Virtual Lab: Conversations That Create the Culture: How Your Strengths and Weaknesses Shape the Way

Conversations That Create the Culture: How Your Strengths and Weaknesses Shape the Way You Lead 
Every leader is creating culture—whether they mean to or not. Not in the big, scripted moments like retreats or strategic plans, but in the everyday interactions we barely notice. A quick email. A hallway check‑in. A rushed meeting. Even the silence we didn’t realize we communicated. Culture isn’t written on a wall; it’s written in your conversations.

This interactive workshop takes leaders beyond theory and into real‑time awareness of how their strengths, blind spots, habits, and presence shape the culture their teams experience. Using the Gallup CliftonStrengths framework if you have taken it but not necessary to participate, participants explore how their natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving show up in communication—both as gifts and as unintended challenges.

Through hands‑on exercises, real‑world scenarios, and guided reflection, participants learn to recognize how their tone, timing, body language, and daily stressors influence the way they lead. They’ll examine common leadership patterns—like over‑communicating or going silent—and discover how small, intentional shifts can dramatically improve clarity, trust, and engagement.

Grounded in the three anchors of effective leadership communication—Consistency, Clarity, and Connection—this lab equips participants with practical tools they can use immediately. Leaders walk away with deeper self‑awareness, actionable strategies, and a personalized plan for shaping a healthier, more intentional culture through the conversations they have every day.

Because culture isn’t abstract. It’s lived. It’s felt. And it’s created one conversation at a time.

In this lab you will:

• Increase Self‑Awareness of Communication Patterns
  Participants will identify their natural communication tendencies—both strengths and blind spots—and understand how these patterns shape team culture in everyday interactions.

• Understand How Strengths and Weaknesses Influence Leadership Presence
  Participants will explore how their Gallup Strengths themes show up in communication, including the “gift” and the “shadow” of each strength, and how these impact trust, clarity, and team engagement. Not necessary to have taken the assessment to partcipate.

• Recognize How Everyday Moments Create Culture
  Participants will learn to see culture not as a formal initiative, but as the accumulation of small, daily conversations—emails, check‑ins, tone, timing, and even silence.

• Practice Intentional Communication Strategies
  Through exercises and real‑world scenarios, participants will practice shifting from autopilot communication to intentional communication that builds psychological safety and clarity.

• Strengthen Skills in Consistency, Clarity, and Connection
  Participants will apply the three anchors of communication—Consistency, Clarity, and Connection—to real workplace situations, learning how to communicate in ways that reduce confusion and increase alignment.

• Analyze Real Leadership Scenarios to Identify Cultural Impact
  Participants will examine examples such as the Over‑Communicator and the Silent Leader to understand how small adjustments can dramatically improve team culture.

• Improve Nonverbal and Presence‑Based Communication
  Participants will learn how body language, facial expressions, and tone influence emotional impact—recognizing that 93% of communication is nonverbal

• Develop Personal Action Steps for Culture‑Shaping Conversations
  Each participant will create a personalized plan outlining specific communication shifts they will implement immediately to strengthen their team culture.

• Build Skills for Difficult Conversations and Clear Expectations
  Participants will practice tools for saying what they mean simply, directly, and respectfully—reducing miscommunication and “watercooler narratives.”

• Understand How Mood, Stress, and Daily Habits Shape Leadership
  Participants will explore how external factors—traffic, stress, fatigue—affect how they show up, and learn strategies to regulate presence before engaging with their teams.

Tickets:
Free Professional, Executive & CI Gratis members
$45 General & Young Professional members  
$60 Inforum guests (non-members) 

Thank you to our facilitator: 

Vanessa Denha Garmo is a trainer, coach, and consultant with more than 30 years of experience in communications and media. A certified life and leadership coach and Gallup® Strengths Coach, she helps leaders grow with purpose, clarity, and confidence. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in communications—where she authored a thesis on confronting workplace bullying—Vanessa blends leadership development, team dynamics, growth mindset, positive intelligence, and communication strategy to support whole‑person growth.

As the founder of Epiphany Communications: Coaching & Consulting and the Chief Communications Officer, she partners with organizations to build thriving cultures by developing self‑aware leaders, strengthening teams, and equipping individuals to understand how their strengths, weaknesses, saboteurs, and communication styles shape the workplace. Her work as a facilitator and coach helps people communicate with intention, collaborate more effectively, and show up in ways that elevate organizational performance.
Vanessa is the author of Conversations That Create the Culture and has a forthcoming book exploring Christian habits for professional success.

About Inforum Virtual Labs
Inforum Virtual Labs are online, interactive and skills-based events that bring real-world perspective from a practitioner with deep expertise in a particular field or subject. The labs are designed with top-notch instruction, and selected to complement leadership development at different stages of careers. Participants will walk away with new information and a concrete personal action plan that carries the learning into workplace practice.