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Personal Communication Plan—Section 1

Save this template now to your own files!
Do this now to ensure you do not lose any work.
Remember, in each section you will add another portion of the template to your plan.

Welcome to your Personal Communication Plan!

We’ve designed this plan to help you explore your inclusive communication approach, where your
strengths are, and where you want to focus your efforts. Consider this part of the course as time and space
to reflect on how the content applies to your own life. Using guided questions and discussion insights
from the community, you will develop and refine your plan and work toward developing your ability to
communicate effectively and inclusively.

Think of this plan as a “work in progress.” Answer the questions as fully as you canyou will have
additional opportunities to review and refine each section. The plan is designed to grow with you
both during and after the course.

Note: You will not be required to share this plan at the end of the course. There will be opportunities to
voluntarily share parts of it on the discussion board.

Instructions:

1. Go to File and Save As. Save this document to your own files.
2. Read the introduction and answer the following questions.

Let’s get started!

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Section 1: Communicating Effectively With Empowerment

SELF-REFLECTION EFFECTIVE AND EMPOWERED COMMUNICATION

Let’s start by taking a look at your communication skills. The essentials of effective and empowered
communication are described below. Rate each according to how often you engage in the behavior. What
are your strengths? What are your areas of growth?

Table 1. Understanding Your Audience, Including Cultural Differences

Empowering communication behavior Usually Sometimes Rarely
When communicating with someone who x
is different from me, I pay attention to
cultural differences that can affect our
interaction (e.g., differences in language,
time zones, expression of emotion).
I make a determined effort to understand X
the experiences and needs of the people I
am communicating with.
I try to find the best form of X
communication with others (e.g., email,
social media, group conversation, one-on-
one dialogue), considering the pros and
cons of each form, as well as the goals of
the interaction.
Totals 2 1

Table 2. Paying Attention to Non-Verbal Communication

Empowering communication behavior Usually Sometimes Rarely
I am attentive to my non-verbal X
communication (e.g., facial expressions,
body language), not just my words.
I create space for others to participate in x
a conversation, and I am not afraid of
silence.
When interacting with others in person, I x
face them directly and make eye contact
as culturally appropriate.
Totals 1 1 1

Table 3. Engaging in Learning and Self-Reflection

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Empowering communication behavior Usually Sometimes Rarely

In difficult conversations, I seek to x
understand before being understood.
I invite and encourage feedback to learn X
about how my way of communicating
affects others.
In social media interactions, I pause X
before I press send.
Totals 2 1

Table 4. Allowing Others to Feel Included, Heard, and Valued

Empowering communication behavior Usually Sometimes Rarely
When confronted with different opinions, x
I accept that being understood does not
require being agreed with.
I listen to others with an open mind to X
ensure they feel heard and appreciated.
When someone comes to me with a x
problem, I encourage them to find a
solution that works best for their
situation (and I resist telling them what
to do).
Totals 2 1

Identifying Your Areas of Growth

In which of the above empowering communication behaviors did you most often score “Rarely”?

__ Understanding your audience, including cultural differences

_x_ Paying attention to non-verbal communication

_x_ Engaging in learning and self-reflection

__ Allowing others to feel included, heard, and valued

Identifying Your Areas of Strength

In which of the above empowering communication behaviors did you most often score “Usually”?

__ Understanding your audience, including cultural differences

__ Paying attention to non-verbal communication

__ Engaging in learning and self-reflection

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_x_ Allowing others to feel included, heard, and valued

Congratulations! These are your Areas of Growth and Areas of Strength.

EMPOWERMENT IN EVERYDAY LIFE: STARTING YOUR COMMUNICATION

PLAN

Select two areas that you most want to work on.

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Personal Communication Plan—Section 2

Copy the Section 2 material now and paste it into the Personal Communication Plan file you started
in Section 1.
Do this now to ensure you do not lose any work.
Remember, in each section you will add another portion of the template to your plan.

Welcome back to your Personal Communication Plan!

Think of this plan as a “work in progress.” Answer the questions as fully as you canyou will have
additional opportunities to review and refine each section. The plan is designed to grow with you both
during and after the course.

Note: You will not be required to share this plan at the end of the course. There will be opportunities to
voluntarily share parts of it on the discussion board.

Instructions:

1. Open the Personal Communication Plan document you saved into your own files in Section 1.
2. Select and Copy all the text from Section 2, below.
3. Paste the text to the end of the Personal Communication Plan document you saved into your own
files during Section 1.
4. Read the introduction and answer the following questions.

Let’s get started!

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Section 2: Courage is Contagious

In this section, we’re looking at how you can use courageous communication to move from exclusion to
inclusion.

