Communication potential is measured from listening

Context: I am finishing my MBA year in 2 weeks. After having learned the acid roots of tech crunching business model, I chose to focus my 5th and last term on communication, personnal and from the business, and legal modules. Here comes some of the essay I did in a module of communication and well i did go to some area I do take most of my learning, myself and arts.


Question 1: Communication is a two-way relationship.

Two years ago, I went to Seville to work for an unspecified time. After four months, my company called me and I had to move back to the UK in the next two weeks. Straight upon my return, I organized a meeting with my managers to know how they saw my careers prospective.

During the meeting, we framed the situation on different ways: I shared my view, and asked to carry out an MBA in the future, condition for me to agree to their plan.  From their side, they were looking to fill up a vacant position right now within the department for a new project.

The story concluded in me applying for redundancy, our mutual agreement. On both sides, we were hiding information. They offered me to follow an MBA in two years time while the company was downsizing and in cost cutting mode. They were not willing to sign their agreement on paper. From my side, I kept my GMAT and my application to IE and IESE silent.

Our mental models were different: we had to different conclusion in mind. I was at the time much more in the active & directive frame, while they were pragmatic & looked on the short term.

I would have gained to be supportive and honest with them, giving them more time to reflect.

Question 2: Leading by examples

While I have a natural preference in evolving in a structured way, I am lacking capacity to put things in context. I do enjoy this interview from Jeff Koons on Bloomberg. As an artist, he is invited to this show and succeeds in directing the interview while the other believes he is mastering it. Bloomberg Nighttalk : Interview with Jeff Koons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0wFJOZnV2Q

It starts with a question on his latest art piece which has been sold for 26 millions dollars. We are on Bloomberg, and Mr. Koons puts the right balance of emotional to rational bringing example from his childhood, putting in prospect his motivation for cash while emphasizing his vision. His steady voice supports his points through. His non verbal communication is very rational and settled: his smile and his eyes are supporting us to trust what he says.             

For this purpose, he uses a sort of antithesis to answer the first question, financial, from the interviewer. During the interview, he kept using not strictly an anaphora but a lexical field: he repeats the words Vision, Sense, Images, and supports them by saying: Intensity, Stimulate, Coming to life, Concept, Journey. He passes as well on a metaphor between his world and the world from the journalist, linking them both: “Everything can connect to one way”. Arts offer ways to understand the world around.

This is put in simple words, and this is very challenging. Taking example of a younger artist from the U.S., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMr4YXznEGs Interview with Ryan McGiness, we can see how easy it is for an artist to go to a totally emotional field. The non verbal is submerging the overall message, hyperactive while having a laid back position. While it s not a bad communication frame, I do not feel it is building the same connection for the general audience.

I would like to highlight the two differences of context: one is interviewed formally by Bloomberg while the other is interviewed on the place he performs his art.

Ccl: and my conclusion on this MBA year; Learning is coming through that: I paid quite an amount in tuition fees, I feel I deserve the rights right this year to do mystakes. Later will be another story.