Partnerships, Alliances, and Coordination Techniques

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Partnerships, Alliances, and Coordination
Techniques

• Communication Strategies
• February 2008
• Facilitated By
• The National Child Care Information and Technical
  Assistance Center (NCCIC)
• NCCIC Is a Service of the Child Care Bureau

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Presenter
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Todays Agenda
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Session Objectives

• Participants will be able to
• Recognize their own communication styles as well
  as those of others
• Describe the key concepts of a communication plan
  for effective partnerships and
• Implement problem-solving measures when conflicts
  arise within a partnership

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PACT

• PACT is an initiative of NCCIC, a service of the
  Child Care Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and
  Human Services
• PACT gives State, Territory, and Tribal
  policymakersparticularly Child Care and
  Development Fund Administrators and their
  partnersthe resources they need to build more
  comprehensive and collaborative early care and
  school-age programs for serving children and
  families

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PACT Materials

• PACT Collaborative Leadership Strategies A Guide
  for Child Care Administrators and Their Partners
• Web-based guide contains an introduction and six
  training modules
• Fundamentals of Collaborative Leadership
• Creating, Implementing, and Sustaining
  Partnerships
• Communication Strategies
• Management Strategies for Successful Partnerships
• Financing
• Building Capacity for Evaluating Partnerships

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Key Concepts

• Communication is the process of exchanging
  information through speech, signals, or writing
• Communication involves listening, questioning,
  understanding, and responding to what is being
  expressed by others
• Effective communication is central to the success
  of creating, implementing, and sustaining
  partnerships over time

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Communication Pyramid
Communication

• Note Different authors use the terms
  cooperation and coordination interchangeably.
  This diagram follows the work of Sharon Lynn
  Kagan in defining the least intense level as
  cooperation as cited in Winer and Ray (2000).
  Used with permission.

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Modes of Communication
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Are You an Active Listener?

• Has anyone ever told you that you werent
  listening?
• Have you ever asked others to repeat themselves,
  because your mind had wandered?
• Have you ever been embarrassed because you gave
  the wrong answer to a question when you werent
  listening?
• Have you ever taken a mental leave of absence
  while someone was speaking?
• Has anyone ever asked you whether youre paying
  attention?

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Active Listening Techniques

• Stop talking
• Give the speaker your conscious attention
• Exercise patience
• Be empathetic
• Ask clarifying questions
• Paraphrase
• Make notes

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Communication Styles
Source Jourdain, K. (February 2004).
Communication styles and conflict. Approaching
change, Vol. 4, No. 6. Chrysalis Performance
Strategies, Inc. www.teamchrysalis.com/AC/V4/AC46_
Communication_Styles.htm
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Plan to Communicate

• Design a communication system that is responsive
  to the different kinds of agencies and people in
  your partnership
• Establish informal and formal communication links
• Create a communication plan that reflects what
  your partners want and need to know, and how they
  want to receive information
• Hold partners accountable for communications

Sources Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance and Ray, K., (2002). The nimble
collaboration Fine-tuning your collaboration
for lasting success. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Communication Tools

• Determine your premise
• Consider your promise
• State your mission

Sources Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance and Ray, K., (2002). The nimble
collaboration Fine-tuning your collaboration
for lasting success. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Communication Tools (con.)

• Confirm your vision
• Specify desired results
• Clarify roles
• Create your work plan

Sources Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance and Ray, K., (2002). The nimble
collaboration Fine-tuning your collaboration
for lasting success. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Expect Conflict

• Conflict is inevitable
• Early indicators of conflict can be recognized
• Conflict involves people resolving issues that
  are important to them
• Conflict causes authentic communication
• Conflict builds cooperation among people through
  learning more about each other
• Conflict helps people develop understanding and
  skills
• Although inevitable, conflict can be minimized,
  diverted, and/or resolved

Source Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Create a Conflict Resolution Process

