learning conversation rev 1b

A. Beginning

B. Disclosing and Evaluating Your

Observations

1. Disclose the whole agenda

I want to tell you how I assessed your

performance, focusing on the things I

thought were strong and areas where I

think more progress is needed

2. Invite dialogue

There may be areas where we see things

differently. I want to hear your views,

especially where we disagree, so that I

can learn more about your views on

quality customer service

3. Offer support by sharing the responsibility

for improvement

One of the things I want to learn from this

conversation is how to help you achieve

the goals that come out of this

assessment

4. Check the agenda

Are you ready to start?

Do you want to add anything to the

agenda?

Are there any questions before we talk

about the assessment?

1. Summarise the observations you have

made that are relevant to a particular

heading

2. Disclose your evaluation of what you

have observed

This involves making a professional

judgment

Show how you reached that judgment,

especially if it is not obvious

Be open to other interpretations

2.

Say what you have noticed

Say what you make of it

Publicly check out your inference

I was troubled by the lack of customer

response because it may have given

you little feedback about whether the

customer understood the options

2. Did you find out what the customer

understood?

I was concerned about the telephone

interruption because I thought it might

lower your rapport with the customer.

What is your view on answering the

telephone when you are with a

customer?

3. Ask for the other’s reactions to your views

Value the reaction (paraphrase to check that you have understood).

Discover why the other reacts as she does. This gives both parties access to her implicit theory of practice

Welcome disagreement as an opportunity to learning and to counteract unequal power

3.

How do you feel about what I have said

so far?

How helpful is this so far?

You look like you see that differently. I’d

like to hear what you honestly think

4. Explore differences

Name what you agree and disagree

about

Check you have each understood the

basis of each others’ views

4.

How do you understand what I am saying about quality service? Note that the previous question is oriented towards discovering the implicit theories of practice used by the person.

A question such as “Do you understand what I am saying about quality customer service?” may not elicit the basis of the person’s views

5. Design ways of testing and exploring the

differences

Will more relevant data help?

Relate the differences to a shared theory

of effective professional practice

5.

So you are afraid that the customer

would shout at you if you tried to find out

more details?

How does referring the customer to the

manual promote quality customer

service

Beginning

1. Disclose the whole agenda

2. Invite dialogue

3. Offer support by sharing the

responsibility for improvement

4. Check the agenda

Disclosing and Evaluating Your Observations

1. Summarise the observations you have made that are relevant to a particular heading

2. Disclose your evaluation of what you have observed

3. Ask for the other’s reactions to your views

4. Explore differences

5. Design ways of testing and exploring the differences