STRESS MANAGEMENT Signs of Stress and Imbalance How To Break Through Fear in Turbulent Times What is Stress? Solving Problems in a High-Stress Environment Break Through Self-Doubt & Fear Let's Get Physical Holiday Stress Hotspots Make 2004 your Year of Organization Holiday Stress Hotspots Manage Stress by Stopping Obsessive or Unwanted Thoughts Meditate Stress Away Taking Stress for a Ride 3 Strategies to Reduce Stress Cleaning Up Stress; Control It, Change It or Let It Go! Substance Abuse The Courage to Feel Bad The Challenge of Change Tips for Managing Holiday Madness Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance New Year's Resolutions   CHANGE The Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves about Change The Top Ten Ways to Manage People through Change Understanding Change The Challenge of Change   RUNNING A BUSINESS Be Heard. Be Strong. Be Effective. How to Deliver Impressive Presentations Getting Started in the Speaking Business: Answers to Burning Questions What Entrepreneurs Need to Know to be Successful How to Create and Maintain Culture as You Grow Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates   DIVERSITY A Passion for Diversity Traits of a Diverse Organization Simma's Holiday Diversity Q and A How to Go from Eggshell Walking to Multicultural Festivity Making Are You Wasting Your Money on Diversity Training? Interview Bias: Overcoming the Silent Forces Working Against You How to Help LGBT Employees Help Your Organization Grow How to Integrate Diversity Into Your Business Strategy Diversity Benefits Organizations and Communities Diversity Fast Facts How to Integrate Diversity 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Are You Truly Successful? Interviewing Employees Who Stay Wage and Position Disparity Across Gender What Every Consultant Needs to Know About Diversity Consulting and Training Diversity Competency Assessment Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Candidates Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Communicating across Generations in the Workplace Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building Valuing Diversity during the Holidays   COMMUNICATION Understanding Dialogue: A Q&A on the benefits of dialogue Dialogue as a Communication Tool Communication with Concern Helping Others Deal with Loss 10 PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience Tips for Better Communication Between Men and Women in the Workplace Understanding Diversity Dialogues Dialogue as a Communication Tool Amongst Diverse Groups of People Simma & Kate's Strategies for Cross-Generational Relationship Building Web Site Tips   GENDER COMMUNICATION Differences in Male and Female Communication Styles Gender Communications Differences and Strategies Wage and Position Disparity across Gender Tips for Better Communication between Men and Women in the Workplace   WORK/LIFE BALANCE Life/Work Balance in the Real World New Year's Resolutions: A New Approach? Working with Loved Ones: Leverage Potential and Avoid Pitfalls Modern Day Stressors: What Stress Looks Like in the 21st Century The Life Juggle: How to Find Lifework Balance   RESTAURANT & HOSPITALITY All in the Family Are You Truly Successful? How to Create and Maintain the Culture of Your Restaurants Let's Get Physical Meditate Stress Away Taking Stress for a Ride The Challenge of Change 3 Strategies to Reduce Stress Cleaning Up Substance Abuse   FEAR & SELF-DOUBT Break Through Self-Doubt & Fear Substance Abuse The Courage to Feel Bad

Dialogue as a Communication Tool   by Kate Berardo and Simma Lieberman “Consider any complex, potentially volatile issue – Arab relations, the problems between Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians, corporate decision making, getting control of the U.S. deficit or health care costs, labor/management relations and so on. At the root of the issue we are likely to find communication failures and cultural misunderstandings that prevent the parties from framing the problem in a common way, and thus make it impossible to deal with the problem constructively.” -  Edgar H. Schein, Professor MIT Sloan School of Management To change a situation or environment or constructively deal with any issue, there first needs to be dialogue. What is dialogue and when should it be used? Trainers Simma Lieberman and Kate Berardo discuss the basics of dialogue and it's power as a communication tool to allow parties to frame a problem in a common way. What is Dialogue? Dialogue is a communication tool that allows people to understand other viewpoints without pitting themselves against different perspectives. In dialogue, there is no defending of opinions, and no counterpoints. Instead, you let someone talk and present their viewpoint. You let them finish their idea without interrupting or asking questions. You listen to understand, not to defend your own point of view. Your goal is to get in their head, and understand their perspective, not to prove they're wrong and you're right. When it's your turn, you talk and are allowed to finish your thoughts. And here's the key: when you give your viewpoint, you don't give your viewpoint relative to theirs. Dialogue is not a back and forth discussion, not a debate or rebuttal. It's a chance to frame a problem collectively by both independently voicing your perspectives on an issue. When should dialogue be used? Dialogue should be used when, as Edward Schein points out, two parties have framed an issue differently. When individuals or groups have different perspectives and see issues differently, dialogue can be employed as a effective communication tool to help the parties understand each other's point of view. Only from this common understanding can change and resolution grow. Simma Lieberman works with people and organizations to create environments where people can do their best work. She specializes in diversity, gender communications, life-work balance and stress, and acquiring and retaining new customers. Kate Berardo is an intercultural trainer and consultant who specializes in programs on cross-cultural awareness, international relocation, and multicultural teambuilding. She is the founder of the global resource site Culturosity.com and co-author of Putting Diversity to Work. www.culturosity.com. You may reprint these articles free of charge, on a non-exclusive basis, provided that Simma Lieberman's name and contact information are included. She would love to know that you plan to use her article(s); please contact her to let her know. Call Simma at 510.527.0700 or Email simma@simmalieberman.com Visit her website at www.simmalieberman.com FREE subscription to the Lieberman Learning Letter Receive a monthly e-newsletter with tips from Simma's workshops and programs. Topics include diversity, stress management, gender communications, and work life balance. Email: Back to top

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