U.S. WIN Professional Development Workshop – Communicating with Social Intelligence

On July 31st, over 90 U.S. WIN members participated in the Communicating with Social Intelligence professional development workshop at the U.S. WIN national conference in Chicago. Dr. David Minionis led the group through an interactive workshop which combined presentations, videos, practical advice, and hands-on activities. Participants learned about the four different types of communicators (investigator, implementer, innovator, and inter-relator) and how to ‘hunch’ other people, or figure out what type of communicator they are, then apply communication tips and best practices based on those ‘hunches’.

It was a full house at the Professional Development Workshop!

 
Dr. Minionis made ‘hunching’ easier by sharing information on each type of communicator and video clips from the show “Friends”, video clips, and even an awesome original music video. Activities got people up and moving around as we identified as dog/cat people and then learned how something that simple influences our perceptions of people and how we interact. One of the group activities even had participants ‘hunching’ superheroes, politicians, and TV characters. Using the variety of examples and activities really helped with identifying communication styles in a fun and memorable way.

U.S. WIN members learning social intelligence

 
Prior to attending the workshop, participants were given the opportunity to get a personalized communication profile incorporating survey feedback from others. The individual profile identified which type of communicator people think you are and then provided practical advice that could be used to work on improving and adapting the communication style. Feedback from attendees was they found these profiles to be very helpful for identifying ways to improve communications. There were even some ‘aha moments’ for some individuals as they learned they were a different style of communicator than they thought. Participants took home their individual profile and a workbook with the workshop activities and step by step guidelines for improving communication and relationships. It was a great opportunity for everyone who attended to focus on professional development in a fun and meaningful way.