How well does your team communicate? Do they discuss issues openly… or do they hoard information? Do they trust each other enough to admit mistakes… or do they politic, posture, and promote themselves? Do they debate issues passionately… or avoid conflict with artificial harmony? Do they commit to decisions they disagree with… or drag their feet and undermine? Do they focus on collective results … or put their own needs ahead of the organization’s? Imagine what you could accomplish with a cohesive executive team. Really, is there anything more important to your success?
Pulling from leading communications resources and researchers – such as Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Crucial Conversations, DiSC, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Carl Jung, Susan Scott’s Fierce Conversations, Kim Scott’s Radical Candor, Dale Carnegie, Gino Wickman, and, of course, the wisdom of other participants in the room – participants will take away practical strategies, exercises, and ways to build trust, master conflict, achieve commitment, embrace accountability, and focus on results.
Not only will you uncover your team's communication challenges, but you will improve your own communication, so you can better help your team listen, decide, prioritize, persuade, motivate, give feedback, trust, ask, focus on what matters, and inspire.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, attendees will be able to…
- Identify communication challenges within teams: Recognize common communication barriers and issues that affect team dynamics and organizational performance.
- Apply behavioral science principles to improve team interactions: Utilize insights from leading behavioral models (e.g., DiSC, Crucial Conversations) to adapt communication styles and strategies for more effective team collaboration.
- Build trust and foster accountability in teams: Develop actionable strategies to cultivate trust, master conflict, and ensure team members are accountable for their roles and responsibilities.
- Navigate diverse communication styles effectively: Understand how to identify and respond to different communication preferences, ensuring clearer interactions and better results in both internal and customer-facing conversations.
- Enhance team decision-making and conflict resolution: Learn techniques for facilitating constructive debate, improving decision-making processes, and resolving conflicts in a way that strengthens team cohesion and productivity.
Dan Kaplan
Founder & Lead Trainer
Confident Communicators, LLC
Dan Kaplan is driven by the belief that anything is possible if we can just learn to talk to each other. As a mountain-climbing expedition leader, Dan has guided many teams through difficult conversations and high-altitude danger. Combined with his nearly 30 years of communications leadership experience across the public, non-profit, and private sectors, his firm, Confident Communicators, LLC, helps leaders, managers, and teams communicate effectively. Dan is an Everything DiSC Ⓡ Authorized Provider and Certified Trainer. His clients include Google, The Gates Foundation, the State of Maryland, the US FDA, Chimes International, New York Health + Hospitals, and Vistage. His firm helps organizations build trust, master conflict, achieve commitment, embrace accountability, and focus on results through better communication.
When: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Networking 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Lunch 12:00 pm
Presentation 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Where: MOI, Inc | 1901 L St NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036
Parking: There are nearby parking garages as well as limited metered street parking.
Metro: Farragut West
FAR members, please make sure to log in to the FAR website to receive FAR member registration options.
This program is approved for CPE and CAE credit.
FAR is a CAE Registered Provider. The program listed above meets the requirements for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the Certified Association Executive credential. Every program that we offer that has been approved for CAE credit will clearly identify the number of CAE credits granted for full participation. We will maintain records of your participation in accordance with CAE policies. For more information about the CAE credential or Registered Provider program, please visit www.asaecenter.org/cae.
As a CAE Registered Provider educational program related to the CAE exam content outline, this program may be applied for 1 credit toward your CAE application or renewal professional development requirements.
Note: Applicants may use any program that meets eligibility requirements in the specific timeframe towards the exam application or renewal. No specific individual courses are required as part of the applications – the selection of eligible education is up to the applicant based on his/her needs.
FAR is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State Boards of Accountancy have the final authority on the acceptance of individual course for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org. It is Group-Live delivery method. Sponsor ID: 109395
