From policer to challenger in compliance communication.
Group Internal Audit (GIA) in Danske Bank had three skill development goals they wanted to improve on among their 77 colleagues and leaders in Denmark and their 25 colleagues and leaders in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Northern Ireland. We stepped up to help implement the strategy focusing on the following goals:
- GIA wanted to turn trust and relation development into a central part of their communication task. They wanted to develop a coordinated image of how they were creating value for the business as a whole.
- GIA wanted to improve their delivery of clear but challenging messages, and they wanted to get the customer to “say yes even to a red report”.
- GIA wanted to get better at handling objections and difficult conversations in their meetings with primary stakeholders and customers. They wanted to work with a layered communication process instead of the “statue revelation” tactic they had relied on earlier.
The solution we designed together
Our solution was an intensive two-day course which helped the GIA team bring new perspectives to their own real-life cases. The team members tested new forms of communication through role playing and reflective discussion. They were given tools in storytelling, objection handling, meeting facilitation in difficult situations and trust evoking communication.
The outcome
All team members were given concrete tools and developed a common language about communication that has been implemented in the team’s everyday practice. After the project, GIA was able to present their work in a new way that placed the audience in the central role with GIA as their helper. As a result, GIA gained trust and an improved image as both a counselling and controlling service.