What I truly love about attending AccessLex conferences are the moments of learning, inspiration, transformation, and most importantly – connection.
Every LexCon conference I attend has helped shape my ASP career. LexCon24 was no exception. So many sessions offered insightful information and innovative strategies by well-known experts in our AASE community and beyond. Session topics ranged from how to help incoming first-year students engage to how to incorporate bar programs into your institutional bar prep offerings.
The most memorable session for me was the plenary titled “Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence” with Erica Dhawan. Erica shared an innovative approach to productively engaging with students and colleagues in law schools. Connectional Intelligence (CxQ). There is a growing need in legal education to fully maximize the power of our networks and relationships.
So how can ASP and Bar Prep professionals harness this power? By carefully identifying how each of our constituencies prefers to communicate (e.g. in-person meeting, email, phone call, text, and/or social media) we can decide how we create these communications. Of course, we must acknowledge that we have a wide spectrum of technological expertise ranging from digital natives to tech dinosaurs.
Communication design factors we need to consider should include word choice for written communications, the structure and length of in-person meetings, and response time expectations. For example, with in-person meetings, we can gain far more engagement from attendees by soliciting input, questions, and matters to consider as part of the agenda. There might be related issues and concerns we simply were not aware of and will lead to a more productive meeting for all involved.
Erica mentioned effective communication methods can serve as a “super connector” and break down communication silos that often block collaboration and innovation for our curricular and programming efforts. This led her to discuss several key principles for CxQ.
Key Principles of Connectional Intelligence
- Choose Clarity over Brevity
Work backwards as you develop the message you wish to communicate. What is the goal for this communication? Think before issuing communications. All too often our students complain they receive far too many emails. Is this really the best method to communicate with our students? Be clear with expectations and define quality terms. For example, with our students what does “good” mean for this assignment?
- “Communicate Your Mind” Mindset
Be explicit about what your “ask” is and the priority level for the request. More so than ever our body language must be translated into our digital communications. Example: If we wish to respond with praise to an email – would an emoji smile or high five be ok with the recipient? Erica also mentioned the importance of asking yourself the following questions before responding to communications:
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- Why do others and I need this information in my response?
- How am I feeling about this communication? Grateful? Happy?
- Hold Your Horses
Emails have driven many of us to equate less haste with more speed when it comes to responding to emails. However, studies have shown our email response time have a direct impact on the level of anxiety experienced by those trying to communicate with us. For example, if we take too long to respond to an email the sender might wonder what is going on, get upset, and/or start analyzing last conversation for clues. If your response is still outstanding, some may simply assume you forgot to follow up with them.
To avoid these communication misinterpretations, inform senders about the email response timeline they should expect from you. Also, change the change of communication as needed. If an in-person meeting would be best instead of a series of back-and-forth emails to address an issue which could prompt a series of related follow-up questions. Often a quick phone call could accomplish the same goal.
Another possible technique is to acknowledge receipt of the email and provide the sender with an expected response time frame. For example, I will send you feedback by EOB on Friday.
- Assume the Best Intent
Always assume the sender had positive intention with their communication. Take the time to confirm your interpretation of the communication was correct before responding. Understand the preferred communication styles of your colleagues and students.
- Find Your Voice
There are so many new communication platforms. Your online presence can help increase engagement with your students. There are ways to use technology to connect intelligently. Erica explained the differences in preferred communication styles between digital natives and digital adapters.
Digital natives prefer informal mediums (e.g., WhatsApp, GroupMe), consistently use preferred mediums, and more frequent and shorter messages. Digital adapters prefer in-person meetings, are often resistant to new technologies, and prefer high-quality and less frequent messages.
Erica shared the story of a law firm that noticed their young associates were billing fewer hours and completing projects without issue. They found the associates had created peer-to-peer chats in Teams to tackle and problem solve projects using horizontal collaboration. The firm expanded this practice across all offices, and it helped build connections among employees nationally.
For in-person meetings, small breakout groups to address large agenda items can help build this horizontal collaboration. Erica shared that in her own classes, she engages with her students using brief 1-minute dance or singing activities at the start of class to help address student stress and share something personal.
For virtual meetings and classes, use closed captioning and transcription. This can be extremely useful for neurodivergent and ESL communicators.
Laws of Connectional Intelligence
- Value Visibly
In the past, handshakes and meals with colleagues were the norm to express appreciation. However, time is sacred, and everyone wants to maximize their time. Erica suggested practicing radical recognition, choosing carefully what tasks should be prioritized in-person versus via email, and acknowledging the preferred communication styles among your colleagues and students.
- Communicate Carefully
Think carefully before typing. All too often we focus on a speedy response to emails and not delivering a message that is clear and effective. Choose the right communication channel. If you do decide to pursue communicating via your online presence, it must be excellent to get strong student engagement.
Erica shared some tips for drafting emails. The recipients in the “To” field should be those who need to respond. The recipients in the “Cc” field should have no need to respond. The subject should clearly state what you need from the “To” recipients – be explicit and direct and think about adding a response timeline notation to the subject line (e.g., 2D for two days, 4D for four days, 1 wk, etc.) Erica stated email norms must be set from the top of the organization. These norms must focus on clear subject lines, the first two lines of the email must identify tasks to be completed and deadlines, and emails are not for discussion among recipients for serious issues – that is what in-person meetings are for.
- Collaborate Confidently
Effective communication and project delegation can be transformative and accomplish great things. One department created “Cut the Crap” committees and considered who in the school is in the best position to innovate and change ineffective practices within the department. The colleagues identified were the faculty assistants who proceeded to use MS Teams to tackle each ineffective practice and created effective solution.
For in-person meetings, be more effective by deciding up front if a meeting is necessary or could an MS Teams chat or email be more effective for all involved. If an in-person meeting is needed, then everyone should be actively involved in discussion in the first 5 minutes. Scheduling shorter meetings (20 minutes long) can help focus efforts and lead to more effective task delegation.
- Trust Totally
Spark courageous conversations about challenges the school is facing. Acknowledge our own limits and vulnerability. What did I miss during our last meeting? Create water cooler moments to increase trust.
Post-Plenary Thoughts
Erica’s insights inspired me to rethink how I collaborate within my own law school with colleagues and students. There are so many ways using Connectional Intelligence we can improve engagement, increase recognition of our subject matter expertise (SME), and share our expertise across departments within and outside of the law school.
Networking is one of the cornerstone strengths of our amazing AASE community. We get the most valuable takeaways from informal conversations and brainstorming with colleagues. So many within our community already use the principles and laws of connectional intelligence – now it time to reveal our shared strength and take collaboration to the next level.
(Guest blogger: Carlota Toledo, AASE Vice President, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Director of Academic Success, Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center)
