Communication Strategies & Influencing Techniques

Some statistics on communication telling us that it works better when meeting in person

Effective communication, among other things, helps us overcome organizational differences. They could be related to our corporate culture, how we accomplish tasks, define success, control information, control resources or any other tension between civil-military coordination stakeholders.

Any successful implementation of the UN-CMCoord tasks requires assertive communication, active listening and authentic non-verbal communication. The primary purpose of the spoken word is to convey knowledge, information, data, etc., whereas body language relays emotions, attitudes, feelings, thoughts etc. 

Although an impressive amount of coordination work and social interaction occurs today over the telephone, by email or social media, in-person meetings and, in particular, humanitarian negotiations require superb communication skills. UN-CMCoord officers are at the forefront of this.

There is rarely ‘one right way’ to communicate. Being an effective communicator varies dramatically from one culture to the other. Westerners often speak as literally and explicitly as possible. By contrast, in some Asian cultures, messages are often conveyed implicitly. The latter requires immense active listening skills.

As UN-CMCoord officers, we may be considered top-flight communicators in one context while simultaneously struggling with establishing trust and confidence in another. Self-awareness of our communication skills, including the non-verbal interaction with civil-military coordination stakeholders, becomes central to our work.

In "Elements of Influence: The art of getting others to follow your lead", Terry R. Bacon, describes rational, social and emotional ethical influencing techniques that we should all add to our toolbox. Mastering a variety of ethical influencing techniques will help UN-CMCoord Officers to effectively establish and maintain the most appropriate dialogue and interaction between the humanitarian community and military and other armed actors.