Communicating When Stakes are High

Communication is easy when the risks are low but when the stakes are high, effective communication may be difficult and challenging.

What is high stakes communication?

We believe high stakes communication takes several forms. In a government context, it could involve communicating the benefits of a new policy that is viewed negatively by the public. It can also include the communication of a government position to the media in a crisis or high-profile situation, or it could mean having exchanges with stakeholders who are not pleased with a change in policies or procedures related to project funding. Whenever there is an issue that is difficult or the focus of attention, communication can involve high stakes both for organizations and for the individuals who work in them.

In many government departments and agencies, the workforce is experiencing rapid change, becoming even more diverse, experiencing a growing rate of retirements, and witnessing the quick movement of individuals into management positions.

In the context of strengthening and enabling leadership and of investing in the career development of employees, Y2CP believes that departments and agencies may wish to focus on talent management:

• expanding and strengthening the competencies of their employees; and
• facilitating the development and empowerment of the leaders of today and tomorrow.

We believe that the focus of high stakes communications training and development should be based on the following objective:

• to allow employees to further develop and diversify their skills and knowledge through a well structured, competency-based development process — whether it is to assist them to reach more senior level positions or to become even more skilled at their substantive levels.

We offer to public sector employees the kind of training and development that best fits the current and future requirements of the organization. Our course work is based on a wealth of experience by our team of seasoned governance and management consultants.

Communicating When the Stakes are High Course

Our Communicating when Stakes are High course includes presentations, exercises, selected readings, discussions, best practices, and strategy sessions. It is a mix of the theoretical and a large dose of the practical, including techniques to help individuals deal with difficult communications and tips to help resolve tricky communication situations.

The course focuses on communication theory and practices, in general, and on communication challenges, strategic communication, management communications skills, and communicating complex messaging, in particular, among other communication skills.

About Y2CP

Y2CP has been offering HRM services (e.g. selection, development, coaching) since 1999 to the federal government and to other public and private sector clients. It has grown into a firm with over 20 different psychologists and HRM consultants today.

Over the years, Y2CP has successfully maintained many of its clients and has grown through a client referral system.

Y2CP's managing partners have worked, in collaboration with international industrial psychology firms, such as Personnel Decisions International, and other domestic firms, in assessing the potential talent of hundreds of leaders in large corporations and organizations.

Today, Y2CP takes on several different professional mandates (e.g. selection, organisational diagnostics, conflict resolutions, training, and coaching, in addition to administering and selling a wide-range of psychometric tools).

Whatever your organizational training needs (e.g. training strategies, workshops facilitation, the design of targeted interventions), our expert consultants can help you.

Among the training workshops we offer are: leadership, stress management, time management, work/life balance, psychological harassment, cultural diversity, team building, creativity, career transitions, burnout, communication (verbal and nonverbal), conflicts at work, anger management, challenging behaviours, problem solving, etc.

Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.
HRM Consultant
Psychologues Consultants Y2

If you have any questions and/or comments, don't hesitate. Thank you!