Conversations at Work: Promoting a Culture of Conversation in the Changing Workplace(Palgrave Pocket Consultants)

Organizations are about conversations. For any organization to achieve its goals, people need to interact and those interactions require dialogue and conversation. Yet, thanks to technology, we seem to be having fewer genuine conversations. This book seeks to change this, through "how to skills" and wider cultural change advice.

Table of Contents:
1. Organizations Are Conversations PART I: DEVELOPING A CULTURE FOR CONVERSATIONS 2. The Them And Us Employment Relationship: A Culture Of Discouraging Conversations 3. A New Employment Relationship: A Culture Of Encouraging Conversations 4. The Nine Common Barriers To Communication PART II: TYPES OF WORKPLACE CONVERSATIONS 5. Development Conversations: The Five Conversations Framework 6. Development Conversations: Five More Conversations 7. Conversations For Building Relationships 8. Conversations For Making And Reviewing Decisions PART III: THE SKILLS OF CONVERSATIONS 9. The 'Face' Of Communication 10. Active Listening Can Make Other People Better Communicators Too 11. Using Your Eyes (Part 1): Three Perceptual Positions 12. Using Your Eyes (Part 2): Watching And Being Watched 13. The Art Of Inquiry In Conversations 14. Creating And Maintaining Safe, Open Feedback Channels

About the Author :
Dr Tim Baker is an international consultant and Director of Winners-at-Work Pty Ltd. Winners-at-Work is a consultancy that specialises in leadership development, change management and assisting managers to develop productive workplace cultures. In 2013, Tim was voted one of the 50 Most Talented Global Training & Development Leaders by the World HRD Congress. He has conducted over 2,430 seminars, workshops and keynote addresses to over 45,000 people in 11 countries across 21 industry groups. Aubrey Warren is an experienced communication and leadership trainer, lecturer, coach, and writer who has contributed to the professional development of thousands of people across Australia and internationally since 2001. With a background in media production, Aubrey has published The Situational Leader e-newsletter since 2007. He is Australia's Situational Leadership® master trainer for the Center for Leadership Studies in the USA and teaches communication and leadership for the QUT Graduate School of Business and its executive development programs.

Review :
"Don't wait until the dreaded performance review to deliver or receive the good and the bad read Conversations at Work to embed freer communication on the job, every day, and reap the benefits of a more positive, energized workplace. Tim Baker and Aubrey Warren have skillfully broken down the elements required to become a highly successful communicator!" -Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times and Wallstreet Journal #1 Best Seller Triggers "Tim Baker and Aubrey Warren insightfully show that conversations underlie culture, psychological contracts, accountability, customer focus, and leadership. They then offer specific and helpful tools to diagnose and excel at workplace conversations. Any leader who uses their ideas will dramatically improve." -Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Partner, The RBL Group Aubrey Warren and Tim Baker remind us of the power and potential of our conversations to enable change and create cultures of learning and growth." -Maureen Shriver, CEO, The Center for Leadership Studies "Conversation at Work reintroduces managers to the lost art of conversation in a complex business environment dominated by digital forms of communication. Tim Baker and Aubrey Warren contend that conversation is the essence of leadership. This book is highly recommended to all managers who wish to have practical steps on how to have authentic and meaningful conversations with their teams and to create an organization culture supportive to having rich conversations." -Associate Professor Vicky Browning, Director of Award Programs, QUT Graduate School of Business