Continuing Your Personal Communication Plan

This section, we learned that courage is a powerful tool that is necessary for inclusive leadership. In the
context of inclusive communication, courage involves:

 Stepping outside your comfort zone to engage with people who may be different from you.
 Finding strength to speak up about difficult issues.
 Embracing fear as a guidepost to think or act differently.

Now, let’s take a look at courage in your communication. What is working and what is not? Rate your
communication skills below.

SELF-REFLECTIONYOUR COURAGEOUS COMMUNICATION

Table 1. Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

Courageous communication behavior Usually Sometimes Rarely /Never
I seek opportunities to step out of my comfort zone to x
engage with others who may be different from me.
I am open to perspectives that are different from my x
own.
I go above and beyond to learn about the experiences x
of those who may be different from me.
People in my life know me as someone who is good at x
understanding what someone else is feeling.
Totals 2 1 1

Table 2. Finding Strength to Speak Up

Courageous communication behavior Usually Sometimes Rarely
I am known for encouraging individuals in my life to x
speak up or take action when confronted with
difficult situations, inequity, or injustice
When I hear disrespectful jokes or comments, I make x
an effort to speak up.
When I share difficult feedback, I use “I” and “We” x

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statements and not “You” to avoid blame or

misinterpretation of intent.
I provide clear, honest feedback to others in a timely x
manner.
Totals 0 2 2

Table 3: Embracing Fear

Courageous communication behavior Usually Sometimes Rarely
I listen to negative feedback as an opportunity to X
learn and grow.
In uncomfortable situations, I help others connect by X
finding common ground.
When I start feeling emotional, I take a breath before X
I speak.
When I don’t understand something, I ask questions X
first, even if I feel afraid or vulnerable.
Totals 1 3

1. List two of the courageous communication behaviors from the checklist above that you would like to
focus on during this course and in the future.

Take a break before I speak, help others by finding common goals.

2. Why did you choose those two courageous communication behaviors for improvement and
development?

Porque ayudan a pensar antes de actuar, lo que tiene mas posibilidades para llegar a un possible acuerdo.

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COURAGEOUS COMMUNICATION IN EVERYDAY LIFE

1. Think of a time when you had an interaction in your targeted area of growth that did not go as
expected, and you wish you had done something different.
a. Describe the situation.

b. How could courage have helped you be more effective and inclusive? (For example,
understanding the perspective of someone who is different from you or speaking up when
others in your team are silent)?

Entender el punto de vista de la otra persona, buscar un punto en común y no hablar de mí para
escucharme mas humilde.

c. Which area of growth or area of strength would help you if you were in this situation
again?
Embracing fear

2. Describe a time when you think you were courageousor when you were not and could have
been? What did you learn?

Further Reflection

At some point in our lives, most of us find ourselves with something that is difficult to communicate to
those in our lives. What is something about yourself that you have found difficult to share with others?
Have you had conversations with courage to open up and share that part of yourself? How did you
approach that communication, and how was it received? If you are comfortable, share this with the group.

1. What will effective communication look like to you in these areas? Where are you successful?
Where are you falling short?

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me gustaria trabajar en escuchar a los demas y hacerlos sentir parte de. Es importante preguntarles en
cada momento su opinión, hacerles sentir a los demás que ellos tienen la respuesta, buscar soluciones
entre las personas involucradas en lugar de dar ordenes.

Aún estoy trabajando en estos puntos que son áreas de oportunidad para mi y que me han ayudado a
obtener resultados. Aun me falta mucho trabajo en hacer este ejercicio mas seguido y con más personas.
No solo la gente que depende de mí, sino también compañeros y jefes.

2. What is another area of growth or strength not captured in the self-reflection exercise that you
would like to work on to enhance your communication skills?
Tomar en cuenta mi tono al momento de hablar, asi como tambien mirar fijamente a las personas
en el momento de hablar para hacerles sentir la importancia de lo que quiero comunicar.

3. Why did you choose these areas of growth?

Son las areas que pienso que dan un mayor resultado para ser un inclusive leader.

4. How does this form of communication help people in an area your life (family, friends,
community, or workplace) feel empowered? Can you improve upon that?

Hacerlos sentir importante es prioridad para acaparar la atención de la gente y obtener los
resultados que deseas obtener a través de ellos.

Section 3: Listening Is Communicating, Too. Communicating

With Humility
In this section, we focus on how to demonstrate humility in your communication through humble
listening.

REFINE YOUR PERSONAL COMMUNICATION PLAN

This section, let’s take a look at humble listening in your communications. What is working and what is
not? Rate your humble communications skills below:

Table 1: Self-Reflection: Your Humble Listening

Humble listening behaviors Usually Sometimes Rarely
I give encouraging body language signals (for x
example, nodding my head or smiling) to let
people know I am listening.
I use communication strategies such as x
asking open-ended questions or paraphrasing
to show I am listening and understanding.
I pause and put my own opinions aside in X

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order to listen fully.

