LFCE Faculty Profile: Brian Tolle
Tuned-in to the Dynamics of Business Communication
Noted for his energetic approach to business effectiveness training, LFCE faculty member Brian Tolle has over 17 years' experience as a management consultant and training expert concentrating in communication, group dynamics, and leadership development. To his students' delight, Tolle also uses improvisation techniques learned at the celebrated Chicago Players Workshop to illustrate his insights into the dynamics of business communication.
"Early on at the Players Workshop, I learned you're destined to fail if you ignore your partner's cues and try to ‘carry the scene' alone," Tolle explains. "This also holds true in business. Every message depends not just on what's said, but upon its context as well."
Tolle practices what he preaches, whether as an LFCE instructor, management consultant, or even when dabbling in improvisational comedy. "I was attracted to LFCE by our mutual interest in understanding each organization's business needs and partnering with our clients to achieve break-through results. As an instructor, I never aim to ‘carry the scene' alone."
Here, Tolle offers three key insights on creating powerful messages by "tuning-in" to the dynamics of business communication:
#1: Don't Let Communication be a "Quick Action" Casualty
In today's competitive environment, organizations must anticipate and respond. Markets demand action, reward results! Like your organization, you might also be driven toward continuous forward motion. After long hours analyzing and developing strategic initiatives, most business leaders naturally are eager to implement change and begin reaping rewards.
Too often, communication is an early casualty of the push to implement. Over the years, I've seen many organizations discover -too late- that key segments of their audience had failed to receive and retain mission-critical information, thereby contributing to a resistance to change among the workforce.
It's a simple, yet easily overlooked lesson: to shortchange communication at the outset is to risk results down the road. One thing we emphasize in the classroom is to take a breath; communication isn't a one-time event, but an ongoing element of business strategy. As a key vehicle for motivating and guiding people in the right direction, communication deserves serious attention.
#2: Pave the Way for Your Message
Key to making your message heard is to understand that what you want to communicate isn't always what listeners want to hear. While you're explaining critical elements of your plan, your team may be thinking, Do I still have a job? How does this change what I do each day? Will I need new skills? Where will I get the support I'll need? New initiatives rarely produce results if those who must implement them don't retain and act upon critical information. If you don't pave the way, there's no guarantee your message will be heard.
To help your message break through, it's essential to communicate both "what others want to hear" and "what you want to tell them." Through role playing and real-world classroom simulations, LFCE participants learn practical strategies for anticipating questions and addressing common concerns; our students gain hands on experience creating effective messages that spark real results.
#3: Bring Others to Your Level of Understanding
Messages also must be fully understood to be effective. Most successful business leaders naturally are attuned to the business rationale for taking the action necessary to achieve strategic change. Few dare proceed with significant initiatives without a clear understanding of the relevant business context, strategy, and objectives. However, it's not unusual even for seasoned leaders to forget that others may not be as "tuned in" as they are.
Again, the success of every communication depends not just on what's said, but on its context as well. It is important to communicate the rationale, goals and objectives to those charged with implementing change. What is the business context? What will be accomplished? Why pursue this action at this time? What are the consequences of doing nothing? Addressing the right issues at the right time can help bring others to the level of understanding necessary to take action.
Applying these and other insights, it's no wonder Tolle has consistently achieved remarkable success helping organizations and their leaders to elevate their communications to the next level … all while improvising a little fun along the way. For Tolle, there simply could be no other way.
