Scaling Up Magazine Scaling Up Magazine April 2018 | Page 13

SPRING 2018
HERE’S AN amazing fact: when you get
within 10 feet of another person, the two
of you start processing your interaction
through electrochemical signals. This is not
science fiction but proven science according
to communications expert Judith Glaser.
According to Glaser, these signals indicate
the level of trust we have for another person.
Through heartbeat, eye contact and other
neurological mechanisms, our body can
automatically make an assessment about
that person’s trustworthiness. This area of
communication is rooted in the academic
research of Professor Angelika Dimoka
of the Fox School of Business at Temple
University. Dimoka wrote a paper compiling
the research of 102 scientists that concluded
that trust and distrust live in different
portions of the brain—a body of research
termed “conversational intelligence.”
Glaser now works with corporations to
translate this research into a practical
framework that corporations can use to
break down walls and build better, more
trusting, relationships among coworkers.
The key is determining which kinds of
conversations trigger the more primitive
emotional brain and which activate high-
level intelligence indicators, such as trust,
integrity, empathy and good judgment.
Glaser has developed what she calls a
“conversational intelligence matrix,” which
outlines three levels of conversation that
all human beings go through regardless of
where they live in the world and their age.
The first level is transactional conversation,
in which people simply ask and tell people
to do things. In business, this can happen
either in healthy ways, in the form of simple
requests or questions, or in unhealthy ways,
when someone is so stuck in the telling,
they forget to think about the other person’s
position—what she refers to as the “tell,
sell, yell” syndrome. The goal here is to
interact transparently about what is really
happening without any hidden agenda.
The second matrix level is positional,
introducing the dynamics of advocacy and
inquiry. Extremely common in business
organizations, these conversations are
marked by the attempt to influence the
thought process or opinions of others—
essentially constituting the politics of the
JUDITH E. GLASER
company. This type of conversation, politely
termed “negotiation,” was once thought to be
the major end goal of business conversation.
Now, ideal business conversations take
place at Level Three, with transformational
conversations that include the elements
of open sharing and discovery. At
this level, people converse in a safe,
judgment-free space where they are free
to share what’s really on their minds.
These conversations allow organizations
to access valuable information that
previously may have remained unspoken.
According to Glaser, when the brain
is in a Level Three conversation, the
prefrontal cortex opens up the brain to
sentiments like insight, compassion,
sensitivity and other similar emotions.
Glaser worked with the hair products giant
Clairol, now a subsidiary of Coty, for many
years, helping it achieve a transformational
conversation environment in which people
became more open and aware of one another.
Instead of pushing conversation and telling
people what to do, the company succeeded
in pulling stories of success out of employees
under the assumption that employee ideas
are “the most wonderful ideas in the world.”
By putting its people first, and asking
employees questions about what they
think, hear and experience, Clairol was
able to create a more productive work
culture that contributed to the company’s
explosive growth path. “The CEO, with
whom I worked closely, loved learning
that you could say certain things within
the company that would lower the amount
of ‘bad’ cortisol hormones and raise the
amount of ‘good’ oxytocin hormones,”
says Glaser. “This is what forms trust and
helps people bond with one another.”
What are the tools businesses can use to
break down barriers and move toward
transformational conversation? Glaser has
developed the Five Conversational Essentials,
which help leaders adopt or “graft” into
the way they operate their business. “If
people can allow themselves to be open
to influence, they can create a real culture
shift,” says Glaser. “These tools help open
people’s minds to new conversational
styles, even if they don’t have the budget
or resources to attempt an entire company
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transformation. They are as follows:
1) Listening to connect. Try to listen to
the other person with a singular focus,
reserving judgment, confirmation or
rejection. Think about what they are trying
to say, what they may be thinking, and
how they are hopin g you will help them.
2) Asking questions for which you have
no answers. Too often, we try to guide
people in their answers rather than provide
an opportunity for true self-expression.
This interaction signals an attempt to
manipulate and triggers our distrust
networks. When we ask questions for which
we have no answers, people are naturally
more trusting and more receptive.
3) Sustaining conversational agility.
Use skills like refocusing, reframing
and redirecting to help elevate the
communication skills of all parties and
assist others in gaining this skill. When
everyone is on the same page, they can move
together into more meaningful modes of
conversations and co-create in harmony.
4) Priming for trust. Ask yourself questions
to help shift your awareness toward creating
a trusting conversation. Think about
ways you can create a safe environment,
becoming more transparent about desired
outcomes as well as potential threats. Try
to approach people with whom you’re
interacting with caring, candor and courage.
5) IT'S
Double-clicking.
Just DRY
as with a computer
ONLY A
file, leaders can learn to “double-click”
PIECE
OF BREAD
into
people’s answers
to reveal the deeper
meanings they are espousing. Questions
YET
TO
IT that mean?”
like
“Why?”
and SOME
“What does
help to gain a better understanding of other
MEANS
SO and
MUCH.
people’s
perspectives
deeply held beliefs.
Companies that are not ready or able to
undertake a full transformation can take
advantage of Glaser’s online materials,
such as facilitator guides, which introduce
her concepts through a book club format.
There are also ways to bring short-term
experimental programs into a business
where your leadership team agrees
to implement just one of the business
essentials. “As you do this,” says Glaser,
“commit yourself to really keep your
eyes open to watch what develops.”