Have you ever had a conversation or meeting that went badly, and wished you had a way to figure out what went wrong and what else you might do?
SAVI is a tool you can use to ‘get’ what’s going on, and what to do differently if you want to change the outcome. It works in all kinds of conversations…
… with your boss or colleagues, your spouse or partner, your family and friends and in conversations with yourself.
You can use it to prepare for more satisfying conversations. Or in the middle of a conversation to make sense of what’s happening and to try different inputs. You can also use it to reflect on what worked and what didn’t after the event.
The SAVI Difference
The SAVI approach may be quite different from the way you’re used to thinking about communication. Some of its distinctive features include:
A focus on behavior
SAVI focuses on what we actually say – our communication behaviors – rather than on what we mean to say. SAVI is not concerned with motivations, intentions, personalities or psychological diagnoses.
Attention to both words and tone
SAVI considers both what was said and also how it was said. Voice tone is at least as important as the words we speak.
A non-judgmental approach
In SAVI terms, there are no good or bad behaviors. If you’re thinking SAVI, you’re collecting data about the effects of what was said without judging or personalizing it.
A diagnostic tool that can be used in any context
SAVI categorizes communication behaviors, seeing if they make it easier or harder to get information across. The behaviors we use profoundly influence what our listeners hear, how likely they are to take in that information, and what feelings they’re likely to have about what we’re saying.
Practical strategies
SAVI provides specific, concrete recommendations for changing our verbal behaviors to get better results. The flexibility of SAVI also empowers us to develop our own strategies for any communication context.