Less Chatter, More Matter: The Communications Podcast

#83 How movement helps communications (ft. Lisa Partridge)

September 04, 2024 • Mel Loy • Season 1 • Episode 83

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If we told you that taking your stakeholders for a walk could drastically improve your stakeholder relationships.... would you, a) believe us and b) want to immediately know more about how to apply this?

We're fairly sure it's a mix of both a and b, but luckily, the latest episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast features the brilliant Lisa Partridge from Sixcomms - a.k.a. the creator of the "Walk and Talk" method.

On this episode, we dive head first into the importance of active and attentive listening skills in supporting stakeholder relationships, alongside how this plays a part in the six C's of effective communication. We discuss how genuine listening fosters connection, enhances curiosity, and assists in asking meaningful questions, alongside how you can do this out and about in nature or other ways that don't involve a board room.

So, listen in to find out how to walk your talk... preferably in a beautiful park in Singapore!

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Mel:

What if a simple change of scenery could make all the difference with your stakeholder relationships? Well, what if by getting away from the desk and out into nature, we could communicate more authentically? The good news is you can, and the better news is it works. Today's guest on the podcast decided to take a gamble and experiment on a new way of building relationships and connections. And it's literally been a walk in the park. Lisa Partridge is a highly experienced communication skills specialist and facilitator. In 2009, she moved to Singapore from the UK and was a training consultant with the British Council Professional Development Centre for 11 years before she founded her business, Sixcoms. In the name Sixcoms, the six C's signify Lisa's core belief in the six essential elements of becoming a proficient communicator. And we talk about that in today's podcast. You'll get to learn all about those six C's. And these are the principles that underpin her approach to helping individuals and groups unlock their full communication potential through her online and in person workshops. Now to delve deeper into the significance of her six C's, Lisa invites guests from around the globe onto her podcast and together they explore the multifaceted aspects of effective communication equipped with the latest tools and techniques. Now not content with just digital connections, Lisa started hosting a walk and talk group. She invited like minded individuals to join her in exploring the parks of Singapore. And this simple idea blossomed into a thriving walk and talk community boasting over 100 members. The group offers a refreshing departure from traditional indoor networking events. And walkers come curious and leave connected. In my chat with Lisa, she shares her journey on setting up the walk and talk community and how it's helped her expand her network, forge deeper relationships, and communicate more authentically with others. And she shares her tips on how you can bring this practice into your Teams comms as well. So without further ado, here's Lisa. Hi, Lisa. Welcome to the show.

Lisa:

Hi, Mel. Lovely to see you.

Mel:

Lovely to see you too. So before we get stuck into today's topic, tell us a little bit about you. What do you do and how did you come to develop your expertise in that space?

Lisa:

So I am calling myself, I call myself a number of things and this changes over time, but at the moment I'm sticking with communication specialist and facilitator and podcast host.

Mel:

You are a jack of all trades, aren't you?

Lisa:

And a host of a walk and talk community, shall we go on? Yeah, it's a... it's a good mix of different things, but I would say the umbrella topic that ties it all together is really around communication and how to elevate that communication with yourself and with others. And really, I found that I keep coming back to my, uh, word, one of my words that I use, um, that is the foundation of Sixcomms, the business, which is connection. So it's really creating those spaces where connection really flourishes and thrives and that might be through a podcast interview with someone, it could be when I'm online or in person facilitating a panel discussion, it could be when I'm facilitating a workshop and I'm trying to elevate skills, for example, giving and receiving feedback; um, and I suppose my background and how I've been able to um, elevate and hone this craft of training and facilitating, um, comes back to where I started out of university, which is teaching English as a foreign language. So that's kind of how I came into this, this world of facilitation. And then 15 years ago when I came to Singapore, I started working for the British Council Professional Development Centre, which then led me, not so much focusing on the language, but that did come into it, um, but more soft skills, interpersonal communication, um, and then the online world as a result of COVID as well. So, yeah.

