Communications

3.3 Discussion. Leader2Leader – Discussion

Getting Started

Part of developing a strong foundation for leadership rests in seeking wisdom from others. For this assignment, you will prepare to engage a leader of your choosing as you conduct a  Leader2Leader dialogue. Taking into consideration what you have studied thus far about communication, you will develop a set of questions or discussion starters that you will use to gain new insights and perspectives on how someone else practices leadership. You’ve read from textbooks and articles. You’ve discussed with your peers. However, further insights might be gained by dialogues with key leaders in your life. Do they agree with some of the frameworks, principles and practices you’ve been studying? Disagree? Have additional insights they might offer? What have they learned from their experiences in the areas you have been studying?  

You will want to be mindful of the scope of this course. Remembering what you have studied thus far (communication theory, personal communication styles, intergenerational and culture communication differences) will aid you in creating questions that will help you learn how this leader thinks about effective communication.

Be prepared to carry out your dialogue after you receive feedback from your instructor. You will need to be ready to report on your findings in Workshop Five. Please take time to preview the  5.3 Discussion (new tab)  so you can plan ahead. 

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Propose a relevant set of discussion starters to enhance your learning from an established leader. 

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade. 

2. In preparation for your dialogue, submit an initial discussion post addressing the following:  

a. Name and title of the interviewee. (who you will have your Leader2Leader dialogue with) 

b. The 2 or 3 most important insights from your past L2L interviews? 

c. A set of 7-10 questions or discussion starters for your upcoming L2L conversation.   

i. Questions should not be simple “Yes” – “No” questions but should allow the leader you selected to provide thoughtful explanations that will contribute to your understanding of the topic.  

ii. Questions should display variety, not focusing on one or two topics. Be sure to take time to review what you have learned this week and during the earlier workshops.  Note: When you write your executive summary, clearly connect each question to a principle represented in the course material.   

iii. Keep in mind the dialogue should be 30 minutes or less. So, you may not have time to ask all the questions you develop. Consider how you arrange or outline the questions. What flow exists between the questions? Which ones are most essential? What ones might serve as follow-up questions?  

3. Your questions can be written in the form of an outline/bullet points.  

4. Compose an initial post of 300-400 words responding to the above prompts