VERBAL JUDO:
TACTICAL COMMUNICATION FOR SUPERVISORS


In the basic Verbal Judo program (Half, Full, and Two-Day programs) we cover how to deal with customers, objections, and problems as they are perceived or viewed from outside the organization looking in. Yet, frequently the problems that plague us regarding customer complaints are rooted in how we treat each other inside the work place. As internal morale is affected so is customer service affected.

We must now learn to work the principles and tactics of Verbal Judo up and down the chain of command. As supervisors we must gain the support of the organization and subordinates who may easily be annoyed at our performance and will undermine our efforts to be good leaders. It does not matter if they do this intentionally or unintentionally, it creates the same result: lower production and quality of effort. This basic problem reduces morale within the organization which will eventually creates complaints, lawsuits, poor professional behavior, and higher stress.

Credibility is far more difficult to maintain within the work place than with a customer base. We are seen with such frequency that we must be on the top of our professional game every day to the people who may well know how we really think about situations that trouble us. Even one explosion of temper can have a lasting affect on how we are treated or looked upon daily after the event. And, on the other side we often find ourselves in work environments where we may only see some people a few times a year, if at all, so if we act inappropriately it becomes the measuring tool for all future contact until our image in their eyes is changed.

Using the same philosophy as the basic program Verbal Judo creates a better work place by teaching how to govern what we say and how we say it. As we condition our thinking to be less reactive we become more responsive to situations as they occur unexpectedly. We diffuse anger, frustration, and verbal violence by not feeding it with our own feelings and emotion.


There are specific paths of reasoning we can follow to better our opportunities.

Credibility is built over time.
You can change the behavior that has created the problem but it requires time to enhance credibility and create trust. Our supervisory position creates “instant” credibility. But, what that really means is that credibility lasts only for an instant if we lose control in the presence of our subordinates.

People will watch and listen carefully to those who are in the process of trying to improve their communication skills and actions during stressful situations. We learn in the basic Verbal Judo program that in person-to-person communication is over 90% of our ability to move people to action. This is achieved by how information is delivered and not by the actual information. Effort is worth its weight in gold to the people around us for as long as they can see the improvement. Over time we will occasionally backslide and the “Art of the Apology” will allow us to recover quickly from a slip of the tongue with greater ease. No one is perfect and no one should cast the first stone but , …


Accepting responsibility for our actions and those of our organization.

This governing principle is a prized and necessary quality for leadership. You may not be the one causing the situation but if it happens on your watch you are the one expected to correct it, and with dispatch. It is easier to accept our supervisor duties if we are able to deal with the heat of the problem and the winds of verbal criticism that will always blow in with the problem. This section of the supervisory program includes a basic understanding of decision-making skills. We create an overview of these skills and fine-tune them for use under stressful conditions. Also covered is collateral issue of delegation and how to review past, current, and future performance empathetically. 


The ability to rhetorically analyze the problem and the situation.

The three acronyms of are defined and demonstrated from problem solving. 
    P.A.V.P.O 
    P.A.C.E. 
    L.E.A.P.S.

L.E.A.P.S.: Covered as a customer service element in the basic one and two-day Verbal Judo program the acronym is now shown as a complete picture of both service to the customer and how it can be developed and cultured to use with subordinates and upper management. The effective use of LEAPS can make subordinates more supportive and help others become more informed. This can be a delicate issue when helping those who lead you if they are intimidated by your actions.

P.A.V.P.O.: The Rhetorical Perspective helps us understand that we cannot control what we think but we can gain control over why we think that way. The knowledge is useful in gaining insight in our preparation for dealing with others in the workplace. We will be blind-sided much less if we have learned how to first accept we do have biases and then think of the problem from the perspective of the person(s) with whom we will soon deal with in the encounter. This is a much needed process in writing memos, setting initiatives, and in meeting planning. We develop the skill to organize our thinking before the encounter. A very old samurai maxim states that, “Success favors the prepared mind.”

P.A.C.E.: The Four Elements in any Verbal Encounter allows us to examine the problem from the professional problem and then from the other than our point of view, referred to as the rhetorical problem. Sometimes we must solve the other person’s problem in order to resolve ours. PACE enables us to use our Ethical Presence to calm others and then develop options to circumvent constraints found in disagreements.


Developing the ability to change the behavior of others positively.

This is critical, especially if it is not the first meeting regarding the problem. We must always think in the on-going mode. Problems with subordinates are rarely solved in one meeting or counseling session. Furthermore people who have problems rarely only have one, and even more rarely are those problems resolved to their total satisfaction. The Five-Step Approach, covered in the basic program is now examined and developed for motivation and in preparation for disciplinary action. If we must act, we act professionally, and within organizational protocols and policy.

Occasionally, supervision is sadly likened to baby-sitting duties but we believe it is more like guiding and herding. The term herding is often thought of as negative until it is examined fully. “You can lead but if now one follows what is the point?” This very statement means we must “inspire” our people. We must influence our people to be better than they would naturally desire.

One of the chief goals of leadership is to obsolete yourself in a particular position or duty when you are prepared for a change or promotion. We must culture, nurture, and educate our people so they can take our position and we can move up. This creates problems if insecure supervisors have a protective need to feel indispensable. This classic mistake actually will give the impression that you are too valuable to promote or too unwilling to help others. This ineffective style will translate to people in charge that such a supervisor is not able to adapt when situations call for creative or imaginative thinking. There is much talk in society about “empowerment” but seldom anyone teaches us how to do it well. Simply giving the authority to act can be folly. It is blind trust. Using delegation, praise and punishment properly will enhance our position because to get ahead you must get noticed.

