DEVELOPMENT HANDBOOK
DEVELOPMENT HANDBOOK
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ยก YOUR DEVELOPMENT MATTERS TO US! You can use the self-development guides to focus on the competency that you would like to work on this year. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your potential! There are countless actions you can carry out to strengthen your competencies. In the following pages you will find guidance and materials that will be useful for your development plan. This tool will allow you to focus on your actions to develop the competency you have selected. HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Many of the activities we carry out in our daily basis can be an opportunity to develop competencies. You will find options for reading, films and extracurricular activities in this guide that will help you develop behaviors linked to the competency you decide to work on. The activities or reading materials mentioned here, do not need to be the same as those you do or plan to do, but rather useful suggestions. You can either choose some of them or opt for similar activities that you prefer. We also suggest that you bear in mind that developing a competency implies changing behaviors and this takes time, so intent and perseverance are key elements in ensuring successful selfdevelopment. We encourage you to explore this guide and track the activities you choose in your self-development plan. ยกYour success is up to you!
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3 COMMUNICATION CONTENT
Activities
Films
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Reading materials
Rol model
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ACTIVITIES Many activities we develop in our daily basis can be opportunities to develop Communication many of our daily activities are an opportunity to develop our competencies. The following are 7 ideas you can adapt to your own preferences and interests:
TEAM ROWING
SPORTS COMPETENCY
MIME
To reach the goal in a competitive time, the members of a rowing team must develop their strengths based on the synchronization of their movements. To achieve this, in addition to being very well trained, they must also maintain excellent communication. While the team needs to organize and define the functions to be performed during the long training sessions, each route is unique, and the team must be prepared to successfully tackle it. Each team member’s strength, clarity, and speed in communicating with and listening to the others are key skills in terms of allowing them to complement each other when practicing this sport. Being part of a sports team demands and develops numerous characteristics that are not only physical but also personality related. Among them, the capacity to communicate is essential in enabling people to participate in the team’s growth and ongoing improvement. In any group dynamic, knowing how to listen and being able to clearly present both positive and negatives aspects of the team is a something that really needs to be borne in mind. If the team is fluidly managed at the communication level, one of the most prominent indicators will be each person addressing the appropriate person or persons at the right moment and in the right way. The body is the means that all human beings have for entering contact with the world. All our moods are reflected in the features of our face, in our posture, the position of our eyes, etc. The body accompanies (or does not accompany) the discourse. Mime, like all activities of bodily expression, opens the possibility of transmitting a great variety of messages with the body, putting it systematically and consciously into play. Unlike our everyday practice (which is discursive par excellence), in mime the conscious movement of the body is placed on the stage as the main link between a person and his or audience. Given the absence of words, the body must express itself with extreme clarity and strength so that its message can be suitably understood.
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LITERARY WORKSHOP
Communicating through writing is broadly used in a variety of areas. Knowing how to do it properly enormously favors the elimination (or, at least, reduction) of misunderstandings or controversies. Systematically writing is a good way of improving and making yourself clearer. Effectively expressing concepts or ideas implies understanding the way that discourse works and using it correctly. Having someone to guide this activity and correct and direct the way in which you express yourself in written form in a literary or writing workshop is really rewarding.
RADIO PRESENTER
Discourse, oral expression, intonation, strength of voice, the way of saying things, the conviction with which you talk, the clarity of the words and phrases used; in short, the ability with which this set of actions is managed is the only tool that radio presenters have to effectively communicate and for their audience and listeners to interpret, understand and “follow� them and to feel identified (or not) with the whole universe of possible sensations and actions that a good radio communicator is capable of producing in them. Managing to communicate an idea, information, a way of thinking, etc. through this medium is not an easy task as the communication must be sufficiently clear, precise and concise for the listeners to understand and to generate a connection between them and the presenter.
EXPERT TRAINER
To successfully perform the role of trainer or mentor, it is essential to have not only the appropriate knowledge and experience, but also the aptitudes and personality traits required for this activity. In addition to having the capacity to clearly and concisely express concepts and ideas in an effective way (both in written and oral form), it is essential for the trainer or mentor to know how to listen, understand and ask questions. This is because producing the set task is based on a rewarding mutual exchange between the trainer and his or her trainee.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Expressing yourself adequately, using the correct vocabulary and style, according to the listener you are addressing, is a fundamental tool when it comes to building links with people. Being able to establish relationships with other people requires a great ability to express yourself and communicate. A correct way of speaking helps you to have a good impact, which is essential at the beginning of any communication or any kind of link. That is why public speaking contributes enormously to transmitting ideas in a clear and understandable way, adapting your discourse to your listeners.
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Readings Certain readings offer an excellent opportunity to reflect on management skills during changing and uncertain times. Below you will find 3 suggestions.
WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE? Author: RICHARD HEYMAN
THE SECRETS OF COMMUNICATION Author: PETER THOMSON
DEVELOPMENT HANDBOOK
There is nothing more unproductive and frustrating than not being able to make yourself understood at work. It affects your mood, saps your energy, and provokes errors, delays, and arguments. In this book, Richard Heyman argues that it is always possible to strengthen mutual comprehension by drawing up a systematic plan of expression. This dynamic and practical book explains why it is usually difficult to have good communication: we all interpret what we hear or read in our own way, and no two people give a word the same meaning. The success or failure of our communication depends on us and Heyman explains how we can make a difference. Why Didn’t You Say That in the First Place? is a practical guide for ensuring that what you say or write is grasped right from the start. The three main problems in the contemporary world are communication, communication, and communication. The capacity to communicate effectively is behind the success of everything we do, whether in a business or social context. Peter Thomson has written a fascinating book for anyone who wants to learn to fully exploit the potential of conversation and persuade others to adopt their ideas, concepts, products or simply themselves as people. Based on more than 20 years of practice, Peter Thomson sums up his own proven methods for achieving better results in any conversation and shows us how to: - Be more convincing. - Improve both our professional and social conversations. - Handle situations in which communication is difficult with ease. - Listen to others and understand what they are saying through their way of speaking and their body language. - Be more self-assured and have greater success in any undertaking.
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There are many books on how to improve communication among people, but what should we do when talking apparently makes things worse? We often insist on our point of view, thinking that the other person does not really understand what we are saying. But what happens if he or she has understood us perfectly and what we have is a genuine disagreement? For the author, clearing this up is the first step of strategic communication: a simple and practical method—developed by the author himself based on his experiences as a political and business mediator—that teaches us the four steps required to move from non-communication to persuasion. WHEN TALKING MAKES THINGS WORSE! Author: DAVID STIEBEL
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Films GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM In addition to being able to clearly and charismatically broadcast stories, jokes and serious information, Adrian Cronauer (a DJ for the US Army in Vietnam’s morning radio) demonstrates a great capacity to listen to and understand others. In one almost casual scene in the film, in which Adrian is presented to a group of soldiers, he personally takes it on himself to discover their concerns, needs and interests in order to address them on air. The main character is recognized by peers and superiors alike (except for two lieutenants who find him irritating) for his ability to adequately and effectively express himself and for having a special gift of positivity that irradiates freshness, spontaneity and energy (essential elements for his mission in his particular workplace)
THE CLIENT The film’s main character played by Tommy Lee Jones—Roy Foltrigg, a famous FBI lawyer—demonstrates his great ability and ease when it comes to interacting with the press. Given his eloquence when dealing with the media, even in difficult or tense situations, he is able to suitably communicate (with clarity, precision and conviction) what he wants to get across, never allowing himself to be pressured and taking care not to say what he does not want or plan to. His composure and calmness, as well as his good predisposition and excellent presence, are constant and characteristic traits of his way of engaging. His strong ability to communicate with the media, based on his undeniable charisma, help explain his pleasure and interest in appearing on the different media and talking to the press.
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BOILER ROOM In the J.T. Marlin brokerage firm, the ability to communicate and the way of engaging with others is one of the basic tools each employee needs to successfully implement the sales strategy. Communicating clearly and strongly, being persuasive, generating a positive impact on clients and knowing how to skillfully and quickly ask and answer perceptive questions are basic characteristics that have been really deliberated on in the organization in order for employees to perform adequately. It also must be taken into account that the ethical problem running through the whole film makes it impossible for the employees to be open and honest. WARNING! The language used in this film is unnecessarily strong and aggressive.
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Role model A role model is someone who has stood out throughout his or her career in a certain aspect and to whom we can look up to as a model and a source of inspiration for our own activities The following contains information about the exemplary career of a true role model in the area of communication:
PATRICIA JANIOT (b. 1963) Patricia Janiot was among the 15 finalists of Miss World 1984, representing Colombia. Thanks to her participation in that competition, she toured and got to know a good part of her own country, helping with multiple charitable causes. Those same activities were also the launching pad for her career in the media and it was at that moment that she decided to study journalism. Janiot graduated in Journalism and Social Communication from the University of La Sabana in Bogota. She also studied radio and television broadcasting and production at the Bogota Higher College of Telecommunications and has a degree in English from the University of Cambridge. She is currently a main presenter at CNN in Spanish and advisor to the network’s executive vice president. Janiot joined CNN in 1992 and is the anchor for Las Noticias, a dynamic roundup of world current affairs, co-presented with Daniel Viotto; Noticias MÊxico, a news program covering local, national and international news with a special significance for Mexican viewers; and Panorama Mundial, a program that puts international events into perspective. She also contributes to a weekly radio column for CNN in Spanish Radio. Janiot has traveled throughout Latin America to report on important events, including presidential elections in Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. She has also been in the Gaza Strip and Israel covering the elections won by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reported on several visits by Pope John Paul II to Latin America. She covered the Iraq War from Kuwait, reported on the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York, and has interviewed people like Fidel Castro, Augusto Pinochet, Colin Powell and Bill Clinton. Patricia Janiot is widely recognized for her ability to express concepts and information in a clear and concise way, which has enabled her to win various prizes, including a Golden Mike for Best News Broadcast in 1990 awarded by the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California, and be nominated for an Emmy. She has received numerous journalistic awards in Colombia, such as the Simon Bolivar Prize for her investigative journalism work, and was named in the Hispanic
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Media 100 list, which recognizes the most influential Hispanic journalists and executives in the United States every year. Janiot was also given a Spanish Language Television Industry Award for “Best Female News Personality.” In relation to the “communication” competency, Patricia Janiot is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and charismatic personalities in Latin American journalism today.
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