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Think IT Leadership GroupMission: “To foster professional growth and development through the

power of networking and collaboration.”

• Think IT is a service of

• Think IT Association was founded in 2009. Each group meets regularly in an informal, roundtable format with a different member from the group facilitating each session.

• The IT Leadership group is designed for all levels of leaders within the IT space including: IT Managers, IT Directors, and VPs of IT within the Twin Cities.

• Additional Think IT Program:• Link to Leadership – Registration for our Fall session has officially opened!

◦ 6 month leadership development course that is designed and led by IT executives from across the metro◦ Benefits Genesys Works-Twin Cities alumni through the Think IT Young Professionals Scholarship fund

• While there is no cost to be a member of Think IT, it is not FREE and we do ask that members invest their time and experience and be open to facilitating

Upcoming Meetings• Friday, August 17th – PMO Group Meeting

◦ Location: Medica

◦ Facilitators: Scott Siebert, Director – Business Systems Delivery at Xcel Energy

◦ Topic: TBD

• Friday, September 7th – IT Leadership Meeting ◦ Location: Polaris◦ Facilitator: Tim Tanner, VP – Digital & Information Services at Polaris

• Friday, September 28th – Think IT Quarterly Event

Save the Date!

B2E Update

• We kick off our 8th Barriers to Entry cohort on Monday, August 6th!

• These students will be available for assignment starting August 27th

• As of 2018 we have a 90% program graduate placement rate

• For more information contact: Silvia Hinton at shinton@yorksolutions.net

A big thank you to the following companies who have hired our B2E students!

Constructive ConversationsFACIL ITATED BY: BOBBI E MCA DAM , VP OF I T AT MEDI CA

J I M M A A HS , SR . I T SECUR I T Y A N A LYST AT M EDI CA

K AYLEA ROSS , LEA R N IN G & DEVELOPM EN T PA RT NER AT M EDI CA

What do you think?

Describe a Constructive Conversation

What about a non-Constructive Conversation?

What defines a Constructive Conversation?

According to Wikipedia

Constructive (adj.) is helping to develop or improve something; helpful to someone, instead of upsetting and negative.

Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people.

Communication is the act of conveying meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.

Here’s a good example…wink, wink

What are our tendencies?

What are our tendencies?

Note whether each statement is True or False for you

Withholding Coercing

Constructive Conversation

IT Communications

What communication challenges tend to arise in the world of IT?

Thinking process we go through (usually without realizing it)

Ladder of Inference

The Ladder of Inference was introduced by organizational psychologist Chris Argyris. Also used by Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization

ActionConclusionsBeliefsConclusionsAssumptionsInterpretationSelected realityFacts

Fact vs Interpretation

What’s a FACT?

An actual occurrence; something that can be proven through observation or

measurement

(what you saw)

What’s an INTERPRETATION?

The perceptions, attributions, or judgements that you apply to the facts

(what you thought about what you saw)

To share a tough message…

1. Start with facts

2. Add interpretation

3. Ask a question

1. Start with Facts

Why?“I noticed that…”

“The last three times we talked about this…”

“The deadline in the project plan is…”

2. Add Interpretation

Why?

“I’m starting to think that…”

“It seems like…”

“I’m beginning to wonder…”

3. Ask a QuestionWhy?

Ask a question that sincerely invites differing opinions.

“How do you see it?”

“What’s your perspective?”

“What am I missing?”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Nobody disagrees, do they?”

“What can we do to make sure this doesn’t happen again?”

Conversation TransformationThere are 6 common problems that can have a negative impact on your conversations, be mindful of these as you interact with others:

1) Yes-but

2) Mind reading

3) Negative prediction

4) Leading questions

5) Complaining

6) Expressing strong feelings

Source: Ben E. Benjamin, Amy Yeager and Anita Simon McGraw-Hill © 2012

10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation

1) No multi-tasking, focus & unitask in the moment

2) Don’t pontificate, not a lecture

3) Ask open-ended questions, encourage interaction

4) Follow the flow of the discussion

5) Ok to say you don’t know

6) Don’t match your experiences with others, never the same

7) No repeats, rehashing

8) Don’t get into boring details

9) Listen

FACT: The average person talks at a rate of about 125 – 175 words per minute,

while we can listen at a rate of up to 450 words per minute (Carver, Johnson, &

Friedman, 1970)

10) Be brief

Source: Celeste Headlee, TED Conferences LLC 2015

And the payoff?

None of this, come on people!

Foster good conversations & positivity!

Constructive ConversationsFAC I L I TAT ED BY: B O B B I E M C A DA M , J I M M A A H S A N D K AY L EA R O S S

Thank you to Bobbie, Jim & Kaylea for facilitating!

Thank you to Medica for hosting!