Fiona Prince
More than Talk – Unraveling Crossed Lines of Communication
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“Once you’ve built a relationship communication is only seven percent words – without a relationship (and without being face-to-face) e-mails are 100 percent words. The possibility of being misunderstood becomes greater and jokes can backfire.” Fiona is describing one of the Eight Terrible Truths About Communication that you can learn in her seminar of the same name. The nuances of e-mail etiquette are numerous enough to merit a seminar of its own.
Fiona Prince began her professional life after completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. Fiona came to her professional “aha” moment fairly quickly while working in both the public and private sectors. Without emotional conflict in film and theatre, you don’t have a story and it’s the same in the workplace. “Take a step back from the emotions (that cause conflict) and you’re left with a calm space to analyze why a conflict or miscommunications have occurred; breathing room is created and messages can be heard,” says Fiona.
Fiona’s perspective was noticed while working at BC Systems Corporation Information Technology and Management Library. She was asked if she’d share her communications skills through their Wellness Program and Theatre for the Workplace program was born. Fiona used improvisation and other acting techniques to teach communications and personal development skills to everyone from management to support. Workshop participants reported greater success meeting work goals and reducing stress levels.
In the meantime, her manager decided that her group could operate as a self-managed team if they had some workshops and tools to guide them.
Folks of a certain age will remember the popularity of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It officially entered Fiona’s life as part of the team-building package. With it the various personalities found a common language. Once the team’s temperament types were understood they realized that “flaws” could be strengths in the right situation.
Fiona moved on to become the Communications Manager with BC Buildings Corporations (BCBC) but knew she still wanted to formalize her communications knowledge and experience. The Royal Roads University program appealed to her since it would provide a solid basis to move into more leadership roles. With her Masters in hand, Fiona launched PrinceHeron Communications and left BCBC on the best of terms.
I ask if her coursework offered her anything new. “Absolutely, for example, my workshops are based on how we absorb information. Television has trained us to absorb information in ten to twelve minute chunks. As a result, I talk for ten minutes then break the group into teams of two or more so they can share their synopsis with each other.”
Fiona wasn’t done with upgrading her credentials. She wanted to add to PrinceHeron Communications knowledge base by incorporating temperament sorting, so in 2007 she added Keirsey Temperament Certification to her credentials. Her newest workshop is Team-Building with Temperament. This one is catching on fast as both previous and new clients discover its usefulness. It’s a pain-free method for understanding family dynamics at your next reunion as well as coworkers strengths and differences when managing projects. For more information on temperament theory see www.keirsey.com.
Quite surprisingly, given her theatre training, Fiona limits role-playing to one workshop only. “For most people role-playing is terrifying. I don’t even videotape Train the Trainer participants. I tell them not to get hung up on the occasional uhm or ahh – just remember the information that you came to share as an expert and your audience will be happy to remain with you.”
“Of course there are different levels of training,” Fiona continues. “I find out who I’m giving the workshop to and tailor it to them. Often I’ll come to a group that has been training in communications techniques for quite a while. On the other hand a writing workshop might involve a group that hasn’t had anything to do with writing since their formal school days and will require a different approach. That’s why it’s important for me to connect with the participants before the workshop through e-mails or phone calls.”
Coaching, communications planning, training and workshops are all part of the joy of being an independent communications consultant. Fiona enjoys a variety of projects to match her growing skills and interests and gets a lot of pleasure from tailoring information delivery for her clients. Her popular workshops include: Eight Terrible Truths About Communications, Train the Trainer: How to Teach Anyone Anything, and Writing for Your Customers, Contact Centre Excellence and Helpdesk Excellence.
For those of you who continue to see your workplace as a stage and you an actor in it, Fiona still offers Theatre in the Workplace. In the meantime remember these words of wisdom from Fiona, “Miscommunications are inevitable. The more communication tools we have to overcome them the quicker we can get back to work.”
Written by: Gabriole Wilson
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