5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for communication, conflict and motivation, October 14, 2008
This review is from: Charting Your Course for Effective Communication: SDI in Communication (Paperback)
What I like about this book is that it is practical! There's information to help with communication based on a person's style, motivation, and way the person handles conflict. What's different from other material is that this material includes effective communication when there is disagreement and conflict. The foundation for the author's material is well known Elias Porter's Relationship Awareness Theory. Very applicable because not much happens without good relationships -- the books helps with that and communication in the relationships in good and difficult times.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Effective with close working or personal relationships, February 17, 2009
This review is from: Charting Your Course for Effective Communication: SDI in Communication (Paperback)
Sponsored by the PMI Organization, this book represents and describes in summary a philosophy of communication styles, their affect with others, and a means to minimize negative affects.
A communication style is something inherent to each of us. It is based on why we do what we do, and the book calls this a Motivational Value System (MVS). The theory is based on four principles of human behavior: 1) behavior is a result of our motives; 2) motives change when we experience conflict; 3) `personal weaknesses are overdone strengths;' and 4) we have filters that alter our perception. MVS is one of those filters.
Since each of us works to feel good about ourselves, we share a common motive, but when we communicate together, and we all are working towards being validated, there is conflict. It takes studying ourselves, then others, the acceptance of others, and the desire to communicate more effectively in order to convey a different message.
The book recognizes the four basic temperaments of people and defines the communication style that comes from each. Then it creates three blends of those four styles, and defines them. When we understand our basic temperament and the MVS that goes along with it, we can begin to understand why we communicate the way that we do. When we take the time to study the other three temperaments and the communication style that comes from those, we have a foundation for understanding why we heard what we heard from others.
There is conflict that comes when two people working together have different goals, and then there is conflict that comes when two people working together have the same goal. The latter is preventable conflict, and the book suggests that there are very effective ways to resolve this type of conflict with minor effort.
With a foundation of understanding laid, the one trying to communicate something can alter the type of words being spoken, the length of the communication, and/or the tone of the communication, and be more effective with the audience. Again, the audience matters. If you are speaking to someone with the same MVS as yourself, your natural communication style will most likely, be effective. If you are not, knowing the other's MVS and altering your own to match will be more effective. Likewise, you will be more receptive to hearing what another is trying to communicate if they communicate in your own MVS.
This information is great for an office setting. Where communication is heavily electronic, unless the parties have had a chance to get to know one another to understand their Motivational Value Systems, the foundation is likely not to be laid, and miscommunication will be rampant.
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