little dispute that an organisation’s vision and the ability of its leaders to articulate and inspire others to see this vision is the differentiator between good and great at an organisational level.

What about at the team level though? Do your team members need to live and breathe the vision or is good performance, a great work ethic and the ability to manage projects sufficient?

We say hard work is not enough. Productivity is not enough. Every team needs vision!

While the organisational vision can be bold and effective, it may not be specific enough for your team. You may need to develop your own….

1.Creating a great team vision starts by asking questions:

  • What is the company vision? How does our team make a difference toward that end?
  • What will we be known for?
  • What feels impossible?
  • What do our customers most need from us?

2. Now imagine you are 5 years from now. Your team is being recognised for the great work you do.   Discuss…

  • What is the most important work we are doing?
  • What are our customers saying about us?
  • What does it feel like to work on this team?
  • What is senior management saying about us?

3. Capture the key words and values

4. Write it in the present tense

5. Make it emotive – you want to stir passion

6. Summarise the Vision Statement into a powerful phrase, that people can easily grasp

Finally, remember, you can have the best vision statement in the world, laminated and beautifully reproduced in technicolour and strategically around your office. If it is doing absolutely nothing to inspire planning, behaviours or decision-making, then it is worse than useless.

It is not what the vision is, it’s what the vision does.

And as the great Mr Lee said “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.”

– Bruce Lee

How to achieve your wildest dreams – A 4 Part GOAL SETTING Exercise

This exercise requires a little focus and a little dreaming.  Schedule some time now where you can be alone, in an inspiring environment, with your favourite pen and note pad and set yourself up for a fabulous 2018

 

 

  • Part 1, go back to 2008 to see how far you have come.
  • Part 2, envision 2028 and how far you can go.
  • Part 3, define WHAT you want as an outcome at the end of 2018, and WHY.
  • Part 4, plan HOW to get there, and how to arrive on 31 December 2018!

 

PART 1: LET’S GO BACK TO 2008

Around the turn of the year, it’s always good to look back.

And this is an interesting quote:

“Most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” – Tony Robbins

So do you remember 2008?

That‘s 10 years ago…

(And yes I know, it sounds like 3 years ago, but that’s another story…)

So back to 2008:

  • Where did you live?
  • What did you do?
  • Where did you work?
  • What skills and knowledge did you have?
  • How effective were you as an employee?
  • What were your hopes and dreams?

Take a moment to reflect and makes some notes if you like……

 

So, a lot can happen in a decade!

If someone had asked you in 2008 – “Where will you be in 10 years?”

What would you have told them?

Are you today where you wanted to be back then?

  • What did you learn in 10 years?
  • What did you enjoy?
  • What did you achieve?
  • What did you give to the world?
  • Who did you become?

Feel grateful for all you have received and gathered in your life the past 10 years: all the knowledge, skills, experiences, wisdom, life lessons, good feelings, and happy moments!

And take pride in how far you have come, and about the value you created, the quality of lives you already enhanced, and in who you became!

Plus, have faith in how far you can go the next decade!

Goal setting

 

      PART 2: LETS FOCUS ON 2028

So now, let’s go forward to 2028…

10 years from now you will arrive…

And the question is:

  • Where will you be?
  • How will you live?
  • What gifts and talents have you shared with the world?
  • What will you have become?
  • What will you contribute?
  • What will you be, do, or have what you always wished for?

Take a moment to dream and make some notes…….

 
Now is the time to design the next 10 years of your life.

So as 2018 starts, ask yourself:

How am I going to live the next 10 years of my life?

What can I do:

  • to discover my life purpose?
  • to work on my life purpose?
  • to expand my knowledge?
  • to improve my skills?
  • to gain experience?
  • to fulfill my life’s work?
  • to leave a legacy?
  • to make a difference?
  • to be able to help others?
  • to enjoy life even more?

What actions can I take today, tomorrow, and the days after to get where I want to be in 10 years?

Let that mull over in the back of your mind whilst you go refill your mug of coffee or tea.

 

Part 3:  Let’s focus on 2018!

Now it’s the time to design your year.

What do you want in 2018?

Decide what you want for a final outcome. And what do you need to change to not be in the way of yourself?

  • What habits hold you back?
  • How are you going to break the pattern?
  • How are you going to live today to create the tomorrow you’re committed to?

Ask yourself some year-end questions:

  • What ‘good habits’ did I practice in 2017?
  • What ‘bad habit’ was still present in my life?

