Embracing Internet Based Communication Part 2

Last week, I wrote about becoming more engaged in internet-based communication as a business. This week, I want to go over resistances and strategies to adopting new methods of communication.

Resistance to Change

Joel Barker, who is an expert in dealing with change, introduced me to the concept of a Paradigm Shift through one of his training videos. The concept is that, when you are entrenched in any system which seems to be working well, you are hesitant to buy into a new idea. Only when the old ways stop working and you are in what he calls “crisis mode” are you willing to change. The only problem with this is that it might too late. An example of this might be video stores which could not compete with online sales and ultimately had to close their doors.

If you are dealing with similar change resistance, I offer three key elements to consider:

1. Proof – What proof do you have that this idea will work?
2. Education – What education needs to be provided?
3. Trust – What level of trust do you have from your staff/members?

Also, recall the DISC styles for a moment.

High “S” styles will want to know why you are changing, what’s wrong with what we are doing now and what’s in it for me to adopt the new idea?

High “C” will want to know that you have thought carefully about the long term and short term implications of this change.

Tactics of Innovation

Joel Barker also introduced me to the concept of Tactics of Innovation through another of his training videos. I am using them as I make my transition to remote communication and so should you. Here are some relevant insights:

Common Objections to Consider

• It sure looks complicated.
• What if it breaks down?
• I just don’t see how this will make things easier.

Although Barker mentions ten tactics, here are the crucial ones that I used in my conversion to remote learning.

1. Upside Yes – Is there a perceived advantage?
   • Is it better than what I am currently using?
2. Downside No – What are the consequences if the new idea fails?
   • The smaller the negative consequences, the better

N.B.: If you have not met these first 2, you should not go any further.

3. Easy In – I need to make it easy to try out the new idea.
4. Easy Out – Can I revert to the old way easily?

1. • I can revert to email and phone calls as before if it does not work out.

My Conversion to IBC

To be honest, I was going the way of the dodo as a trainer. I needed to understand this new world of communication. I will confess that I was actively disengaged when it came to IBC for training and could only see what it did not do. I was wrong, as you shall see.

I started to meet with other professionals who had the tech-savvy without the content. My first webinar was held in Africa, and I saw that participants could be polled, and chat functions were available. These functions allowed me to interact with the participants and adapt to their comments. I decided that I would pursue webinars and particularly ones where the participants could see a bit of me visually. In this way, I could demonstrate my positive energy for the topic and show that I was engaged.

My next step was a game-changer for me. My tech-savvy nephew Keith wanted some help with a presentation he wanted to make for a critical job interview. He used the “ZOOM” process which was similar to Skype but much more sophisticated. I absolutely fell in love with it, and now I use it for remote coaching and live online training sessions.  Simply put, we can see and hear each other, which is crucial for that emotional connection and reading body language. Since Webinars cannot do that I am still hesitant to try them, however.

With ZOOM I can share my desktop and remotely with others during a training or coaching session.  We can then be working on a common file. I also share a Google.doc which provides a living summary of our ongoing discussion. Finally, I can record my session and convert it to an unlisted YouTube file that can be reviewed after the session or shared with others who missed it.

A very real benefit is that I can eliminate travel, luggage, and workbooks for those times when remote training is the best method. It saves a lot of money for my clients. To say the least, I am engaged, and my positive attitude towards it has been activated.

My Strategy

1. Understand the process – What is the upside, downside, easy in, easy out? This is for both remote meetings/coaching and webinars.
2. Find the resources – I have the content and have put together a team of mentors, two of whom have the tech savvy. The other two have experience in e-learning and webinars. Most recently, I have met with a Social Media marketing person who I believe will help me to convert to that form of marketing and communication, without giving up my traditional communication processes.
3. Learn how to use it – Although this is an ongoing process, I have piloted with several people who trusted me. Their honest feedback was crucial to my improvement strategy.
4. Try it out – I have a marketing plan.

Strategy Suggestions

1. Take the time to understand which communication processes will fit into IBC. What is the upside/downside, easy in/easy out? Keep in mind that you should still try to maintain a realistic level of face-to-face communication to build interpersonal relationships. That might be in the form of conferences or regional presentations.
2. Create a resource team with both traditional and tech-savvy people.
3. Find something that might work and try it out. Start small.

I hope my insights today will help you to understand that since IBC is now the way of the world, you need to embrace it and just get going. Remember to stop communicating to yourself in ways that work for you and think about more about what works best for your audience.

A year from today you will be glad you did.