Assertive Communication

During the expert session, Allessandra Patti engages the audience through a Q&A session, live demonstrations using real-life experiences, and interactive exercises with the Mentimeter app. She discusses the communication style of Radical Candor, emphasizing the importance of being assertive, caring personally, and giving honest feedback.

Allessandra shares her insights on handling feedback in different cultural contexts and generations, using the non-violent communication model as an effective alternative to traditional feedback methods like the "sandwich method." The audience participates in exercises to enhance their understanding and skills in providing and receiving constructive feedback.

• Embracing Radical Candor: Cultivating the ability to care personally while challenging directly is essential for effective communication in the workplace, as demonstrated through examples from Kim Scott's book and personal experiences.
• Adapting Feedback Styles Across Generations: Understanding different generations' expectations and approaches to feedback and employing methods like radical candor and nonviolent communication can lead to improved collaboration and productivity in multigenerational teams.
• Overcoming Difficult Feedback Situations: Learning how to handle situations where feedback has not been received well and utilizing effective communication strategies, such as active listening, empathy, and openness, is crucial for fostering a culture of continuous growth and improvement within organizations.

In this expert session, Allessandra Patti explores the concept of Radical Candor, a communication style that combines caring personally with challenging directly. She explains that radical candor is more than just caring about someone; it's also being willing to give them honest and potentially difficult feedback. Using an example from Kim Scott's book "Radical Candor," Allessandra illustrates how this approach can lead to productive conversations and improved relationships. Allessandra warns against the pitfalls of ruinous empathy, where one may be overly empathetic and hesitant to give honest feedback, and manipulative insincerity, where one is not caring personally and gives dishonest feedback. She also discusses obnoxious aggression, which involves directly challenging someone without caring about their feelings. Allessandra emphasizes the importance of being assertive and using good words when giving feedback and being aware of cultural differences in communication styles. She mentions Arie Meyer's work on cultural differences and the concept of high and low context cultures, which can influence how feedback is given and received. During the session, a group discusses whether they need to respond to feedback immediately or not. Allessandra shares her opinion that it's generally better not to respond right away to feedback, especially when it's fresh and could be perceived as defensive. She suggests letting the feedback sit for some time before responding if necessary. Allessandra then shares a case study of an autobiographical account of her experience working with another instructor who consistently interrupted her during their presentations. Using the non-violent communication model, she communicated effectively and professionally with her colleague, leading to a positive outcome for both parties. The session also covers insights and tips for managers when dealing with subordinates from different generations who have varying expectations and approaches to receiving feedback. Allessandra emphasizes the importance of education and openness for both parties and the need for leaders to celebrate successes and provide positive reinforcement alongside constructive criticism. Participants ask questions related to the topic, including why the sandwich method is so prevalent in business and schools and how to handle situations where feedback has not been received well. Allessandra responds with suggestions for both feedback givers and receivers on how to approach these situations with openness, understanding, and effective communication. The expert session concludes with Allessandra discussing the importance of open communication, specifically when giving and receiving feedback. She encourages attendees to view feedback as an exchange between individuals who want to grow and improve within their professional environment. If someone reacts defensively to feedback, she suggests asking them how the feedback made them feel before proposing improvements. Allessandra reminds attendees to take time to digest the feedback before responding and encourages creating a culture of open communication where it is not viewed as a formal or secretive act. She reminds everyone that feedback can serve as both a trigger for growth and an opportunity to learn, encouraging everyone to try the tools presented during the session. The lecture concludes with a reminder to fill out the survey and expressing gratitude for attending.

The Feedback Dilemma

There are many approaches to providing feedback, and occasionally, feedback sessions between employees and managers yield unfavorable outcomes. This is primarily due to the fact that not everyone has been trained in the art of providing effective feedback, and there exist numerous theories on how to accomplish it. Often overlooked is the fact that feedback can simply be an ongoing, straightforward conversation—a catalyst for personal growth or the initiation of potentially challenging discussions, particularly in the workplace. The session is highly practical and grounded in research.