Viki Johnston: Learning to Listen, Adapt, and Reflect for Stronger Teams and Leadership

8 snips

Jun 5, 2025

Viki Johnston is an entrepreneur and training consultant specializing in leadership and communication. In this discussion, she emphasizes the vital shift from individual contributor to effective leader, highlighting the importance of self-awareness and mindset. Viki shares techniques for fostering trust through active listening and paraphrasing, while also revealing how role-playing can enhance communication skills without real-world repercussions. Additionally, she discusses the pitfalls of undervaluing services and the critical need for legal professionals to recognize their worth.

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ADVICE

Role-Play for Communication Skills

Use role-playing in training to practice communication skills safely.
Make training fun and pressure-free to reveal true communication styles and improve effectiveness.

ADVICE

Listen, Don’t Wait to Talk

Stop waiting to talk and truly listen by focusing wholly on the speaker.
Avoid multitasking during conversations, especially to improve virtual communication effectiveness.

ADVICE

Paraphrase to Confirm Understanding

Use paraphrasing to confirm understanding, giving space to correct and deepen conversation.
Paraphrasing helps reduce conflict by showing active listening and helping others feel heard.

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In this episode, Steve Fretzin and Viki Johnston discuss:

Navigating the transition from individual contributor to effective leader
Developing communication skills that foster trust and clarity
Understanding how mindset and self-awareness shape professional success
Using behavioral tools to improve collaboration and team dynamics

Key Takeaways:

Role-playing in training helps managers safely practice difficult conversations, allowing them to fail, debrief, and improve without real-world consequences.
Poor listening is a critical leadership flaw; most people are merely waiting to talk instead of truly hearing others, especially in virtual settings.
Paraphrasing not only shows active listening but also gives the speaker space to correct misunderstandings, reducing conflict and enhancing clarity.
Undervaluing your services, often due to internal narratives or low self-worth, can hurt both your business and client relationships—a lesson learned after undercharging for years.

"We think we can multitask. We really can’t. We can’t think and listen to somebody at the same time." — Viki Johnston

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About Viki Johnston: Viki Johnston is an entrepreneur, Training Consultant with over 25 years of her career dedicated to professional training. She designs and delivers soft skills classroom training that is customized to a client’s exact requirements, across a range of subjects. Her in-depth knowledge of Customer Service and Business Management allows Viki to provide an exceptionally high level of learning facilitation and consultancy across a wide range of industries.

Viki is British, a Master Practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), DiSC certified, and Certified in Applied Improvisation. She currently lives in Irvine, Southern California, with her husband and daughter. She is a self-confessed lifelong learner with a passion for helping others experience light bulb moments and achieve their own goals.

Connect with Viki Johnston:

Website: https://www.exelorate.com/

Email: viki@exelorate.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikijohnston/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vikiajohnston

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exelorate2015/

Connect with Steve Fretzin:

LinkedIn: Steve Fretzin

Twitter: @stevefretzin

Instagram: @fretzinsteve

Facebook: Fretzin, Inc.

Website: Fretzin.com

Email: Steve@Fretzin.com

Book: Legal Business Development Isn't Rocket Science and more!

YouTube: Steve Fretzin

Call Steve directly at 847-602-6911

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