SMART Conversations®

You recognize that your organization is not as productive as it could be because people are not communicating effectively. Staff members are not comfortable having the difficult conversations necessary to successfully complete projects because they are non-confrontational and are inclined to avoid rather than address issues that risk hurt feelings.

SMART Conversations® (SC®) is a methodology that enables people to effectively collaborate, learn from each other and hold difficult conversations in a psychologically safe environment. These factors are often the difference between project teams that create synergy and succeed and those that don’t.

The SC® core conditions are critical for project managers as they focus on the emotional intelligence skills necessary to achieve project success. SC® will unlock the full potential of your staff and organization’s perform­ance. It’s a conversation style characterized by 4 core conditions:

  1. Shared Meaning – Are we talking about the same thing?
  2. Authenticity – Are we being real with ourselves and others?
  3. Respect – Can we extend respect to others and listen to their ideas and perspectives whether or not we agree?
  4. Trust – Can we trust that everyone in the conversation is telling the truth and will follow through on their commitments?

SMART Conversations® provides your teams with a common language that will help them communicate better and work more effectively with each other. They’ll get practical skills to plan and initiate difficult, but necessary, conversations while being authentic and maintaining trust and respect.

I am a certified SMART Conversations® facilitator and bring this methodology to bear on all my assignments to help people to decide whether, when and how to have the difficult conversations necessary to enhance project success.

If your team’s communications skills are negatively impacting project success, please contact me and I’ll be happy to offer a complimentary initial consultation to discuss how your staff can leverage SMART Conversations® to improve their communication skills and project productivity.

See SMART Conversations Overview