Strategic Communication for Legal Leaders
Includes Multiple Live Events. The next is on 05/26/2026 at 1:00 PM (CDT)
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Legal administrators operate at the intersection of high stakes, tight deadlines and complex human dynamics. This four-session intensive boot camp builds a practical communication toolkit, ranging from delivering difficult feedback and designing productive meetings to managing stress and coaching your team. Each session combines a core framework with hands-on practice using real scenarios from legal settings, and participants will leave every session with a written commitment and a tool they can use immediately.
Sessions will be held on the following Tuesdays from 1:00 - 2:30 pm CT:
May 26
June 2
June 9
June 16
This course is $250 for ALA members and $350 for non-members.
If you are interested in group pricing (5 attendees or more), please email elearning@alanet.org for further information.
Course Syllabus
Session 1: Difficult Conversations in Legal Settings
May 26, 2026 | 90 Minutes
Most difficult conversations get avoided — and in legal settings, the cost compounds fast. This session gives participants a reliable framework for having the conversations they’'ve been putting off, and practical strategies for handling defensiveness when it arises.
Core Frameworks: SBID (Situation–Behavior–Impact–Discuss), Radical Candor, Ladder of Inference
Learning Objectives
- Apply the SBID framework to structure difficult workplace conversations.
- Set the right intention before giving feedback using the Radical Candor lens.
- Practice delivering feedback on a real scenario with peer coaching.
- Recognize and manage defensive reactions during feedback conversations.
- Leave with a written commitment and a prepared SBID opening statement.
Session 2: Hybrid Communication for Distributed Legal Teams
June 2, 2026 | 90 Minutes
Meeting overload, channel confusion, and after-hours messages are draining legal teams. This session helps participants build practical communication norms and design meetings that actually work — for in-office and remote staff alike.
Core Frameworks: 4Ps (Purpose, Product, Personal Benefit, Process), Async/Sync Decision Tree, Love/Hate Exercise
Learning Objectives
- Diagnose virtual burnout drivers and apply the async/sync decision tree to protect focus.
- Surface individual communication preferences using the Love/Hate framework.
- Convert team friction points into actionable communication norms.
- Apply the 4Ps to design outcome-driven meetings for distributed legal teams.
- Leave with a written communication playbook entry for their team.
Session 3: Emotional Intelligence and Stress Management
June 9, 2026 | 90 Minutes
Legal administrators face consistent high-pressure triggers — demanding attorneys, last-minute deadlines and competing priorities. This session teaches participants to recognize their emotional patterns and use a proven reframing tool to respond intentionally rather than reactively.
Core Frameworks: Cy Wakeman's Three Questions, Emotional Trigger Inventory, 2-Minute Grounding Techniques
Learning Objectives
- Identify personal emotional triggers and recognize habitual response patterns.
- Apply Cy Wakeman’s Three Questions to shift from reactive drama to intentional action.
- Practice reframing real workplace triggers with peer coaching.
- Use in-the-moment grounding techniques suited to fast-paced legal environments.
- Leave with a personalized EI action plan linking triggers, reframes and grounding practices.
Session 4 Active Listening and Coaching Skills
June 16, 2026 | 90 Minutes
The final session of the series focuses on the skill that makes every other tool land better: listening. Participants learn to distinguish between surface-level and empathic listening, and then apply the GROW coaching model to develop the people around them — anchored by a live coaching demonstration.
Core Frameworks: Three Levels of Listening, GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Will)
Learning Objectives
- Understand the three levels of listening and recognize your default.
- Practice Level 2 (empathic) listening with reflection techniques that build trust.
- Apply the GROW model to structure developmental coaching conversations.
- Observe a live coaching demonstration and identify the most effective questions and techniques.
- Leave with a coaching question bank and a commitment to one ongoing practice.
Upon completing all four sessions you will earn:
CLM Application Credit: 6 hours of Communication Skills.
CLM Functional Specialist Credit: 6 hours of Communications and Organizational Management.
CLM Recertification Credit: 6 hours of Communications and Organizational Management.
David Collins (Moderator)
CEO
Oak and Reeds
Dave Collins is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oak and Reeds, a training consultancy that uses interactive content to train clients on critical communication skills they can use at work and in life. With his clients, Collins works as a trainer, facilitator, keynote speaker and executive coach.
Since founding his business eight years ago, Collins has worked with global clients like Nike, Airbus, Salesforce, TikTok and Google to train leaders on how to work, manage and communicate more effectively.
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