Mel:

Oh, it sounds like your journey has taken you around the world, uh, but along the way you've developed, uh, and you refer to yourself in your six C's framework, could you tell us what those six C's are and why you think they're so important to effective communication?

Lisa:

Yeah, so, um, the six C's are basically words that I kind of, an afternoon... It's probably more than an afternoon, quite a few years, because I was, um, actually facilitating a workshop that I used to run, a public workshop, and that had a 6C format. It was a writing, uh, an editing, sorry, framework. And I thought, okay, if I have these six C's available to me now, what would they be? And this was like on the back of COVID and all what we went through. And so the first three, I kind of call them the human approach to communication, which is, um, connection, which I've already mentioned, uh, curiosity and compassion. And then the other three that are essential in written and spoken communication, in my opinion, is clarity, customisation and consistency. And so those have become those the six C's of effective communication and really the... the six values that a lot of my courses are designed around, a lot of how I show up in the room or online is really harking back to those six C's.

Mel:

Is there one or two of them that you think is most important to nail?

Lisa:

Um, I would say the first three, that the human approach, I find that, um, the human side of communication , quite a lot of the time is getting lost. Um, so I think definitely connection and curiosity are best friends, and, and you need that to access conversation, to, you know, get your point across. And the other thing I would say is all of those six C's are held up or underpinned by really good, active, attentive listening skills. So I would add that into the mix as well as being absolutely essential now that we are, you know, on different channels and switching between different channels. I think listening sometimes gets forgotten in the hustle culture, the ticking everything off the agenda culture that we kind of live in. So, just taking our time, sitting back, listening in or leaning forward a bit, but not saying very much and just really processing what someone has said, helps us to build that connection and is crucial for the curiosity piece, so get those nice open questions. And if you're not listening, then how do you know what to ask next?

Mel:

It's a good question. And I think when you've touched on something there, uh, and it probably comes into the curiosity piece as much as the listening is that, uh, often when we're talking to people, it's what they're not saying, that's kind of the real crux of the message or, you know, that people behaving in certain ways or saying certain things. Uh, you're wondering why that is. So, I mean, nobody wakes up in the morning. Well, I don't think anybody does. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, I'm just going to be an arsehole to that person at work today. Like, um, you know, there's usually a deeper reasons as to why people are saying and behaving in certain ways. And, uh, to your point, if you stay curious and really listen or take the moment to ask the question, like you said, Hey, is there something else going on? Maybe it could surprise you.

Lisa:

Yeah, and I often, I often say in my workshops that everyone has a backstory. You don't know what someone has lived, um, up to the point that you see them and that first time that you see them. So, yes, they might be looking maybe not so approachable that day. Maybe they've got a stern face, maybe, but, but noticing those nonverbal things and then taking the time. Um, bringing in my other C of, of, of that first section of three C's of the human approach. Compassion, you know, having that compassion to ask that question.

Mel:

Everybody comes with a story, and sometimes it just takes a few questions to figure out, you know, a little piece of that story. So, thank you for sharing that. So we've talked about a bit of the human side of communication, which kind of leads me to the next question. How did you get interested in the outdoor coaching that you do?

Lisa:

So that started very selfishly and actually for a human problem. Which was that myself, I was becoming very energy drained and a little frustrated and a little bit stressed out about the indoor networking events that I was going to. I knew I had to like build my network. Um, so I knew networking was part of that. But I was just finding that every time I came away from like an hour, or even in some cases two or three hour event, I just felt like I wasn't getting those really deep connections that I wanted. Good, solid, deep. trusting, connecting relationships. And so I was just finding I wasn't getting that. Um, plus the fact I wanted to really just exercise more regularly.

Mel:

Killed two birds with one stone. I like it. You're working smarter, not harder. I like it.

