© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
EuroStar 2007
Can “Softer Skills” Help Define Your Career Growth?
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Why Soft Skills?
• We are always part of a team
• We’re dependent on information from others
• We constantly have to demonstrate our value
• We want enough resources to do our job
• We want to progress our career – don’t we!
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Skills I’ve found helpful, and why
1. Communication • Understand how other’s prefer to
communicate
2. Negotiation • Learn to “trade” not just getting your own
way
3. Coaching • Grow careers, and handle “difficult
conversations”
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Communication
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Communications
• Why does it matter to testers?
• What does it mean?
• How can it help me?
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Styles of Communication
• Internal communication – thinking styles
• External communication – to others
• Recognising others preferences
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Internal Communications
Thoughts Thoughts
Words
Tonality
Body Language Body Language
Tonality
Words
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
How do you think?
• Pick a memory e.g. Holiday– What can you see?– What can you hear?– How do you feel?
• What representation of the memory came first and most easily?
• How you think is personal to you, others don’t think the same way, although we assume they do
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
External Communications
Thoughts Thoughts
FILTERS
SightHearing
Touch or feeling
Taste
Smell
Sight, hearing and touch/feeling are most
prominent in most peoplebut to different levels
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Recognising Preferences
• Sight (Visual)– I see what you mean– We see eye to eye– You’ll look back on this and laugh– Show me what you mean– It appears to me– The future looks bright– Sight for sore eyes
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Recognising Preferences
• Hearing (Auditory)– On the same wavelength– Unheard of– Music to my ears– Hold your tongue – Turn a deaf ear – Loud and clear– Rings a bell
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Recognising Preferences
• Touch/feeling (Kinaesthetic)– I will get in touch with you– Hold on a second– I can’t put my finger on it– Firm foundation– Heated argument– Thick skinned– A cool customer
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Recognising Preferences
• Smell and Taste (Olfactory and Gustatory)– Smell a rat– Fishy situation– A bitter pill– Fresh as a daisy– A taste for the good life– A sweet person– An acid comment
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Just a few Words on Body Language
• Zones• Handshake• Barriers• Carbon Copy• Desk and Seating
European and American interpretation Culture adds another dimension
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Comfort Zones
Intimate15-46 cms
Personal46cm – 1.2m
Social1.2 – 3.6m
Public>3.6m
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Handshake
• Take control– Place your hand on top and press
downwards
• Give control– Place your hand underneath and push
upwards
• Equal– Meet side on and move upwards and
downwards equally
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Barriers
• Leg barriers– Cross legs – nervous, reserved or defensive– Cross legs (left over right) displeasure– Foot on opposite knee – argumentative,
competative
• Arm barriers– Cross arms – hiding from unfavourable situation– Cross arms with fists clenched - hostile– Cross arms with fingers showing – firm stand– Using a prop – handbag, papers, etc
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Carbon Copy
• Very common in one-on-one discussions• Others naturally mirror you• To gain acceptance, mirror others
position• To maximise constructive
communication, take an open position– No arm or leg barriers– Lean forward slightly– Make regular eye contact
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Desk and Seating
A
B1
B3 B4
B2
A - Other person seated firstB1 – Corner, friendly negotiationsB2 - Co-operative, comfortable with working together B3 - Competitive/defensive, solid barrier can lead to people taking a firm viewB4 – Independent, does not want to interact or participate
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Negotiation Skills
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Principles of Negotiation
• EVERYONE negotiates• Don’t confuse with selling or persuasion• Seen as a formal process, even threatening• Most people feel ill equipped to negotiate• You have more skill than you think already!
– Priorities, budgets, time, resource– Holidays, teenagers nights out, pocket money
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Agreement & ConflictOR.. Co-existence of hope and
frustration!
Theywant
You want
You want
Theywant
You both want
Negotiation opportunityBUT…if you’ve nothing to vary, you can’t negotiate
Nothing to gain from negotiation
No point in negotiation
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Internal vs External
• Internal– Time from business
users– Budget process with
project managers– Acceptance criteria
• External– Supplier doing
development– Supplier doing
systems testing– Supplier doing
ongoing support
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Preparing for Negotiating
• Set your objective• Establish your fallback position• Identify issues and priorities• Set limits and Targets• Calculate cost of concessions
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Plan Ahead for Trading
• Prepare and plan with great care– Identify common ground– Identify options and how you’ll use them
• Trade concessions, don’t just concede• Identify and use your levers• As yourself “what if’s”• Don’t open on the most contentious
issue• Don’t settle minor issues early
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Interaction Categories
• Content• Procedure• Building• Supporting• Disagreeing• Defend/attack
• Test understanding• Summarising• Seek information• Give information• Bringing in• Shutting out
I have a skills planning sheet I can forward you if you request one via email
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Coaching Skills
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Coaching Model
• Many models are available for this• I’ve selected one by way of example• It needs practice! Try it out for
yourselves• Can be used to resolve issues• Can also be used to conduct
“difficult” conversations e.g. someone’s performance on the team.
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
GROW Model
• Goal• Reality• Options• Way Forward
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Goal
• What do you want from THIS discussion?
• Use SMART goals– Specific– Meaningful– Agreed to– Realistic– Time-phased
• What are the consequences if you do not reach this goal?
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Reality
• Briefly, what’s been happening?• What have you tried so far?• What were the results?• What’s the sense of the obstacles for
you?, for others?• Is the goal still realistic?
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Options
• Describe “fantasyland”: if you could do anything, what might you do?
• If you were the other person, what would you have to hear/see to get your attention
• If you were watching this conversation, what would you recommend?
• Would you like suggestions?• Do any of these interest you enough to
explore further?• If you were to do this, how might you go
about it?
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Way Forward
• Does this option interest you enough to take action?
• How will you go about it?• What might get in the way?• How might you overcome that?• What and when is the next step?
(SMART)
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
Implement the Model
WILL•Choose an option•Commit to action•Identify obstacles & Resources•Recap & identify follow up
GOAL•Identify the long and short term goals•Describe the desired future state
OPTIONS•Explore possibilities for action•Uncover new opportunities•Identify potential next steps
REALITY•Describe the current situation•Understand what is happening right now
Go forwards and backwards around the model as necessary
© 2007 WMHL Consulting Ltd Confidential
What will you do differently?
• Understand your own preferences for communication and recognise others are different – use different methods to get your message over – not just one!
• Practice the “trading” aspect of negotiating next time you plan your testing project or need specialist assistance.
• Practice the coaching model, maybe in your own team to start with
All these skills require preparation and practiceIt’s rare to find someone with this ability
You’ll be recognised and rewarded when you demonstrate them!!