3RD ORDER COMMUNICATIONS - Achieving Results through effective communications

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3rd Order Communications Model

The coaching model encompasses the audience characteristics, the language to be used, the leadership role to be assumed and the opportunity to master three levels of communication competency.

Each level is referred to as an ORDER since each level dramatically increases the opportunity to reach your goals for your audience. The default Order is always 1st Order.

1st ORDER COMMUNICATION makes up from 70% to 90% of all
communication. It is “Self-Centric.” The world revolves around the content presented by 1st Order Communicators. Here are some of the self-centric focuses:

Content Expert

"I'm the professor - you're the student - figure out what I'm saying"
"I'm the scientist - I know what is truth"
"I'm the doctor - you are the patient"

We’ve all experienced the content expert who still believes their knowledge alone requires others to accept their communications without question.

Positional

"I'm the CEO - you figure out what I'm saying"
"I'm your boss - figure it out"
"I'm your mother - !!

We’ve all experienced the socially positional-centric individual.

Ego

Their greatness drives the communications. Just listen and be influenced.
Their social status, social influence or social goodwill drives the communications.

1st Order Communication is a default communications pattern that we all use in our daily lives. It fulfills many of our communication needs. However, it becomes less effective as we leave our little world of established credibility and have to create new relationships. It is a defining Order and not a flexible Order of communications.

2nd ORDER COMMUNICATION makes up another 10% to 25% of our communication. It is “Other-Centric.” The world revolves around the art of communicating in the other person’s preferred communications style and language. The mastery of communications at this Order level is the capacity to adapt to any person or audience style, different technical levels or social bearings and a host of other variables. Here are the basic tools used to achieve a 2nd Order mastery:

Meyers Briggs Type Indicator Step II is a basic element to understanding your own communication preferences and those of your audience. The flexible 2nd Order communicator must be able to get a message across to the extrovert and introvert, the intuitive and the pragmatic sensor, the systemic thinker and the subjective feeler, and the seeking all alternatives perceptive or the already mind is made up judging audiences. Whatever your own MBTI preference, the ability to shift to any of the other 15 references is a requirement of this Order.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is described in the book by the same name by author Daniel Goleman. The 2nd Order requires complete control and mastery of your emotional self. If your audience feels you are not credible or to be trusted, you must be able to control your reactive emotions and use them to turn the situation around. When the scientist is accused of a biased research study based on a funding source, the scientist can’t take it personally and become angered or look hurt. The soldier just back from Iraq for the third time can’t become flustered when accused of betraying the American public. Emotional responses during 2nd Order communications will block any 3rd Order techniques. Defensiveness, anger, arrogance, professorial manners, and aggressive nonverbal demeanors – all these will block moving on to the 3rd Order.
Social Archetype Variable Expressions (SAVE) is a technique for social reframing that brings another level of communications impact directed at the subjective, emotive and trusting world. The mastery of this technique enables the presenter to communicate not just as an expert, but as a caring parent, a member of the local community or as a trusted friend.

2nd ORDER COMMUNICATIONS extend the expertise of the presenter into all realms of the social environment.

3rd ORDER COMMUNICATION makes up the last 3 to 5% of communications. It is “Relationship-Centric.” It could also be called WE-CENTRIC or PARTNER-CENTRIC. The focus of the communication is to build rapport and maintain a relationship. This technique focuses on short-cycled feedback loops during the communication process. It builds on 2nd Order techniques by taking them to a higher level of competency. The prime mastery at this level incorporates neurolinguistics feedback methods to adapt 2nd Order techniques during the communication process.

Mastery at this level requires a very high capacity to find "common ground" through both content and social archetypes. Matching the social archetypes requires highly adaptable socially intelligent techniques. The essence of 3rd Order is the navigation mastery with the audience through various social frames to achieve mutual respect and accomplishment. The 3rd Order master never moves to a defensive position during communications. This level of mastery practices the art of using all communication as positive and leveraging toward your communication goals.