Lisa:

So I was like, okay, so what was I doing during COVID that I really enjoyed? And that was walking! I live by a reservoir and it takes about 40 minutes, 45 minutes to do a whole lap of the reservoir and I just started to invite people along and then I kind of thought, oh well instead of just going to the reservoir, maybe I could do it in different locations that would be more convenient for other people. So anyway, I started this and, and I really, it was just, just like for my own wellbeing. It was just to get that connection and that, that exercise regularly in. And one of my friends on one walk turned around to me in the middle of the walk and said, okay, Lisa, like, you've got this thing now. So what are you going to do with it? And at that point I just had a WhatsApp group with about five of us in, and I was just like, Oh, well, you know, if I get like 10 of us that are regularly walking and we're, we're exploring and getting to know Singapore a bit more than that will be fine. And then that genuinely was my intention. And then something else happened it became this thing. So I was like, okay. I, as an entrepreneur, want to get my face in front of potential clients. I want to build , a community that is connecting more authentically. And one of my C's is connection. So it fits into the brand.

Mel:

How have the sessions changed over that time as well? So obviously to start off with a bit of a, you know, go for a walk with a mate. Do you have a structure to them? How do they work?

Lisa:

Yeah. So, so at first it was just like, we're just going to chat and then just see where we end up. I hadn't really prepared a route. I was just kind of going with the flow. Um, So that's how it started off. But then once I'd made that conscious decision of making it a non negotiable and inviting as many people in and building a community, I then thought, okay, it needs a bit of structure. So I'm a workshop facilitator. So of course I thought, well, I bring those skills in to the walk and talk. So I then saw it as a mini workshop, like a taster workshop. So. At the beginning, we have a little time with a structure to introduce ourselves. So it might be, I use a love, learn, loathe structure. So I love to do this, I loathe this, or I'm learning at the moment. So there was a bit of structure around how people could introduce themselves, and then they could choose what they, they can choose what they wanted to share. Um, because I was really conscious that the networking events I was going to often put you on the spot and the more introverted types are like standing or sitting there waiting for their turn, feeling really, really nervous that they've got to like kind of do a mini pitch in like 60 seconds type situation, which I didn't ever want people to feel. So it's very. accessible and very like you choose what you want to share kind of spirit ethos.

Mel:

I love that. And I'm guessing being in that outdoor settings kind of encourages that more relaxed conversation too, right?

Lisa:

Absolutely. Yeah. Uh, everybody is more open and a lot more curious and yeah, just more comfortable being outside. Um, so we're never really stuck for conversation. That's never an issue. And that's what I found in indoor networking events. But in nature, it just, it just doesn't, even the silences don't feel silent because your senses are activated so much, all five senses, all of the time. So yeah, so we have the introduction and then I kind of give them an idea of like the, I don't like rules. I say this is the spirit of the group and these are some boundaries around it. So we, we walk as a group together. We, we go as fast as the slowest walker. So it's not like a test of fitness. It's just a stroll. So the point is the conversation and the connection. Um, I've also introduced a clipboard. So I now show up with my clipboard and a sign. Because I was, honestly, I was starting to get stray people showing up, like, that hadn't even registered. I've got like one of those faces, so I was like, but if I have a clipboard with a sign, it's very clear that this is what I'm here for. So I'm just checking off and just making a note of who's there. Um, and then, then we, we set off and I say, I don't need to put you into groups or anything because you'll naturally just gravitate, and make pairings or trios. It just happens as we walk. So it's, it's not forced. It's not icky. It's just natural. And then I'm on at the front and I lead the walk and around the halfway mark, we pause as a whole group. And I usually have a deck of like con, uh, question cards or, or some kind of visual or something to get people talking or reflecting, and then they can change partners and answer those questions together. Uh, and then 30 more minutes and we walk back. And honestly, the hour just goes so quick. Mm-Hmm, . It just goes like that. Um, and at the end we have a group photo and if we've got time, we might share what some of the conversations brought up, some of the answers to those questions. Um, and then the option is to join me for a quick drink of whatever you fancy, um, afterwards.

