Thank you for giving Impact Africa-CS the opportunity to inform you about our Effective Communication Programes and Team Building.
Importance of this unique Program / Team Building
Companies up and down the country had to make some speedy changes as a result of working from home and COVID-19 lockdown.
I bet many would admit they’ve never prepare or implemented a work from home strategy if it hadn’t been forced upon them.
Before lockdown, it was perhaps a daunting concept. After all, how do you rally and motivate a team, keep up productivity, and monitor what everyone is actually doing when you’re scattered between different locations?
Yet, as many of us have learned, it’s perfectly possible to run a thriving operation with a team of home workers if you approach it the right way.
Having a good communication strategy is most important.
I don’t just mean the practicalities like having the right technology or creating processes for managing workflow.
They’re necessary of course, but I’m talking about communication that’s much more personal. Really knowing the people around you, understanding their working style, and talking to them in a way that resonates with them.
If you can master those things you’re heading in the right direction.
Understanding people’s personal needs is more important than ever right now because a ‘one size fits all’ approach just won’t work in this challenging environment.
So how exactly do you do that?
There’s a Fantastic Effective Communication Training Model by Impact Africa-CS , Nigel Risner ( Chief Zoo Keeper based in UK) and Ahmed Ahmod ( License Zoo Keeper for Africa ).
They believe there are four distinct personality types, each with positive and negative attributes, and categorises them in their book, “It’s a Zoo Round Here ( Africa Edition ) as monkeys, lions, dolphins and elephants.
Monkeys are sociable, dynamic and excitable but can be unpredictable and less detail oriented.
Lions are natural leaders, authoritative and determined but sometimes domineering and impatient.
Dolphins are caring, nurturing and reliable but often need reassurance and can avoid speaking their mind in order to avoid conflict.
Meanwhile elephants are great thinkers and problem solvers but can be picky, critical and cautious.
Take a look at your own workplace and I’ll bet you can easily work out which animals represent the colleagues around you.
If you happen to be a team leader, you need to master the art of being a Zookeeper – a pro at talking to, and working with, the animals. It’s a brilliant analogy and when Ahmed (a self-confessed Elephant) delivers his talk on this topic he does so with the most incredible energy, passion and humour.
But while he’ll make you laugh, he’s making a really serious point about the importance of understanding team dynamics.
You’ve simply got to have diversity in a team so that together, you have an array of different skills, life experiences and perspectives. And you’ve got to take the time to learn how to communicate with all the different personality types if you truly want everyone to give their best.
There’s a brilliant Dundee-based company called Insights which created the Discovery colour model, which is based on the same psychological principles as the animal analogies. It essentially analyses different attributes and working styles and categorises them by colour.
Its purpose is to create self-awareness and drive individual, team and organisational performance, and like the animals analogies above, is a superb tool to help us understand ourselves and those around us.
Significantly, there’s a huge importance for leaders to understand their own vulnerabilities and the part this plays in building a strong, resilient and thriving culture in the business.
If you’ve never taken the time to analyse your own working style, and to really tune in to those around you, then make the time to do it.
Learn where your own strengths and weaknesses lie and learn about the best attributes and the personal needs of those around you. Only by doing so will you know how best to deploy everyone’s skills to ensure you’ve got all bases covered.
Impact Africa-CS understands and respects Government COVID-19 rules/retrictions and takes all necessary precautions during face to face engagements.
Conclusion,
Looking forward to you contacting us so we can help you /staff/ friends and family Communicate Effectively and ultimately achieving their goals.
Gulnaaz Ahmod
Director at Impact Africa-CS