The Verbal Judo program concedes the line of reasoning that people have hidden talents. If allowed to explore new ideas they may well create valuable contributions. We need conflict resolution tactics as creative thinking people often move inappropriately in areas and need to be ‘herded’ back into organizational rules of structure. Rather than control their thinking and actions we should try to guide their reasoning. Any negative statement will damage their desire to better things and reduce the willingness to be involved in future projects. We start with the maxim, “There is no such thing as constructive criticism!” There will always be conflict as supervisors guide and teach subordinates.



Be able then to praise and punish effectively.
 
Praise and Punish with the goal of not only modifying the current behavior but also altering the thinking that caused the problem originally. We must establish a clear, concise, effective, and inarguable process of punishing and offering praise to enhance leadership credibility. Delivering bad news is much easier if we can reduce the natural anger, frustration, or embarrassment that accompanies such an uncomfortable duty.


Learning to “think correctly” before we criticize or condemn.

The manner of how we think before we speak is critical if we are to survive in a culture where suing and criticizing has become the national pastime. Our comments as leaders speak with great weight to those listening and we must be cautious of how our professional credibility can be damaged by what we say. Using the Habit of Mind learned earlier we now teach the manner of rhetorically breaking down a line of reasoning to find flaws. We must always remember that perception is stronger than reality.

This thinking is called the (the) Means versus (the) End Argument. This is a mental four question analytical approach to listening to powerful and persuasive people where we explore gaps in their planning or to see benefits in their reasoning. The argument becomes a way to teach ourselves how to think well so we are less likely to be discredited in our own plans later, and as a way to gain the confidence of the people above us immediately. Avoiding of the appearance of rash thinking is a much prized skill in leaders


Understanding more of why we think in a certain way, and sometimes expect others to do the same.

Carl Jung developed a manner to understand people via a “quadrant” of personality styles. Every person has all of four styles present but one style will usually be dominant. These characteristics explain why we make decisions in the manner that we do. They are the cause of why we react to some circumstances and respond calmly to others which may even be more severe in consequence. 

Leaders must understand both their own line of thinking and how to govern and use the way others think to gain compliance. Everyone is motivated by something. Knowing what the primary motivation is for others allows us to develop arguments that make sense.

Tests have been developed by hundreds of corporations that “predict” how people will react to situations. These companies and their tests have often brought issues to the surface resembling a “Pandora’s Box” of problems. People have argued bitterly that their self-description is not “really like them at all” but a mistake by the test examiner. There are however, numerous corporations that have made positive advances for the companies hiring people to offer such exams. People have learned much about themselves and others from the development of such “profiles.”

In Verbal Judo the test is a means to the end. Our manner of administering the self-examination is non-critical. As there is no right or wrong answers and we do not create the explosive atmosphere because we are not truly interested in the answers from the test. In truth, the short test is administered partly for the purpose of satisfying people’s expectations and curiosity. Because of the credibility we build during the Verbal Judo class people are more trusting of our approach. Because we teach dealing with conflict effectively we demonstrate the positive benefits to understanding how possible weaknesses can be used against you and “what you don’t know can be dangerous.” Knowing your “style” profile can help a great deal in why our old way of arguing failed so often.

We move quickly to how to deal with conflict and with other people in conflict with us because their style of thinking is different from ours. Knowing what is important emotionally can reduce problems before they erupt. As a quick example, people who are people oriented want to know how a project will benefit their subordinates prior to backing such a proposal. Someone who is oriented to thinking about the bottom line does not want to be bothered by large quantities of paperwork or time consuming meetings. A person who thinks analytically is more interested in the overall plan and its implementation that the day-to-day activities resulting from it. And, people who want to express their opinion or like having it asked need a forum at which that can occur.

Motivation is an internal mechanism. We teach the ability to influence behavior but we must accept that we cannot “make” anyone do anything without actually using force. Influence means we create the foundation or the external forces that work on how people naturally think. All sales professionals know that the customer must be made to feel good to be happy with the purchase. All leaders must make people feel good about decisions or policies or they will not back them completely. 

This is often one of the most entertaining portions of the class as people experience self-discovery and recognize weaknesses or errors from their past. They learn to deal more effectively with others in the workplace and in their personal lives.
 

Develop a clear understanding of when words have failed and we must seek alternative measures to correct behavior.

The acronym S.A.F.E.R. was also taught in the basic Verbal Judo class but now is aimed at non-compliant subordinates. Prior to punishment we must be able to defend our actions. In this time of litigious thinking we must always be on top of the issues we face. We must demonstrate to our chain of command even before we get to the courts that we acted appropriately and correctly. We must show the line of thinking that governed our actions was lawful. We must show that we were compassionate and empathetic to the issue and the person prior to the punishment and that we reasonably tried to do we could to lessen the problem before taking action. We protect both our self and our organization from potentially harmful press and public condemnation. We learn how to resolve the matter now at lower levels before it grows to dangerous proportions.


TIME CONSTRAINTS FOR THE SUPERVISOR CLASS IN VERBAL JUDO

If participants have already taken the basic Verbal Judo class in a full day program then the supervisor class can be offered in a one or a two-day format. If it is a new audience then no less than two days will be offered except under special circumstances, as time is needed to perform the class correctly and successfully. Time is the measure of what our organizations will one day become. There are shorter programs for experienced managers and supervisors available. They are used to sample content or for overview of material but for integrity of the program and benefit to the audience present we strongly encourage the longer programs.

We can build shorter programs once we know your needs. 

Contact Lee Fjelstad with any questions. 
   Phone 941-350-9559
   Email: lee@verbal-judo.com or wleefjelstad@earthlink.net