©Partnering Designs, Inc. 2012 The Power of Words How to apply ‘speech act distinctions’ to...

©Partnering Designs, Inc. 2012

The Power of Words

How to apply ‘speech act distinctions’ to

generate the results you want.

Facilitator: Michael Worsfold


The Power of Words

Agenda:

1. Generating context.

2. Navigating your experience.

3. Managing mood.

4. A framework for self-coaching and leadership.

5. Foundation principles.

6. Six speech act distinctions.

7. Conversation design template.

8. Integration: commitment to action.


Generating Context

• Context = meaning and motivation.

• Falling into conversations vs. navigating on purpose.

• Keys: Responsibility, intention and attention.

Dyad:

1. What attracted you to this workshop?

2. What important results based context do you want to generate?


Navigating your experience1. Visualize the end point of success for your result.

2. How you want to feel at the end point. Feel that feeling now.

3. Prepare mentally.

4. Prepare physically.

5. If anxiety comes up, reaffirm the feeling.

6. Enter the experience letting go of control.

7. Pay attention to clues of help.

8. Co-create the experience.

Ref. www.thepresenceprocessRef. www.thepresenceprocess

http://www.thepresenceprocess/

http://www.thepresenceprocess/


Managing Mood

Mood is long term emotional state. Usually transparent.

Moods predispose people for possibilities and action.

Resignation> resentment >acceptance>ambition

Action: What does the mood around your context result?

Does the mood predispose you and others for action?

Do you need to generate a mood of ambition?


OAR Model A Framework for Self –Coaching and leadership

Observer lens:

1. Historical / cultural discourse

2. emotional imprinting

3. Education

4. language habits

5. human needs

6. body disposition

7. thought patterns

8. ‘Way of being’

Observer(Meaning maker)

Action Results

“Doing”

Conversation Conversation

as actionas action

%

• Work

• Self

• Relationships

“We don't see things as they are; we see things as we are."

Anais Nin

‘Breakdown’


Foundation Principles

• We generate results through language—through conversation.

• This is generally transparent to us.

• Breakdown in results is symptomatic of breakdown in conversation. (Ineffective or missing conversations)


Observing your desired ‘Result’through the lens of conversation as action

ResultsAction

conversationsObserver

What is the “narrative” ?

What is the ineffective conversation?

What is the missing conversation?


Work Application

Principles:

• Organizations are networks of conversations and commitments.

• Operational processes are processes of conversations with measureable outcomes.

• Performance breakdowns are symptomatic of ineffective or missing conversations.

• Leaders can be managers of processes as conversations.

Action: Map process. I D conversation breakdowns. Correct.


The Power of ‘Speech Act Distinctions’

• Leaders generate results through language – through conversation.

• We cannot manage what we cannot see.

• All professions use language distinctions to give special meaning to words.

• Enabling them to “see what others cannot see and take action others cannot take”.


Six Speech Act DistinctionsThe Power to see what others cannot see and do what others cannot do.

Descriptive language

1. Assertions2. Assessments

Generative Language

4. Declarations5. Requests 6. Offers7. Promises/commitments


1. Assertions

Characteristics: Verifiable facts about what is being observed.

Pitfalls: • Lack of shared way to measure results

(effectiveness)

• Lack of shared standards of effectiveness.

• Opinions / stories held as true facts.

Action: What assertions can you make about your desired results?

What pitfalls are present?


2. Assessments

Characteristics:

• What the facts mean to people.

• Always present.

• Evident in conversation.

Pitfalls:

• Ungrounded assessments (opinions) held or allowed as true.

• Allowed to limit possibilities.

• Getting stuck in “complaining and blaming”.

Action: What are the assessments conversations around the result you want? What pitfalls are present?


3. Declarations

Characteristics:

• Shifts conversation to generate action. • Requires a person with appropriate authority. • Empowers people to act.

Pitfall: Often a “missing conversation”.

Action: What declarations are required to generate action toward your desired results?


4. Requests

Characteristics of effective requests:

1. Committed speaker

2. Committed listener

3. Mood is conducive

4. Context occurs as relevant

5. Clear future action & “conditions of satisfaction”

Pitfalls: Sloppiness. Assumptions. Blind to possibilities.

Action: What requests could you make to generate action toward your results?


5. Offers

Characteristics: Same elements as Request

Pitfalls:

• Blind to possibilities to make offers.

• Not aligning with customer needs. Making assumptions.

• Lack of attention to managing request quality.

Action: What offer could you make to generate action for your results?


6. Promises/commitments

Characteristics:

• The most powerful distinction for generating results. Pitfalls:

• Absent or assumed. Not requested.

• Poor quality (sincerity, capability and capacity)

• “No” is not acceptable.

• Trust breakdown. (No agreement to manage integrity)

Action: How could promises/commitments help accomplish your results?


1. Context: generating shared meaning and motivation

2. Mood: generating predisposition for action

3. Assertions: facts

4. Assessments: what the facts mean.

5. Declarations: from the person with authority to generate action

6. Requests: to generate action

7. Offers: to generate action

8. Promises and commitments: to ensure action

Template for designing and navigating conversations:


Integration

• What stands out?

• What action commitments are you prepared to make?

• What help could you request to keep to your commitments?


Thank you

Contact Info:

Michael WorsfoldTransformational training & coaching.

[email protected]

604 – 989 – 3657

Skype: mikeonssc

www.partneringdesigns.com

mailto:[email protected]

©Partnering Designs, Inc. 2012 The Power of Words How to apply ‘speech act distinctions’ to...

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