Blueprint Mentorship Program Kickoff: Communication & Leadership
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YWiB Vancouver’s first Blueprint Mentorship event of the year kicked off on January 16, 2020 with our members braving the Vancouver snowstorm to meet with us and their mentors.
The topic of the evening was Communications and Leadership with a focus on how to most directly answer questions. Aram Arslanian, President and CEO of Cadence Leadership presented to the group without the use of PowerPoint, which in his opinion is too restrictive as a communication tool.
Cadence Leadership and Communications focuses on teaching professionals to be better communicators and leaders by developing a deeper understanding of one’s self as well as the business audience and environment. Aram has a counselling background and carries that through to his business today. He embodies what he teaches; you need to understand yourself in multiple spaces in order to give others access to your skill set.
Aram’s presentation focused on the Three C’s that make you undeniable in the workplace:
Credibility. Your credibility is only as good as your last success. If you mess it up, it is out the window and you must rebuild it. Having education and experience is important but it’s not enough without credibility.
Content. This is the most important ‘C’, as it refers to the value other people place on spending time with you. It’s vital to remember that there is a difference between knowledge and content – content is how you express what you know.
Connection. How we use our physical and verbal presence to build relationships, and how we notice this in others. You need to be comfortable with your connections.
A key element to effective communication is answering questions directly. To demonstrate this, Aram had our members draw an upside-down triangle shape. This represents how when we are asked a question we tend to ‘funnel’ our answers. We start broad and talk and talk until we reach the point, which is the real answer to the question. We tend to do this as we don’t like silence, but it can be dangerous as it confuses the listener and makes it look like we do not know the answer, in turn losing credibility.
Instead, we should invert this triangle and think of it in a new perspective, the ABC model.
A) Start with the direct answer (i.e. yes or no)
B) The middle section acts as our bridge (i.e. because, or a 3 second pause)
C) The widest section is the context or explanation. There is a difference to an answer and an explanation. An explanation may not always be needed.
An answer is one to three sentences long; anything beyond that and it is not an answer but an explanation. You can use a word to buffer if the answer is negative (e.g. “unfortunately”), but do not bury your answer. One sentence is phenomenal, two is really good, three is just okay.
In general, you have 30 seconds to answer to maintain 100% of audience attention. Therefore, use the rule that no sentence can be longer than 22 words. Studies show after 20 words people can no longer remember and understand everything said, make your answer as accessible as possible.
Take-away exercise:
If you want to practice your new efficient answering method, try writing out some questions for yourself or team. Answer them using the ABC method above and keep the sentences short and direct.
Some examples of questions:
Where do you want to be in 2 years?
What is your biggest professional challenge right now?
What are the biggest barriers to your success?
What are your unique talents?
Members’ Event Highlights:
Our members enjoyed the event and had loads to take away to help them in their personal and professional development. Their feedback from the event was that they learned new ways of thinking and analyzing questions, and that they aim to use the ABC Triangle model in their professional life. One member noted that the event was aimed perfectly at both the mentors and mentees and there was a lot of valuable content for all to take away and to use throughout the mentorship program. The speaker, Aram, was a big hit all around with all members complimenting his engaging presentation and unique approach.
Members’ Hopes for the Mentorship Program:
For the upcoming year, the new members are inspired to build their skill set and their network through mentorship and challenging workshops. They plan on starting the new year and new decade organized and with an open mind, ready to learn and strive for their goals.
Remember – learning a skill is all about doing something that doesn’t necessarily make you feel good, but is beneficial!
Blog post by Martha Fallon. Martha is a Social Media Coordinator for YWiB Vancouver. Martha hails from Ireland and is a keen traveler who enjoys exploring the vast landscapes of Canada.