Make Yourself Clear

7Generating Immediacy for Others

Recently, Steve was writing an agenda for a meeting with a leadership team. They were tired and a little grumpy. He was looking for an exercise, a question, a quote, that would stimulate a good discussion and remind his team about their core purpose, moving them closer to some energy reserves.

Steve did what he often does in these situations – when he is stuck and cannot access momentum, that is. He sought a fresh perspective, using a video‐conferencing service to connect with someone outside his organization. Immediacy 101.

He texted Reshan to see if he was free and able to talk for a few minutes. Finding that he was, he set up a video chat with him. Zoom's platform made such connections easy; so easy, in fact, that on some weeks, Steve would speak to people on Zoom more frequently than he spoke to colleagues with whom he shared a physical wall. Steve simply had to send Reshan a link, and in turn, Reshan simply had to click on the link. Then, as if they had both walked into the same room, they were face‐to‐face and able to talk.

As the initiator of the conversation, and asking permission, Steve could record the conversation in case he needed to reference it later or transcribe part of it. And Steve was able to seamlessly share his screen to seek feedback on the work he had already completed.

After probing for context – Who are the leaders in ...