Leadership Training: Gear Shifting in Action (Video Blog)

Bill Stinnett, Ph.D (L.E.T. Master Trainer) demonstrates the concept of “Shifting Gears” within communication between two people. “Shifting Gears” is a skill taught in all Gordon Model workshops, and it’s where the sender (or the confronter) of the I-Message shifts into Active Listening. The likelihood that the confrontee will hear the confronter’s needs/problem that was expressed in the I-Message, and change their behavior is much greater if the confronter Active Listens to the confrontee’s upset/reaction. This in turns lowers the confrontee’s “emotional temperature” and increases their ability to problem solve – which is a central focus of effective leadership training.