I attend to other people with empathy, trying X
to understand their perspectives
I seek to create a safe space where people feel X
comfortable sharing and engaging with me.
When listening, I am present and engaged, X
resisting the urge to multitask or think about
what I want to say next.
I use humble listening behaviors when X
communicating from distance, such as in
written communication like email, social
media, and in texting and on the phone.
I attend to the words that are being said as X
well as how they are being said to understand
other points of view.
I am willing to be vulnerable, to admit when I X
do not fully understand, and to seek other
perspectives when listening.

1. List two humble listening behaviors from the checklist above you would like to focus on during
this course and in the future.

Listening without multitasking or thinking about what to say next. And paraphrasing the other
person’s ideas in order to fully understand

2. Why did you choose those two humble listening behaviors for improvement and development?

HUMBLE LISTENING IN EVERYDAY LIFE

1. Describe a conversation either on the phone, online, or face-to-face where you used humble
listening behaviors or saw someone else using them.
a. How did you see or experience humility being used as a tool in that interaction to make
the communication more effective?

Understand what the other person was trying to say, telling the other person he is right.

b. What elements of humble listening did you observe or practice that you would like to
replicate?

c. Looking back, what might have been done differently?

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2. Describe a conversation either on the phone, online, or face-to-face where you did not use humble
listening behaviors but in hindsight wish you had. Which behavior do you think would have
helped the situation and why? Which area of growth or area of strength would help you if you
were in this situation again?

Further Reflection

What humble listening behaviors do you want to develop? Create a plan to strengthen those behaviors.
Identify which of the behaviors on the checklist are your greatest strengths. What is one action you can
take to increase the impact of your communication using humble listening to create understanding and
connection?

Section 4: Wrapping UpAccountability and Putting It All

Together
In this section, we focus on accountability—holding yourself and others responsible for inclusive
communication.

REFINE YOUR PERSONAL COMMUNICATION PLAN

This section, let’s take a look at accountability in your communications. What is working and what is not
in terms of how you hold yourself and others accountable? Rate your accountability in the
communications skills below.

Table 1: Self-Reflection: Accountability

Accountability behaviors Usually Sometimes Rarely
I consciously choose to believe an individual is x
acting and speaking to the best of his or her
ability.
I try not to assume one person is “right” and x
one person is “wrong.”
I listen to criticism and differences without x
feeling threatened or defensive.
I hold others accountable for communicating x
inclusively, through role modeling behaviors,
setting clear expectations, and speaking up
even in difficult situations.
I encourage other people to use inclusive x

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communication.
I ask others to be responsible for improving x
their communication skills.
I seek to embody the inclusive leadership x
mindset of empowerment, accountability,
courage, and humility in all of my
communications.
I accept that I will not get it right all of the x
time, but remain committed to continual
growth and improvement.
Even though they are difficult to face, I x
welcome setbacks as opportunities to learn.

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1. List two accountability behaviors from the checklist above that you would like to focus on during
this course and in the future.

2. Why did you choose those two behaviors for improvement and development?

ACCOUNTABILITY IN EVERYDAY LIFE: FINALIZE YOUR PERSONAL

COMMUNICATION PLAN

Review, reflect, and revise work done in Sections 1-4.

1. Using EACH, list solutions to improving the two communication forms you identified to
improve. What will you do to hold yourself accountable for continued practice and improvement?

Effective communication involves all of us. Even in the most challenging situations, we can be inclusive
communicators in small yet powerful ways. By doing so, we create ripple effects in unexpected ways that
bring out the best in ourselves and otherswith friends and families, and in communities and workplaces.

We must use our voice and actions to create a safe environment for open and authentic sharing, be willing
to understand different perspectives, speak up to fuel positive action, engage in humble listening, and
hold ourselves and others responsible even when confronting setbacks. And ultimately, we can make a
difference.

2. What action would you like to take—now, next month, or in the next six months—toward
becoming an inclusive and effective communicator and changing how you communicate to the
world?

YOUR COMMITMENT—USE YOUR VOICE TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

 Video: Go high-end if you have the access! Or keep it simple and use a webcam or smartphone to
record your personal commitment. Post it to your YouTube channel and then post the link and
share on our Facebook group

 Photo: Write your commitment on a sign and take a picture of yourself holding your sign (make
sure we can read it). Post to your social media and to our Facebook group.

 Written statement: Post your statement to the Discussion Board and/or Facebook group.

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Outline your public commitment to action in writing below. Then decide how you are going to share
it! An op-ed, a poster, a Facebook post, a tweet, a graphic meme. Be creative!

I commit to:

Now return to the Course for sharing options and instructions.

Congratulations!
You should be proud of creating this Personal Communication Plan.

Come back to it whenever you want to work further

on your inclusive and effective communication skills

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