Standing Ovation to Diverse Learning Communities

Would you agree that tone tools can create goodwill and amp up any learning community? I’m referring to the body language of communication here – the tone tools that bring a smile of inclusion or adds a snub of rejection. Tone benefits embody the warmth of thanks, while its lack chills learning – through sneers and criticism.

Not surprisingly, good tone tools help you to articulate problems with solutions in mind, yet how often do we encounter or engage poor tone that vents about the impossibilities?

Would your tone tactics turn gunners into givers?

It’s a bit like tone tactics that bring a standing ovation of sorts to many different people who learn from and celebrate counterpoints.  It’s the quality crafted by people who welcome nuances, value opposing views, and transform broken pieces into innovations that soar because of diverse talents.

Good news is that human brains rewire for new possibilities each time tone steps us into the direction of solutions.  I’m speaking of that human gateway into multiple possibilities from high-performing minds. It doesn’t always happen though.

Poor tone sometimes pops up out of nowhere, and tends to marginalize many fine voices, and allows space for far fewer skills, to the detriment of performance. Have you seen it?

Bully or builder?

Research now sheds light on why some people tend toward a bully’s tone.  The skinny? Simply use good tone skills to improve mental dividends from wider differences, and watch bullying lose its grip. Oh – and expect good tone to bring out multiple intelligences from you and your team.

How so?

Communicate shared goals and tone fuels possibilities for action in the following ways:

1. Tone moves people to reflect on  growth opportunities, as opposed to blaming others or engaging self-pity.

2. Tone looks beyond cynicism in favor of developing talents to communicate solutions.

3. Tone guides people to learn from opposing views on even the most controversial topics.

4. Tone can change like a chameleon when people face stress, fight exhaustion, or fall ill.

5. Tone turns disagreement into growth opportunities with opponents.

6. Tone is the body language of online communication.

Test your tone in this brief survey

Each item relates to either effective or ineffective tone tactics:

1. Do you speak and feel heard daily?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

2. Do you laugh with peers?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

3. Do you avoid negative people during learning breaks?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

4. Do you refuse to take offense in teams?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

5. Do you refrain from pointing out others mistakes?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

6. Have you resolved a key conflict to benefit others, in the last month?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

7. Do you propose doable solutions to problems you and others face?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

8. Would team members see you as reflective?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

9. Do you remain calm in stressful situations?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

10. Do you recognize and inspire good tone even if others do not?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

11. Do you prevent stressors from invading your day?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

12. Would others say that you value their different offerings?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

13. Do you learn from people who disagree with you, and let them know?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

14. When disagreements arise, do you avoid personal attacks?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

15. Do you welcome people who differ widely from your views?

a. Mostly _____
b. About 50% _____
c. About 25% _____
d. rarely _____

Analyze your tone score below

Your survey results will show where tone IQ is strongest and suggest where to grow tone skills for awesome communication that benefits diverse assets.

Scores are valued as follows:

A = 10
B = 8
C = 6
D = 4

With the above values in mind, calculate how many points you have for each.

A = _____
B = _____
C = _____
D = _____

Then add your 15 scores.

A score from 150 to 121 means:

You use highly effective tone skills in most communication areas. Your beliefs and practices often empower excellence in yourself and others. You tend to operate from a well developed intrapersonal intelligence, which means you possess a strong self-worth and a willingness to support other workers. If you scored near the top of this figure – expect higher grades and awesome learning adventures – with benefits that prosper you and help others through effective communication.

A score from 120 to 91 means:

You use some tone strategies in several communication areas, with reasonable skill. Your beliefs and practices at times empower strengths in yourself and in others. You tend to operate from a fairly well-developed intrapersonal intelligence, which means you possess adequate self-worth, and sometimes show willingness to support others. If you scored near the top of this figure, you could also be in a position to develop quite well received leadership and tone skills for adequate communication.

A score from 90 to 61 means:

You occasionally use good tone skills but need to work on ways to develop strengths in yourself and recognize the same in others. Rather than blame others for problems you encounter for instance, this score indicates that you’ll want to reflect more to ratchet up communication skills that tap into diverse talents for successful outcomes, especially when you are prone to feel frustrated or to give up.  At this point you are likely to find yourself passed over for cool ventures that often go to those with stronger tone skills. Fortunately though, since tone skills are learned through practice, you need not stay at this lower score for long.

A score from 61 and below 61 means:

You likely will need a strong support system to help you develop strengths as you begin to demonstrate new tone skills. Heads up though – you can do it! You could be slipping into stress that shuts down your communication, and that problem may be working against your brain’s ability to use good tone. Why not start on a new path, by deliberately showing how you learn from people who disagree, while avoiding negative peers who stay more in problems than others who look for solutions. It’s possible that you’ll want to adjust your daily diet, alter sleep and exercise habits and find ways to decrease cortisol chemicals as well as increase serotonin intake.

A story exists of barbs and flame wars among engineers locked in disjointed communication – tainted the process, stopped listening and stopped learning, as shared by Peter Koestenbaum in his book, Leadership: The Inner Side of Greatness:

“As engineers, we viewed our lack of teamwork and cooperation as a problem, and engineers are taught that problems have solutions. In the world of construction, they do have solutions: here is the formula, and the structure either stands or falls. But we now understand that thinking of people as if they were objects is fundamentally wrong. We knew that in theory, but we did not understand it in practice. It leads to distortions and ends in failure.

Instead of attempting to go from problem to solution, and then failing, we changed our language. Now we say we have pain, not a problem, and then we talk about the pain. The problem was not the disagreement but how we handled it, how we spoke to each other, and the emotions we allowed to rise within us as a result of improper communication. Now we say, “I feel, I understand,” rather than “You are” and “You believe.” We communicate, we speak, we listen; we try to seethe other person’s point of view. We establish relations. We accept that we feel good or bad about each other. We learn, and the result is that our perception of the problem shifts: the energy has left the problem; the pain has diminished. We cannot explain it, but we like it.

We call that growth. Rather than going from problem to solution, we go from pain through dialogue to growth. We grow as persons, as managers, as executives, as human beings. We treat each other better. We are more willing to make compromises. It is not how we behave that matters, it is the character and maturity of our souls—the heart behind those actions—that come through and are convincing. The bottom line is that productivity has increased significantly, not to speak of the healthier atmosphere around the workplace.”

Do you see a tone solution to problems that can trip up your day?

You may also be interested in additional tone related resources at my TPT site.

Related tool: Yearly planner with brain boosters and prompts to reboot your brain so that you tap and develop hidden and unused capabilities.

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Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset