Quick, someone throw me a "Life Link"

i just returned from four days on the road, presenting four different seminars for four different clients. Whether it was garbage recycling, web design, aerospace or health care, the greatest challenge for each of these diverse organizations (when asked) was internal communication. Funny, with all the communication channels we have now -- e-mail, texting, IM, cell phones, voice mail, Blackberries (strawberries, raspberries) and the antiquated (yes, you can get your butt out of the chair and actually walk to talk to a co-worker) but amazingly effective face-to-face conversation, we still aren't getting any closer or clearer in communicating effectively.

Salary.com says in it's 2007 survey that the #1 reason people stay at a job is "Relationship with my co-workers" and the #2 reason is "Relationship with my manager." If that is true, being able to communicate effectively and build bridges with co-workers and managers should be Priority #1 for all companies who want to attract and retain top talent. But I find from talking with hundreds of employees across the country that the opposite is true. Many of our communication tools actually hinder building those relationships. We have fast, concise communication (who wants to type in a long message on a Blackberry?) but not much with the three V's critical for effective communication -- voice tone, visual (body language) and verbal (effective --and sufficient-- words). We may be taking care of business from the distance of VM, IM and Blackberry, but losing the all important side effect of face-to-face conversation and interaction, real understanding, follow-on quesions, and the nuances of facial expressions, voice tone, and body language.

So, with all this separation, how can companies help their employees build relatioships that are so important for attracting and retaining top talent? Smart companies are taking time to bring their employees together for retreats, conferences or (please forgive the ancient terminology) Teambuilding programs. Having an effecive relationship-building exercise and a skilled facilitator can make make or break the day. It has to be fun, thought provoking, and provide opportunity to learn more about co-workers and create "links" that bring people together and help them value each other.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to facilitate a retreat for a local organization, using my original exercise, "Life Links," which, through a series of questions (answered pre-meeting by the participants,_ helps them learn more about each other, find common links through life experiences, and discover strengths, values and clues as to what makes a person "tick" and how they view the world. It is a highly interactive, fun, laugh-filled exercise, ending with each person presenting a positive profile of how another member contributes to the success of the group by who they are and thier life experiences.

I created this exercise in 1996, and an article on it was published in Training and Development Magazine. It has been used successfully with organizations such as NASA, Western Michigan University, Coach, Inc., Georgia Power Company, Lighthouse Bank, and the Medical College of Georgia. If your employees, team, work group, or executive team need help in building relationships that make people want to stay on the job and work better together, consider "Life Links" for your next staff meeting, retreat or conference. Over the years, I have seen some of the most amazing answers to the questions, such as the guy who answered the question, "What's the scariest, craziest, most dangerous thing you've ever done" with the fact that he was a prisoner of war in Korea, and he escaped and took two other prisoners with him. Everyone thought the answer had to belong to a leader, so they attributed it to the CEO. It turned out to be the custodian. The awe and respect that the group had for him after that revelation was incredible. Helping co-workers to learn more about each other, and then relating that to strengths that they bring to the table because of who they are and their life experiences goes beyond the resume and work experience. They learn to value and respect each other as individuals, breaking the barriers that titles and position on an org chart can create.

In these times of economic uncertainty, it is even more important for co-workers to feel valued and an important part of the organization. "Life Links" can play a part in bringing people together in both good and challenging times. For more information, contact me through my website, www.mjnhconsulting.com, or e-mail marynh@mjnhconsulting.com

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