George Bernard Shaw was definitely on to something when he concluded “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Miscommunication is at the root of many problems within organizations. Far too often, messages get lost or distorted due to ‘noise’ in the communication channels, failure to listen effectively, a lack of trust between parties or a conspiracy of politeness where folks talk around the issue instead of addressing it directly.

UTDS clients have the opportunity to benefit from a menu of communication tools including but not limited to attentive listening, models for difficult conversations and strategies for engaging in constructive conflict resolution. Leaders from across the Caribbean who have been exposed to these tools have almost unanimously described the skills as the most valuable and impactful in terms of improving their performance, both on the job and in their personal lives.