If I don’t change this ‘bad habit’ in 2018, what’s my short-term ‘pleasure’?

If I don’t change it, what will it cost me in the long run?

If I never change, what’s the ultimate price I will have to pay in 10 years?

What actions can I take in the New Year to turn things around?

What are my goals for 2018, so I can get closer to my Decade Dream?

Hmmm…. something to think about….

 

PART 4: IT’S ON! 2018 HERE WE COME!

This is the critical piece. We know that not everyone will make 2018 the success they want it to be.  Its easy to work on parts 1,2 and 3 – those are the reflecting and dreaming states.  Part 4 is where the magic happens, but it is hard and not everyone will do it.

Why?

Because it’s time-consuming.

It’s thought-demanding work.

And yet,  many people who work hard day in and day out – at jobs they don’t necessarily like – when asked to take time to design their own futures to break that cycle,  they often reply:

“I don’t have time!”

They let their future slide.

Most people don’t make definite plans…

They HOPE things will get better for them in 2018.

They start the new year with their fingers crossed for 2018.

They go around with a worried look on their face.

Remember:

Writing your goals down shows that you’re committed to growth, that you’re serious.

And to do better, you’ve got to get serious.

So don’t be afraid to set a goal and get moving.

The journey will take you far beyond your wildest dreams.

Because goals are powerful.

They DRAW you to changes…

To growth…

To new and creative ideas…

To untapped potential and talents that you never knew existed…

You’ll be able to handle things you never thought you could handle…

You’ll be able to accomplish things that seemed impossible to achieve…

Give yourself the chance to become all you can become in 2018!

To accomplish all you can accomplish in 2018!

Don’t underestimate the power of the last decade. What did you feel i Part 1 of this exercise, as you reflect on how far you’ve come since 2008.

Gather up this past decade…

All the knowledge you gained…

The skills…The wisdom…The experiences…And life lessons…

And invest them in 2018!

 

Start something new, change things for the better, renew yourself in body, mind, heart and soul!

Plan a 2018 worth getting excited about.

Create a strong magnet to pull you forward!

You see, that’s the main reason for setting goals: It’s to encourage you to become the person it takes to achieve them.

So decide:

“This is what I want, and I am willing to become the kind of person that it will take!”.

Because if you’re willing to learn, read, study, and grow, and to become what you must become, then you will attract what you want.

 

LET’S MAKE YOUR 2018 PLAN

To do so you need:

1. Your goals as defined in part #3.
2. A set of actions that will lead to the final outcomes.
3. Dates and times to take those actions.

Now to achieve your goals, you have 365 days, where you can take massive action, by taking one step at a time.

And to not get overwhelmed with the big end goals, you can define sub-goals for each QUARTER of the year…

And for each MONTH…

And finally, know what you want to achieve this WEEK…

And that leads to what needs to be done TODAY!

Now to help you chunk it, let’s use two things:

A DUMP-TO DO-DOING-DONE board for a complete overview of the set of actions.

Your daily journal to schedule the actions on a certain date and time.

WHY and HOW to use the DUMP-TO DO-DOING-DONE board:

The board is used to get you to actualise your ultimate goals.

And this is how it works:

  1. Put all actions that will lead to your outcome on little sticky notes, and ‘dump’ them in the DUMP area.
  2. Put the actions you will do in January or in Q1 in the TO DO area.
  3. When you really start doing a certain action, move it in the DOING area.

    goal setting

  4. And when you did it, you move the sticky note to the DONE area.

So during the year, all stickies will move from the DUMP area, into the TO DO area, then the DOING area and finally they end up in the DONE area.

This way, you always have an overview of what still needs to be done to reach your final outcomes!

With the board, you will use your daily journal to schedule the actions that are waiting in the TO DO area, so you know when you will be doing them on a specific date and time.

So the combo board + journal will keep you on track along the year.

And because of the board, you don’t end up with never-ending to-do lists which have no connection to whatever your bigger picture is.

With the board, you know that all the actions you do are connected to your ultimate vision for 2018 (part 3), and your Decade Dream (part 2)!

How cool is that!

How Driver and Vehicle Services at the Department of Transport changed customer perceptions and improved employee engagement

Curious about what it is like to work with Alive & Kicking Solutions?

Steve Mitchinson is A/ General Manager, Driver and Vehicle Services at the Department of Transport (let’s save keystrokes and refer to them as DVS).  DVS is responsible for the effective management of over 1.8 million registered drivers and over 3.5 million registered vehicles and manages revenue collection and disbursement of over $2 billion on behalf of government.

