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February 1, 2010

Initiative Conversations

In Cognitive Coaching^SM, we speak to four support functions: coaching, consulting, collaborating and evaluating. Participants learn three coaching conversation maps—planning, reflecting, and problem-resolving—along with tools to navigate the maps. During February, we will share some work by Jeffrey Ford and Laurie Ford in their recent book, The Four Conversations: Daily Communication that Gets Results¹, which illuminates four other conversation types which support and illuminate ways of thinking about collaborating, consulting, and evaluation conversations. The four conversations they describe are: initiative, understanding, performance, and closure conversations. While they do not address the support functions we understand as cognitive coaches, the linkage can easily be made.

Each conversation addresses six key questions related to the intention of the conversation:

• What are we trying to accomplish?
• When do we want to accomplish it?
• Why is this important?
• Who is involved?
• Where will the resources come from?
• How will it get done?

Different questions are emphasized in different ways, depending on the purpose of the conversation. This week we will describe the Initiative Conversation described in the Fords' book.

An Initiative Conversation is intended to motivate others related to a desired state for the future. It is the beginning of action to take a group or organization to a new beginning. One of the most famous Initiative Conversations was when John Kennedy proposed putting a man on the moon in ten years. This kind of conversation distinguishes leaders from others because it is a visionary call to action.

In this conversation, the intention is to provide a better future that others can rally around. It is not intended to be a detailed action plan, but, instead, a big-picture description of the future. It always includes a statement of rationale and a statement of the worth of the vision. The vision is always stated as a positive future rather than a negative of what is not wanted.

Ford and Ford provide several samples of how the conversation starts:

• "I propose we start [what / when / why]."
• "We will develop [what/when/why]."
• "Our strategic objective is [what/when/why]."
• "Today is the beginning of [what/when/why]."
• "I want your support to implement [what/when/why]."

Of the six questions which form the structure of all conversations, the first three are especially emphasized in this conversation: What? When? Why? The intention is to create enthusiasm and a buzz in the organization. People will be curious and excited if the conversation is well done, which will lead naturally to the next conversation, an Understanding Conversation:

• What are we trying to accomplish?
• When do we want to accomplish it?
• Why is this important?
• Who is involved?
• Where will the resources come from?
• How will it get done?

Reflect this week on what have been some of your experiences with Initiative Conversations.
 

¹Ford, J., & Ford, L. The Four Conversations: Daily Communication that Gets Results. San Francisco, CA: Berret-Koehler, 2009.