Mel:

So, um, We've talked, touched a little bit on this already... what have you found though are some of the communication benefits of getting outdoors and having these conversations? What have been some of the good outcomes out of this?

Lisa:

Yeah. So, I mean, like me, the more quieter types feel like they can connect with people in a more genuine way. Um, some of the more tangible kind of ripple effects, if you like, has been. Some people have actually connected afterwards. Um, they might have gone to a conference together. They might have met up separately. They might have even got business from it as a result. Um, yeah, it's just broadening the network. And it's just the physical and psychological and spiritual benefits. Um, a lot of the people, or the walkers, are entrepreneurs like me and they could be working just on their own or very small teams and they, they can sometimes feel quite disconnected and a bit isolated. And so this gives them that feeling of companionship and, um, you know, belonging to, to a group outside of themselves. And also. All of these walkers are from completely different walks of life. So, I mean, I literally, I should really start monitoring this a bit more, but there are so many different countries that people were born in and then relocated, um, to Singapore. It's, it's incredible. So, you know, you get that real cultural diversity of people and experience. So the age, age range is quite wide as well. So it's just that, that variety of experience that you can tap into.

Mel:

Hmm. I love this and I can see some real, um, application to even just the corporate world, right? Like when you bring teams together in a merger or restructure, you know, that whole idea of getting to know each other and, you know, having relationships that, um, you know, actually building those relationships and actually getting off on the right foot, no pun intended, but you know, having that opportunity to do that would be fantastic. Um, when the last couple of questions for you, what have you discovered or what might've surprised you as a result of these sessions?

Lisa:

The surprises have been, as I said, in the beginning, it really was a very casual thing that I started. But I am completely humbled and amazed at how popular it is. Which kind of proves to me that that genuine connection is something that people crave and they need. The connections and the similarities we have, even coming from the most diverse backgrounds.

Mel:

Yeah, that's really cool. And so let's say we have teams or businesses out there who might like to incorporate this technique into their own communication mix. Where would you suggest they get started?

Lisa:

Um, I think consistency is key with this. It's like creating that momentum. So having it on a particular day and time and fixing that or making it part of a routine that's really easy to keep. So for example, if you have a weekly team meeting on a Monday morning, then you incorporate maybe a walk at the end of that, or you begin with a walk and You have your, your normal team meeting afterwards and just giving people heads up. It doesn't have to be every week. It could be once a month if that's too much, but ensuring that it's as easily accessible as possible so that people don't have to think too much about it. So it's not, not too much of a, an energy drain. It's not, not just one other thing that you've got to plan for. So like have some lead time, you know. Have some notice, say, bring your trainers along, have the route already planned out so they don't have to think about that. Time it, it doesn't have to be an hour. It can be 20 minutes, even 15 minutes. It really does make a difference to you as a, as a team and how you can bond and, and, and converse with each other.

Mel:

Yeah, I love that. That's really good advice. So it's about making sure if it sounds like making sure it's something that is sustainable to do, uh, but also something that, you know, don't give up on too quickly either, you know, keep that... keep that pattern going, that momentum going. And your third point was really like, like with a lot of change, actually make it easy. I have one last question on this topic and it's a bit of a curiosity. Now, obviously you live in Singapore, very hot and humid. How do you convince people to go outside?

Lisa:

So, the timings in Singapore are such that, like the humidity as you say, you have to do it early in the morning, or in the evening when the sun goes down, or is starting to go down. So, my morning sweet spot, and this is through experimentation, I tried 7. 30, I would even go for 7am. But people don't like that, it's too early. So the sweet spot seems to be 8 o'clock, 8am, Really? And it's, it's still, it's still quite hot, but it's not too bad. Once you get into the summer, nine, 10 o'clock, then you're really getting into humidity. So eight o'clock to nine o'clock seems good. And then I've just started to do Wednesday evening walks because I have people that are in organisation that can't make a morning. So I do Wednesday evening twice a month and we start at 6pm and it starts getting dark around 7. 15. So I don't want to be walking in the dark. The six to seven gives me a good window of time.

