Resources - Communication and Relationships

Just Because You Can Preach Doesn’t Make You a Communicator

A Q & A interview with communication scholar Maria Dixon Hall examines where church communications are failing and how they can be improved.

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10 Steps to Stronger Nonprofit Communications

Marketing and communications consultant Jill Rasmussen provides strategies for more effective nonprofit communications.

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Examples of Organizational Communication Networks

This quick article from the online version of the Houston Chronicle describes four different types of organizational communication networks.

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Organizational Communication chapter – open source book on communication studies

Learn key concepts in organizational communication from this chapter in Survey of Communication Study in Wikibooks.

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What is Organizational Communication?

A 17-minute video by Matt Koschmann, a communications professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, introduces the basics of organizational communication.

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Discover Your Spiritual Type: A Guide to Individual and Congregational Growth

Corinne Ware’s 156-page book, Discover Your Spiritual Type, provides a framework for people to articulate their spiritual experiences; clergy may find it helpful in understanding and resolving conflict around liturgy and worship.

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Nonviolent Communication Techniques

An introduction to communication techniques for transforming potential conflicts into peaceful dialogues, from the Center for Nonviolent Communication, San Francisco.

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Learning While Leading: Increasing Your Effectiveness in Ministry

An adjunct professor at Andover Newton Theological School explores difficult church dynamics using the tools of Action Science.

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Pastoral Leadership: How to Develop Leaders and Motivate Your Team

Downloadable PDF of a MS PowerPoint presentation on developing leadership capacities in yourself and others; it also describes the benefits of gathering 360º feedback.

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Pygmalion Effect Training Activity

A case study approach to discussing expectations and their repercussions as a group, available free online from CRM Learning.

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Leadership and Expectations: Pygmalion Effects and Other Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in Organizations

This 1992 scientific paper details how self-fulfilling prophecies work in the management of industrial, sales, and military organizations.

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Use the Pygmalion Effect to Create a High Performing Team

A leadership coach describes how your expectations shape the performance and development of the people you lead.

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The Pygmalion Effect and the Power of Positive Expectations

Free six-minute video explaining how your initial perceptions and expectations of others can greatly impact the performance of the group.

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Personality Type in Congregations: How to Work With Others More Effectively

Teacher, consultant, and Presbyterian minister Lynne M. Baab explores how church leaders can effectively use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

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