Communicating from the Middle – Practical tips for effectively communicating up, down, across and throughout your organization.

Regardless of where you are in the organizational chart or what your title is (unless maybe it’s President…of the United States!), we are all stuck in the middle somewhere – that difficult spot between upper management and the employees we manage. And communicating across this divide is fundamental in your success both personally and as an organization. No matter how skilled or knowledgeable you are, without the ability to communicate, you will not be effective. How you relate to others and communicate directly impacts your performance and sets the tone for success (or failure as the case may be.)

Presented by communication leader Carl Smith, Communicating from the Middle is designed to be a quick-start approach to building your communication skills, providing specific advice and techniques centered around what you hope to achieve through better communication—better relationships, better ways to resolve conflict and better opportunities all around!

Everyone has their own distinct characteristics, values, attitudes toward work and communication style. And as we interact in the workplace, these differences can lead to misunderstandings and increased conflict. And without the right communication skills, getting anything done can be virtually impossible.

Communicating from the Middle will help to improve your interactions (both up and down) through solid and effective communication.

In just 60 minutes, we’ll cover:

• Some of the different communication styles and how you can apply adaptive communication principles to communicate with people who have different styles from you
• The critical difference between tact and avoidance
• 3 issues that impact effective communication
• Strategies that create an environment of collaboration and innovation

Presented By

Carl Smith

Carl is a positive and uplifting speaker, trainer, consultant and advisor. He has traveled and spoken extensively across North America and Europe. He promotes effective leadership and stronger relationships through encouragement and appreciation.

Carl’s background spans more than 20 years in training, consulting, sales and leadership. For over 10 years he was the Director of Training and Business Development, for Personality Insights, Inc., a leading personal development company based in Atlanta, Georgia. In this capacity, he contributed to the development of numerous communications skills training resources. He also coached, trained, or mentored thousands of people in the application of effective interaction and communication practices.

As a coach, Carl has a personal passion for implementing best practices in communication and interaction dynamics to build his client’s confidence and belief so that they can achieve more, communicate more clearly and persuasively, and reach their full potential.

As a Master Trainer in the DISC model of human behavior, he focuses on helping people to create better results in their relationships through improved communication practices and enhanced understanding of what happens when people interact.