• Determine which issues must be resolved in order
  for the partners to do their work. Stay focused.
• Decide who will facilitate the process for
  resolving the conflict
• Define the conflict separate from the concepts of
  right and wrong
• Make sure everyone is heard
• Create rituals for healing and forgiveness
• Document the conflict resolutions

Sources Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance and Ray, K., (2002). The nimble
collaboration Fine-tuning your collaboration
for lasting success. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Resolve the Irresolvable

• Call a meeting between the warring factions using
  a neutral facilitator to settle the dispute
• Create a working agreement between the parties
  and agree to disagree
• Ask people of influence who are associated with
  each of the factions to intervene
• Consider alerting funders and donors
• Work without or around the warring factions

Source Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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When to Use an Outside Facilitator

• Group leaders are directly involved in the
  conflict
• The group is not skilled in conflict resolution
• Impartiality is essential
• Not all members of the group see the conflict
• Cultural equity needs to be ensured
• Resources allow hiring a practitioner
• A neutral volunteer is available
• The group wants conflict management instruction

Source Winer, M., Ray, K., (2000).
Collaboration handbook, Creating, sustaining and
enjoying the journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone
Alliance.
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Review

• Make sure your message is clear
• Practice active listening
• Acknowledge the viewpoints of others, even if you
  disagree
• Use specific language, especially when providing
  guidance and asking for feedback
• Ask questions to make sure your message is
  understood, or to clarify points you are
  uncertain about
• Make sure your body language delivers the same
  message as your words
• Think before you speak or write
• Keep your language simple and format brief

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• How well we communicate is determined not by how
  well we say things
• but how well we are understood.
• Andrew Grove, CEO, Intel Corporation

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Closing

• Personal reflections
• Personal learning plan
• Quality improvement
• Session evaluation

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Reflections

• I learned
• I relearned
• I will apply
• I would like to know more about
• I am surprised by

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Acknowledgements

• Allessandra, T., OConnor, M.J. (1996). The
  platinum rule Discover the four basic business
  personalities and how they can lead you to
  success. New York Warner Books, Inc.
• GST Telecom. (n.d.). Communication styles table.
  Available from the CEDA Meta-Profession Project.
  Retrieved November 6, 2007, from
  www.cedanet.com/meta/communication_styles.htm
• Head Start Bureau, Administration on Children,
  Youth and Families, Administration for Children
  and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human
  Services. (1996). Communicating with parents
  Training guides for the Head Start learning
  community. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from
  www.headstartinfo.org/pdf/communicating_with_paren
  ts/communicating_with_parents.pdf
• Heffner, C.L. (n.d.). Communication styles.
  Available from the CEDA Meta-Profession Project.
  Retrieved November 6, 2007, from
  www.cedanet.com/meta/communication_styles.htm
• Jourdain, K. (2004, February). Communication
  styles and conflict. Approaching Change, 4(6).
  Retrieved September 4, 2007, from
  www.co-creatingfutures.com/content.php?page_ID348
  
• Jourdain, K. (2006, March). The power of stories.
  Approaching Change, 6(7). Retrieved September 4,
  2007, from www.co-creatingfutures.com/content.php?
  page_ID550
• National School Boards Foundation, the National
  School Boards Association. (n.d.). Dealing with
  conflict. In Education leadership toolkit Change
  and technology in Americas schools (Professional
  and Leadership Development section). Retrieved
  November 6, 2007, from www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/C
  onflict.html
• Ray, K. L. (2002). The nimble collaboration
  Fine-tuning your collaboration for lasting
  success. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone Alliance.
• Winer, M. Ray, K. (2000). Collaboration
  handbook Creating, sustaining, and enjoying the
  journey. St. Paul, MN Fieldstone Alliance.

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Thank you!
PACT is an initiative of NCCIC, a service of the
Child Care Bureau
Facilitated by the National Child Care
Information and Technical Assistance
Center 10530 Rosehaven Street, Suite 400 ?
Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone [phone] ? Fax
800-716-2242 ? TTY 800-516-2242 Email
info_at_nccic.org ? Web http//nccic.acf.hhs.gov