Managing Key Conversations
The Challenge
The leadership of an internal audit group in a major Canadian financial institution wanted to improve their team’s communication skills, particularly as they pertained to managing key conversations. As one might expect, conversations between an auditor and the group they’ve audited can be very sensitive. It’s important that key information is communicated by the auditor in a manner that is well received and acted upon.
The Solution
After consulting with the head of the audit group and her senior team, it was decided to conduct a series of workshops with the audit team. The objective was to arm the audit team with communication skills to help them manage key conversations effectively. The one day workshops included two modules:
Module 1: Clarity/Brevity/Impact
• Participants were taught and practiced the fundamental skills of preparing and delivering impactful presentations.
Module 2: Managing Key Conversations
Participants learned how to:
• Focus on common purpose
• Achieve and grow mutual respect
• Be mindful of changes in their own and other’s behaviour that might signal the meeting is going off the rails