In the beginning…

Steve connected with us because he wanted DVS to be the ‘shining light of public sector service delivery which would change customer perceptions and improve employee engagement’.

When Steve took on the role in November 2015, he told us he uncovered an organisation with a lack of visibility to meaningful measures of performance and outcomes, with an under performing workforce created by a lack of understanding and support for the front-line challenges.

Steve invited AKS to support him and his team in implementing a program of Operational Excellence based on their adoption of the Shingo Model.  This program was to run across an organisation of 600 staff, 10 sites and 300 service partners, and a $150m a year operating budget.   

After spending some time with Steve and his key leadership team understanding their objectives, challenges and the environment, we designed and delivered a one-day program entitled ‘Moving to Excellence’ with the aim of improving Customer Service by focusing on Emotional Intelligence Skills.

This workshop was piloted with the frontline customer service team in the Karratha Vehicle Licensing Centre.   The Regional Director of the Pilbara fed back that:

“The facilitator was exceptionally engaging and had even the most recalcitrant of team members participating.  The focus was on how positive interaction with colleagues and customers results in great customer service and also creates individual job satisfaction and personal fulfilment.  The facilitator also spent some time on how to provide feedback in a productive manner. I have received feedback from a driving assessor who has found these tips immediately useful.

 I recommend booking AKS if you have identified any common themes within your team in relation to ‘attributes’ or behaviours that could improve customer service; customers being each other as well as external customers.”

The positive feedback kicked of the project in earnest and we rolled out a series of workshops for approximately 35 people in each licensing centre across 9 metro centres. Customer focus

Session one: Focus on Values and Behaviours part 1 – half day

This session started out with an introduction from Steve who travelled to each location with the Manager of Business Centres Gregg Whitehall and spent the ½ day in the session with the teams.  This was particularly valuable because he was hearing directly from frontline team members.  

The AKS facilitator then led a discussion relating to philosopher Martin Buber’s work on how we experience the world around us. Buber was concerned with people’s sense of self and the choices we make.  The conversation then moved to a discussion about where their sense of control exists – “above or below the line”. 

We then morphed into a discussion about Values and set to work on unpacking the behaviours that went along with those values.   The end outcome was for the staff to create something like a “Code of Conduct” or “Rules of the Game” and ideas on how to implement them.  

Session Two: Focus on Values and Behaviours part 2 – half day

We began by asking participants what they had done with the work that that had been created in the previous session.  Many had taken no action (!).  This was an opportune time to apply some gentle pressure to remind them that conversations alone are not enough.  Actions must be taken to create change. 

The facilitator helped participants workshop what actions could be taken to implement the previous work.   Some centres did this very easily – others had more resistance and some objections that we worked through.  Again, the DVS leadership team were here for the discussions and worked brilliantly to help move the teams through the paces.  

We then introduced participants to a concept regarding internal states of mind toward others (customers, co-workers and whole organisations).  This concept was all about choosing a productive and appropriate mindset to get them out of the angst toward others.

After a fun presentation, participants were asked to consider who they were in the box with.  Co-workers? Customers? Management? Great discussion ensued and there was a prevalent topic that came up regarding customers and that is they didn’t feel they had a great way to handle challenging customers. 

Session Three: Handling Difficult Customers Session – 1-Day

The session started with a discussion to elicit ways that customers show up as challenging or difficult.  We then workshopped the neuro-physical impact of Positive and Negative language and discussed concepts like how powerful language is; the need to be aware of the language we use; how often our words are chosen by our habits and how it is often easier to come up with negative words than positive.  We introduce ways to handle conflict and participants undertook a listening game to examine how we listen and what distracts us.

Turning Point

Employee engagement This session contained the defining items that made the difference in people being more capable of handling challenge in their environment. As a result of this session the culture was truly changing, and people were becoming far more resilient and confident, particularly in their interactions with customers.  

DVS has reported that the rapid decline in customer aggression incidents has been remarkable as staff now have the skills to deal more effectively with incidents of aggression as they arise. This has had a dramatic impact on engagement. Senior Management have recently commented that they had never seen the levels of energy across the network so high and all leaders have remarked on the transformation in their teams.

