Positive Communication for Leaders: Proven Strategies for Inspiring Unity and Effecting Change

Positive Communication for Leaders provides a practical model of positive communication that will immediately inspire unity and influence change in organizations. Drawing on decades of research in the fields of communication and leadership and combined experience consulting and training leaders across many professions, Julien C. Mirivel and Alexander Lyon offer concrete practices and strategies to do what feels impossible: to lead effectively, create community, and inspire positive change.

Each chapter is built around a core skill that leaders must master. With practical examples, stories from practitioners, and meaningful exercises, leaders will learn to apply the skill one-on-one, in group contexts, and across the organization. The book gets to the heart of relationship-building, recognizes that positive relationships matter greatly, and provides a blueprint for leading positively and effectively. The many practical examples offered in the chapters will help novice and experienced leaders alike navigate hard conversations with confidence.

The ability to create and maintain positive relationships is a crucial aspect of leadership in any profession, both in past and present, and has become an imperative for those who lead. This book shows how to make time and space for quality connections and how to build better relationships. It is a must-have resource for new and experienced leaders alike.

This book features:

• Excerpts from interviews with experienced leaders across nonprofit, profit, and public sectors.
• Practical examples and case scenarios that illustrate how to communicate effectively.
• Concrete strategies, advice, and tips for leading difficult conversations and managing relationships effectively.
• Checklists in every chapter to assess your own leadership approach and set new goals.
• Learning boxes with meaningful exercises to apply your learning today.
• Opportunities to develop a communication plan for mastering the techniques and impacting the work now.

Julien C. Mirivel is professor of applied communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has served as director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence, as chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, and as associate dean and dean of the College of Social Sciences & Communication. He is the author of two books: The Art of Positive Communication: Theory and Practice and How Communication Scholars Think and Act: A Lifespan Perspective. He has delivered hundreds of presentations with clients such as Heifer International, Garver Engineering, Mount Royal University, University of Michigan Ross School of Business, DataPath, and the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences. Alex Lyon is professor of communication at the State University of New York, Brockport. His teaching and research all focus on the overlapping areas of organizational communication and leadership. He is the author of Courageous Organizational Communication Case Studies. For the last two decades, he has done workshops, consulting, and speaking for numerous brand-name clients such as Nike, Google, Visa, Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and others. His consulting, writing, and teaching is presented on his YouTube channel: Communication Coach Alex Lyon.