To book Lou Briganti to lead one of the following training courses, email us at info@gabbettgroup.com or call us at 847-679-4604.

World Class Communication --- One to one-and-a-half days

This course is based on the book “Right Side Up: Nine Forgotten Practices of World Class Communication” by Lou Briganti and Jim Hess.

The central core of business today is communication, yet communication skills are perhaps the least taught in formal business education. It is also the area in which most individuals and organizations FAIL! In this program we have boiled a broad range of communication skills down into nine discrete practices and developed powerful interactive modules on each:

• Seek to Understand before You Seek to be Understood
• The Key to Effective Listening – Listen Without Ego!
• Test and Confirm Your Understanding before You Respond
• 70% of Communication is Tone! Be responsible for yours
• Two Plusses before a Minus
• Big “T” vs. Little “t” truth statements and The Angularity of Vision
• The Platinum Principle, not the Golden Rule
• Two phrases to Eliminate from your Vocabulary
• When Problems Arise, there is no “They”

The result? A structured sequence of individual practices that will produce powerful improvements in each participant’s ability to communicate effectively, both on the job and at home.

Developing Dynamic Teams -- Two days

A two-day program for new and intact project teams, designed to strengthen teamwork and collaboration, improve team productivity, and enhance communication, especially where day-to-day team leadership is a shared function. Specific modules provide for interactive learning and skill practice in

• Influencing without authority
• More productive team meetings
• Building team commitment, identity, and morale
• Dealing with conflict

Organizations that need to go beyond teamwork to genuine partnership in order to achieve project goals need to align around objectives, priorities, and operations. They also need to develop real commitment to accountability and shared values in communication, especially when problems arise. This program helps new partners build those commitments. It goes well beyond “win-win” definitions to identify all potential problems and partnering pitfalls, assign ownership to each, and define proactive steps for prevention and collaborative problem-solving throughout the partnering relationship. Each partner leaves with a complete set of written agreements and commitments.

Dealing with Team Differences - Two days

The productivity of project and ongoing process teams often breaks down when internal conflict arises. Differing personalities, operating styles, and temperaments are frequent causes of this conflict. This program helps team members examine common sources of conflict and build positive practices for overcoming them. This program’s modules include:

Sources of conflict

• Embracing the positive dynamics of conflict
• Identifying conflict response styles
• Staying in dialogue
• Moving to win-win
• Deciding when to assert, when to compromise, when to accommodate, when to avoid, and when to collaborate in resolving conflict

More than half of all project and business failures can be attributed to failure to negotiate effectively, either in establishing project relationships or in resolving problems. This program uses structured skill practice modules to help participants build a “mind-map” of effective negotiation strategies and practices. It uses a critical mix of tough-minded disciplines and softer, more collaborative “win-win” strategies to strengthen ongoing customer relationships while achieving your organization’s key business objectives.

The Cornerstone Program -- Two to three month ongoing program.

We have constructed a unique consulting program designed to help client organizations lay the cornerstone for future growth and profitability. This cornerstone consists of a concrete business mission, a fire-hardened vision containing specific goals that energize leaders and employees alike, and a cast-in-stone set of values that define the organization’s ethics and its commitment to doing the right thing as well as doing things right.

Involving employees in the creation of these three foundations, building critical consensus, and then coaching leaders to develop strong, consistent “walk-the-talk” leadership are essential in laying the foundation for future success. This program does just that!