Communication Skills for the Technology Pro

1. Communication Skills for the Technology Pro Your Secret to Advancement Kevin Kline - Principal Program Manager, SentryOne kkline@sentryone.com https://twitter.com/kekline https://linkedin.com/in/kekline

3. Free Resources • More training and education • Courses.SentryOne.comexpansive CBT program to learn all the ins and outs of the S1 product line. • Docs.SentryOne.com full product documentation. • SQLPerformance.com provides innovative and practical solutions for improving SQL Server performance. • SentryOne.com/Resources offers an inside look into the world of SentryOne with videos on query tuning and product demos, white papers, ebooks, case studies and tech briefs. • Blogs.SentryOne.com is where you can find all of our team members’ blogs as well as important information about the latest updates to SentryOne software, SQL Server and server performance issues.

4. Presenter • Kevin Kline • Principal Program Manager, SentryOne • https://www.sentryone.com/blog/author/kevin-kline • https://twitter.com/kekline • kkline@SentryOne.com • https://LinkedIn.com/in/kekline

5. Agenda • Self awareness • Communication Best Practices • The link between communication and leadership • Listeners • Outward communicators • Important analogies • Persuasion Techniques • Specific techniques to win influence • The Power of Storytelling • Wrap-up

6. Self Awareness • DISC: Free test at • http://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/ • Myers-Briggs: Free test at • http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

7. The Link Communication and Leadership • Good leaders practice skills in four broad categories: • Coaching • Facilitating good communications • Supporting change and ideas • Meeting team goals • Where are the technology skills?

8. [PD-106-S] Listener • Be “fully present”. Be respectful. • Good listening skills involve: • Acknowledging statements • Summarizing • Empathizing • Good questioning skills involve: • Getting the specifics • Seek fact vs. value. • Use open vs. closed questions. • Observing reaction • Ninja secret: Understand the power of silence!

9. [PD-106-S] Outward Communications • Strive for brevity. Value their time. Stay focused. • Remember – B.L.U.F. • Use the right channel: • IM / Slack / Teams – disposable, ephemeral • Email – archivable, historical • Call – lots of back-n-forth, lots of details/info to convey • Use relatable examples or analogies • Remember, you’re communicating even when you say nothing • Clothing – Posture – Demeanor – Eye contact -- Biases • Don’t be “that IT guy”. • Be patient with non-techies • Teach … with a positive attitude.

10. Happy Boss, or How Communicate Upwards • What is their motivation? Are they rational? • Demonstrate that you understand the business and what the business needs. What does the Boss need to be considered successful? • Be proactive, especially when communicating upward: • Learn how to brag the right way • Schedule written updates, even when they’re not required • Speak their language: • Are they a technologist? • Are they detail oriented? • What’s the common ground, opportunity for analogy, storytelling?

11. Important Analogies • The physic analogy: • The law of inertia says “An object at rest tends to …” • The law of momentum says “An object in motion tends to …” • The law of reciprocity • The banking analogy: • Political capital • Depreciation

12. Persuasion Techniques

13. Alliances Appealing up Consultation Call in a debt / favor Use the 8 Techniques for Direct influence • Rational Appeal • Intimidation • Inspirational Appeal • Flattery

14. [PD-106-S] Logical Appeals • Rational Appeal versus Intimidation • When and How? • When your audience is rational • Build a case of rational facts • Make a careful SWOT analysis • Use a proposal or “suggestion” format • Make a pitch and then explicitly follow-up

15. [PD-106-S] Emotional Appeals • Inspirational Appeal versus Flattery • When and How? • When your audience is motivated by values • Appeals to our “better selves” • Requires strong, in-person delivery • Make a pitch and then explicitly follow-up

16. [PD-106-S] Cooperative Appeals • Alliance | Consultation | Call in a debt / favor • When and how? • When your audience is similarly inclined • Recognize the transactional nature • Aim for “WIIFM” approach or “Doing well by doing good” • Appealing up • When and how? • Only in the face of serious obstacles • Recognize the potential for “paybacks”

17. The Power of Storytelling It applies to you, Technologist.

22. If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten. -Rudyard Kipling

23. Resources • http://www.ccl.org/leadership/index.aspx • My favorite leadership training organization • http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/tech-manager • Good on-line resource with lots of topical content and forums • http://www.sqlpass.org • Professional development vChapter

24. Summary • Self awareness. Know your strengths and weaknesses. • Remember the best practices • Persuasion: • 8 techniques in 3 categories logical, emotional, cooperative • Choose the technique that’s best for your audience • Good Storytelling – Memorable, Impactful, Personal (MIP) • Persuasive storytelling – Data/Facts + Emotions/Values

25. Q&A • Don’t forget to download Plan Explorer https://sentryone.com/plan-explorer, plus the Plan Explorer plug-in for ADS • Connect with me on social media - @kekline • Get more of my slides and scripts at https://sentryone.com/kkline • Get my white papers, ebooks, and videos at https://sentryone.com/resources • Talk to a SentryOne expert. Use our 3-Step process to solve your most difficult SQL Server performance issues! • Kevin Kline • kkline@sentryone.com • https://twitter.com/kekline