Conclusion

Four Ways to Communicate

• Telling.
• Selling.
• Involving.
• Facilitating.
  

Telling
The key characteristics of this approach are:

• The trainer or presenter delivers the message with little active involvement from the delegates.
• He or she is explicit about what needs to be done, and how it is to be achieved.
• The delivery will be well prepared, well rehearsed and perhaps involve multimedia visual aids.

This style of communication is most effective in situations when:

• There are specific management or performance messages to be passed on, which allow little or no scope for debate or discussion.
• There are urgent or timely responses needed to deal with specific situations.
• The delegates are new or inexperienced staff who would be able to contribute little to the discussions.

Selling
The key characteristics are:

• The trainer ‘sells’ the idea or concept.
• He or she provides limited opportunities for delegates to raise issues or concerns to gain their partial ‘buy in’.
• The delivery will be well prepared, well rehearsed and perhaps involve multimedia visual aids.
• There should also be time for some small group discussions.

This style of communication is most effective in situations when:

• It’s important that you gain some degree of ‘buy in’ to new initiatives or ideas.
• You’re dealing with medium-term initiatives and there’s not quite as much time pressure.
• The audience comprises staff with growing confidence and/or skill who would be able to contribute meaningfully to the discussions.

Involving
The key characteristics are:

• The trainer essentially leads the delegates through a well-defined decision-making process.
• There is a high level of participation, which ensures the full commitment of all delegates to the resulting outcomes.
• Preparation will focus on defining the desired end results and the processes to be followed.
• There should be plenty of opportunity small group discussions and capturing the resulting outputs.

This style of communication is most effective in situations when:

• It’s important that you gain a high degree of ‘buy in’ to new initiatives or ideas.
• You’re dealing with medium-term initiatives and there’s not quite as much time pressure.
• The audience comprises experienced staff with high levels of confidence and/or skill who contribute meaningfully to the development of the business.

Facilitating
The key characteristics are:

• The trainer acts as a facilitator leading the delegates through a journey of discovery.
• There is maximum participation and control by the delegates, which ensures their full commitment.
• Preparation will focus on the process to be followed, since the facilitator will need to respond ‘on the hoof’ as the discussions develop.
• There should be plenty of opportunity small group discussions and capturing the resulting outputs.

This style of communication is most effective in situations when:

• You’re breaking new ground – a ‘blue sky’ type of approach.
• There are no longer time scales with no immediate time pressures.
• The audience comprises seasoned professionals who contribute meaningfully to the development of the business.

Which one to use?
A variety of approaches are used during any training process. It depends on what is most suitable at any particular moment. The time required by each of these approaches is different – telling takes the least amount of time while facilitating is the slowest approach to communication.