Session Four:  E-Concierge Communication Program – half day

This session gave practical skills in how to handle face to face greetings and “crowd management” issues to support the staff with the physical changes that were taking place at the licensing centres. This included introducing a new queueing system – the E-Concierge and introduction of some “self-serve” channels for customers.   This new model was to incorporate the use of iPads and moving a person (or people) to the front of the building to act as concierge – and direct people to systems and self-serve when and where appropriate.  The objective of the session was to help people get comfortable with the new way of being. 

This session was piloted with the team in Midland. They moved buildings and staff had been instrumental in completely reworking how the inside of the building was to look, feel and operate.  Our facilitator attended an iPad training session to get a feel for how it would all work and then created the content for a ½ Day session.

Leadership Development

Alongside the work with the frontline teams, we recommended and delivered a one-day session entitled Handling Difficult Leadership Conversations.  This workshop aimed to connect leaders to the importance of properly constructed and implemented operational and behavioural standards, provide leaders with a framework for having challenging performance conversations, give leaders tools and techniques for handling all forms of performance interactions. 

Word of mouth  

By this time, the word about our 1-Day course Handling Challenging Customers was beginning to spread to other departments.  The infringements department sent one person along to one of the 1-Day workshops to get a feel for the course.  They sent back rave reviews, and this was then implemented across that entire department with the focus was on call handling instead of Face to Face interactions

What do the participants feel?

Steve told us that he has been overwhelmed with the feedback and gratitude shown by the staff.   This course was so well received, that the participants demanded Steve provide a feedback form, so they could share with AKS how great they felt.

What did the participants say?

‘The content was amazing.  I could relate to so much that was being said’. 

“I could happily have done a week of this training!”

“Possibly the best facilitator I have ever had….and I have done a substantial number of courses!”

And what did Steve have to say about his experience in working with Alive & Kicking Solutions?

He shared:

“Working with Alive & Kicking has changed our workforce behaviour significantly and this had delivered substantial benefits for our staff and customers alike.

I would recommend Alive & Kicking to anyone looking to improve employee engagement and customer service levels.

There can be no better quote than ‘Thanks for allowing us to do the training Steve, the AKS training has changed my life forever – Claire*”

The bottom line

  • Unplanned leave is down dramatically
  • 90% of customers report being very satisfied with overall experience
  • Wait times have halved
  • Complaints have reduced by 75%
  • Reported aggression incidents are down 75%
  • The security guard contract ceased in May 2017 as staff were now confident they could effectively deal with all situations

 

 

 

 

Closing a conversation graciously

Closing a conversation graciously is just as important as opening it well.

This is your last opportunity to make sure everything has been covered and the person you are speaking with has no further questions or issues that need to be addressed.

It’s best to leave the other person in an emotional space that is as positive as possible, as it would be counter-productive for them to walk away from the conversation feeling as if they have not been fully heard and validated.

If either of you leave the communication feeling negative, unimportant or undervalued, it’s likely neither will not keep their end of the bargain.

Thank the other person for taking the time to speak with you and ask them if they have any questions about the discussion, or if there’s anything else you can help them with.

At the end of the communication, perhaps you have reached an impasse and things are a bit uncomfortable for you both. Maybe the other person hasn’t got their own way or they are not happy with the solution you have set forward.

For example, you may have reached a decision that Mary really needs to get over her personal objections to the price of the Oompaloompa range, and to just get on with the job of selling them. You have made it clear what you expect and Mary understands that selling this product is art of her role, and that she has a sales target to reach.

In order to prevent Mary from continuing to complain about the price of the product range as her excuse for not meeting sales targets, you could bring the conversation to a close like this:

Mary, knowing that you still have to sell the Oompaloompa range to meet your sales targets and pass your performance review, is there anything else I can cover today for you that will help you to be successful?

This lets Mary know that although a firm line has been drawn with regards to her performance in a specific area, you are still there for her and willing to help with any other issues she may have.

Make sure you close the conversation by acknowledging the person’s contributions and thanking them for their time.

Mary, thank you so much for spending some time with me this afternoon. I appreciate your honesty and have learned a lot from our chat this afternoon.

Rapport is still important right up until the very end of a communication. If the person leaves feeling negative rapport, it will make the next conversation you have with them that much harder.

So over the last few weeks we have shared our communication model that con

Case study

tains four logical steps with each step occurring in order for the communication to run smoothly:

Step 1: Rapport

Step 2: Discovery

Step 3: Solution

Step 4: Close

This model encompasses a philosophy for communication, combined with tools and techniques, that when followed, provides a solid framework for communication and offers a consistent path to follow that will produce an outstanding quality of communication.