EDUCATION PARTNER
The Process Communication Model . Why it works . Why I love it .
In future editions of this Magazine we will be featuring stories about the people who deliver Process Communication Model courses to clubs and businesses in Australia and overseas .
The people you will read about are from a wide range of backgrounds - we hope you enjoy their stories .
In this edition we feature Dr . Elizabeth Benton .
Elizabeth has a background in clinical psychology and is a Certified PCM Facilitator . She is is the mother of an active toddler , writes Children ’ s Literature and is studying French and German in her spare time !
PCM has become a major focus of her life and Elizabeth delivers seminars , Executive Coaching and Keynote presentations on this topic .
Elizabeth is an associate of the Webster PCM team which has a preferred supplier partnership with the CMAA .
IQ 40
When you think back to those key moments in your life that didn ’ t quite go to plan , can you pinpoint an underlying theme ? Is there one commonality that impinges your success and takes you on the scenic route inadvertently ?
For me , and for many others , the one annoying and repeating hiccup in life ’ s path has been miscommunication . Sometimes the cogs turn seamlessly . There is no effort required to find your message recipient ’ s wave length and hold them in that space . But the flip side of that is that there are certain people who we all bump up into that don ’ t quite fit with our way of communicating . A lovely university lecturer of mine once described these people ( or clients ), as “ sandpaper people ”, sent here to rub us up the wrong way and over time , polish us smooth !
Long after my university days of studying Psychology , that analogy keeps coming back to me . Why is it that we just don ’ t “ click ” with some people ? They aren ’ t necessarily that different from us , and seem to be decent people , but there is just something about them …
My journey to find the answer to communication has involved going down many winding roads . On moments of reflection I often wonder if the choice of a Psychology degree was purely to answer the question of “ What is communication , and how can we effectively communicate with every walk of mankind on this planet ?” Unfortunately , after nearly a decade of formal study I was left still searching .
Fast forward a few years and I was working in a role that involved the recruitment and training of new staff . As a Psychologist who had opted down the clinical pathway ( that is , diagnosing and treating mental illness ), I didn ’ t feel at all equipped to be selecting candidates for positions with any real competence . So I researched . And then researched some more .
Finding PCM My boss at the time was an Anaesthetist who was certified in PCM . She encouraged me to read a primer book written by Andrea Naef and Elisabeth Feuersenger . I literally couldn ’ t put it down . By the end of that day I sat down with my boss and asked for more information . This was the first theory of communication that resonated with me . It was so beautiful in its simplicity . I read more PCM books . I read the science behind the model . I was hooked .
Less than a year after reading that first book on PCM , I was a certified provider and I haven ’ t looked back . There will never be another new patient for me . I am done with private practice . My focus now is on raising awareness as to what effective communication is , and teaching corporations and individuals how to kick more goals when they communicate .
There is Beauty in Distress What I love about PCM is the clarity of our behaviours both in a positive and negative head-space . When things are ticking along nicely and both people in the dialogue are in OK-OK space ( that is , I ’ m ok – You ’ re ok ), effective communication seems to flow freely and without effort . However , very quickly distress can enter the mix with either or both people in that interaction shifting to a different perspective of OK-Not OK ( I ’ m OK – You ’ re not ok ), or Not OK – OK ( I ’ m not OK – You ’ re OK ). These perspectives colour our entire sense of self and are termed “ ego states ”. Our inward and outward behaviours are altered by these ego states and things can go downhill very quickly if an invitation out of distress isn ’ t accepted .