Professional Year Program Module 1: Communication for success

M1W2S2

Work Styles
Virtual Classroom
Pre-work

Work Styles Reader ✓

Video and questions: So what is DISC? ✓
Quiz: Discover your own work style ✓

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Session overview
Pitch an idea ✓
Work styles ✓
Your work style ✓
Adapting your work style ✓
Target your pitch ✓

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Virtual Classroom Part 1

What are our work styles? ✓

Activity: Unpack your work style ✓
Activity: Adapting your work style
✓

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What are our work styles?

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What are our work styles?
• Are any work styles more common
than others in the class?
• Were you aware of work styles
before commencing the pre-work?
• Are you surprised about the class
outcome or is it what you would
have thought?
• How would these results impact
the class dynamics or interaction?

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ACTIVITY - Unpack your work style

Part A: In your work style group, discuss and nominate representatives to

summarise:
• Your work style’s strengths in terms of communication and team work
• What you need to be consider when communicating or working in a team?
• How the traits on the handouts resonate with your team?

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Unpack your work style
Part B: A representative from each group will summarise the characteristics of
their work style & the group’s discussion.
Discuss the questions below:
• What do people with your style need to be aware of when interacting
with people with other styles?
• Do any of the traits for your work style resonate with you?
• Could some work styles clash? Could some work well together?
• What if there was a lot of one work style in a team, what would that
mean?
• Can you suggest reasons why knowing about work styles may be useful?

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Activity – Adapting your work style

1. Watch Andrew Denton

conduct an interview with
two famous musicians.
2. Observe how he adapts his
communication style to the
two guests.
3. What work styles do you
think the two guests are?

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Take
It’saTime
break
for a Break!
Activities – Group and individual

Activity: Pitch an idea ✓

Quiz: Work style scenarios ✓
Activity: Work style case study
✓

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ACTIVITY – Pitch an idea
Scenario: Your boss has decided that the department’s end-of-year party
will be a simple celebration held in the office, but you and some of your
colleagues would prefer something a little more exciting.

In small groups, develop a two minute skit that includes the pitch for your end
of year party idea that you will present to your boss.
• You have 10 minutes to create your pitch.
• The scene for the skit, whether it is a skype call, meeting or corridor
conversation, is up to your group to decide.
• All group members must have a role.
• In your pitch, be sure to include relevant details such as location,
entertainment, transport, food, budget etc.

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Moodle quiz - Work style scenarios

It’s time to apply your

knowledge of work styles by
reading through the
scenarios and completing the
multiple choice questions.

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Activity – Work style case study
Part A: You have 15 minutes to read through the case study in the
workbook. Then in pairs, discuss and answer the questions.
Part B: Discuss your responses as a class – answers on next slides.

1. What is each staff member’s work style: Results, Engagement, Process or

Support?
2. Which staff are more likely to find commonalities in their work styles?
3. Which staff are more likely to clash or have conflicts arise? Why?
4. Suggest to Sally how these clashes or conflicts may be managed or
alleviated?

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Virtual Classroom Part 2

Work style case study ✓

Target your pitch ✓

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ACTIVITY - Target your pitch
Part A: You have 15 minutes to revisit your party pitch.
• This time each group’s boss will be allocated a different work style
• Develop a new skit that communicates your idea in a way that appeals to
your boss’s work style
• Remember that everyone in the group must have a role in the skit.

Think about how the language of the

different roles will change now that
you know your boss’s work style.

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ACTIVITY - Target your pitch
Part B: Performance time!
Each group will now present both skits to
the class:
• Skit 1: the original version – pitch an
idea (2 minutes)
• Skit 2: the revised version – target
your pitch (2 minutes)

1. Briefly explain what changes you made and why.

2. Discuss as a class the effectiveness of the changes made.

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ACTIVITY – Reflect on your participation today
• What traits or behaviours did you display
when contributing to group discussions and
the two pitch activities?
• Do you think that you were effective as a
team player?
• What traits or behaviours would you like to
improve or enhance?
• What new traits or behaviours would you like
to adopt?

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 Key
Session summary
Got it!

I need some help

• How do you rate yourself for each?
• Do some more research or practice where you need to I don’t understand this

I now feel confident:

That my awareness of work styles has increased. ✓

In my understanding of work styles and how this can
assist with work relations and improve effectiveness ✓
About my own work style and that I’m able to adjust it ✓
when required

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