Mel:

Okay. So Lisa, thank you so much for sharing all of your insights into what has been a really successful communication experiment by the sounds of things. I've got three questions that I ask every guest on the podcast. Are you ready for those? What's one of the best communication lessons you've ever learned and how did that change the way you approach communication?

Lisa:

Right, so years ago, I, um, was working in Germany and the first time I met the director of the school that I was going to work for gave me a handshake. And it was the worst handshake that I've ever had. And it has always stuck with me. So the lesson I have learned from that is make sure you have a good firm handshake and you look someone in the eye, okay, and first impressions really do count. So I, again, I had a manager much later who started his first meeting with the team with a load of PowerPoint slides without taking any time to connect with the people, okay, so the lesson with that is, Do spend time getting to know people as humans first before you bombard them with numbers and slides.

Mel:

I love that. Yes, and I'm sure that person put a lot of effort into those slides, but probably missed the most crucial thing, which as you say, is connection in the first place. So thank you for sharing those examples. What's one thing you wish people would do more of or less of when communicating?

Lisa:

I think the more of goes back to my, um, my first answer to your question about the six C's framework, the listening skills, the underpin all of those six C's. I would like people to just take the time to listen a bit more and be more present with each other. Because it's, it's those times that really mean a lot to the other person. Um, and that's where the connection is really formed. Um, yeah, and, and, and stop speaking so much. Like just stop.

Mel:

Just shut up. All right. No, it's a really good point. Like I am one of those people who will just talk and talk and talk. And it has been something I've had to learn is to shut up and listen. Right. Absolutely. It's a good lesson to learn. Thank you. And finally, who do you turn to for communication advice?

Lisa:

So the people that came to my mind were... Melanie Stoughton in Hong Kong, who was the co host for one of the seasons of my podcast. Yes. She's always great and she's always on the end of a voice note. So if I ever have like a communication challenge, I send her a quick voice note and within a few hours she will respond with some pearls of wisdom.

Mel:

What a woman.

Lisa:

The, uh, the other thing that, uh, But we really learned, and the same experience, was we had some amazing guests on that series. And we often refer back to those, um, tips that we got from that series. And one of the ladies on that series was called Jacqueline Cerin. She's based in KL and she does a lot of work around clean language that has really been helpful. Um, and she's always on the end of an email as well. My dad is the third and final person. My dad is an entrepreneur. He's recently officially retired. Can't believe it. He's had a business all kind of his working life. And when we were growing up and he is someone that I learned the importance of connection through just watching him and how he communicated with his clients. So yeah, I, if I've gotten a problem in terms of communication or even a business challenge. I turned to him for advice.

Mel:

Sounds like you've got an excellent role model there. And I totally agree with you in terms of podcast guests, you know, it's, it's a bit selfish in a way to run a podcast because you share the learning, but you learn so much yourself in the process, right? Like just pick everybody else's brains. I love it. Well, Lisa, thank you so much for joining us on less chatter, more matter today. How can people find out more about you and get in touch with you?

Lisa:

Yeah, so I'm very active on LinkedIn. So Lisa Partridge, you will find me there. I have a website, sixcomms.org - if you are in Singapore and you'd like to join the walk and talk community, then just go onto the website, and the events page has all of the upcoming walk and talks. Um, and I have a podcast as well. So you can find that through my website, sixcommspodcast. com.

Mel:

And it is a great podcast. I can recommend, uh, you've got quite a few series now, don't you? Seasons of the podcast. Yeah. So it's been going for a while. So there's loads of good stuff on there that people can mine into and learn from. We'll put all the links to, uh, Lisa's resources in the show notes as well. But for now, thanks so much, Lisa.

Lisa:

Thank you so much.. It's a pleasure.