Mission:
7
4 Stages of Communication
Approx Duration:
3 Min
The Four Stages of Communication
Note for Participants:
This short overview is meant to give you a quick introduction before our workshop. No need to study or memorize it—just read through once so you’re familiar with the idea. We’ll explore each stage in more detail together and practice strategies to strengthen them.
4 Stages
In our upcoming workshop, we’ll be digging into each of these stages of communication to better understand what’s happening and why. This will give you the chance to strengthen the areas where you most want or need to improve. For now, here’s a simple overview to get familiar with the flow of a conversation.
If we slow down and look closely at what’s happening in a conversation, we can see that it can generally be separated into four main stages.
Motivator Every conversation starts with a motivator—something that drives us to speak up. It might be a problem we need to solve, a change we want to see, or a goal we’re trying to reach. This is the “why” behind the conversation.
Action Once motivated, we take action by communicating. We share our message in the way we believe will work best, and we direct it to the person most likely to help us get the outcome we’re aiming for.
Listen After acting, we shift into listening. This is where we check how the other person responds—did the message land? Are things moving toward the outcome we hoped for?
Respond Finally, we respond or adjust based on what we hear. If the result isn’t what we needed, we try again, restate, or take a different approach.
These stages may repeat themselves until the original motivation is satisfied—or until one or both people stop engaging, often because of frustration, irritation, or exhaustion.
Feedback as a Separate Stage
Feedback is not part of the immediate back-and-forth. Instead, it usually comes later—whether minutes, weeks, or even years after the original conversation. Feedback focuses on how the initial action turned out and helps refine it.
Questions at this stage might include:
Did the person follow through?
Was it done effectively or not?
Do they fully understand, or do they need more clarity?
This stage gives us the opportunity to reinforce, correct, or fine-tune what began in the original exchange.
toolbox
worksheets:
quicksheets:
Hands Free Audio Option
Your Mission:
That’s it! Please bring your filled-out Ultimate Leader Worksheet with you to the workshop. We have everything else covered and will be providing a bound workbook/toolkit with reminders, resources, and worksheets during the session.
We look forward to seeing you all and building these essential skills together.
