Communicate with Impact

Communicate with Impact Course Objectives

• Developing awareness of how you create an impact
• Understanding how communication dynamics work 
• Knowing what already works about you
• Developing skills as leader and presenter
• Understanding the value of verbal and non-verbal communication
• Using powerful language and creating clear, compelling key messages
• Challenging what you currently do as a communicator
• Developing excellent listening behaviours
• Exploring influencing
• Using the voice effectively
• Unpicking cultural differences, stereotypes and assumptions
• Dealing with difficult messages and handling crises
• Gaining practical presenting tools and techniques
• Managing nerves
• Making an Impact as a presenter
• Using powerful storytelling techniques
• Coaching sessions (one-to-one)
• Building confidence and more confidence

Communicate with Impact Course Programme

Day 1: The Dynamics of Communication and Rapport

Day 2: Influencing using Voice Tone, Powerful Words and Stories

Day 3: Delivering Difficult Messages and Managing Perception

Day 4: Presenting (both large groups and one to one)

Day 5: Client Relationship Building - Practising Communication Tools 

Each day will be punctuated with energisers designed to refresh and enliven participants' concentration and aid learning. 

Everything we do is participative and interactive. There will be work in pairs, small group work, games, processes and exercises designed to stimulate, challenge and develop people's knowledge and skills.

Day One - Communication is Key

• Developing awareness of how impact is created
• What else would you like over the five days of this course?
• What does 'Communicating with Impact' mean to you?
• Making an Impact
• Feedback
• Communication dynamics - how it works
• Listening as a communications tool
• Listening with Empathy
• First Impressions and Attitude
• Assumptions
• Terms of Reference
• Assertiveness and Aggression
• Defusing conflict and arguments
• Body Language

Day Two - Influencing Through Voice and Character

• Exploring Influencing through the Power of voice
• Language and storytelling
• Breathing technique
• Stabilising nervousness
• Improve volume control
• Voice Projection
• Tone - The underlying intention of the message
• Speed -The subliminal effects of fast and slow speech
• Rhythm -Using pause and pace to create interest
• Pitch - Exploring the music in voice and language
• Increasing the power and impact of the voice
• Cultural differences in language styles and sound of the voice
• Stereotypes and assumptions which are set by vocal tone and non-verbal behaviours
• Linguistic styles of modern Anglo Saxon speech
• Words people use reveal their thinking, learning style and perception
• Storytelling - Creating stories to communicate a specific idea
• Exploring internal and external motivators
• Project Buster an influencing strategy to get commitment and buy-in from people

Day Three - Perception is Vital

• Non- verbal communication
• Handling Difficult Messages
• Dealing with crisis communications
• How behaviour and communication styles together create a perception in the minds of others
• It's not what we have said but what the other person thinks we have said that is important
• Sometimes our words say one thing but our tone and actions will speak louder
• Understand how we are perceived by others
• 'Forum Theatre' using actors in various situations to allow delegates to observe, advise and interact with the actors as different scenarios are played out
• Communications models
• 30-second Impact
• Choosing your Status
• Choosing the impact you make
• Gaining confidence
• Feeling and behaving more assertively
• Dealing with different levels in the business (externally as well as internally)
• Not being manipulated
• Setting clear boundaries
• Delivering tough messages while maintaining positive relationships
• Communication Cycle - Thought- Spoken- Heard -Understood - Agreed to - Acted on - Implemented
• Styles and Difficult People
• Feedback and how to make it best support moving things forward
• Internal boundaries - how people can become stressed or 'difficult' when they are crossed
• Art of Saying No - Techniques on assertiveness issues
• Having difficult conversations

The Afternoon Session - Day Three

At this stage in the Programme, the delegates will do something exciting and challenging – the content of the session will not even be revealed until that day. A specialist facilitator will be brought in to take the delegates through a communication exercise with a difference. The objective is to give the delegates the opportunity to experience something they may not have done before, communicate as a team and have fun at the same time. The external facilitators used are at the very top of their game and hand-picked because they have a unique approach to their work that blends with the ethos at Impact Factory. This combination of expertise always makes this part of the Programme memorable.

Day Four - Presenting

All the individual work during the day will be filmed. However, there will be no play-back (other than the first, one-minute presentation). Secure links to these clips will be available to delegates after the course.

• What already works about you as a presenter?
• Exploring how presentation works
• Developing a unique individual style
• Understanding what happens in front of an audience
• Practising a whole range of techniques
• Hints and tips for effective presentation
• Stretching your capacity to present
• Presenting with style, flair and presence
• Using support materials
• Enlivening your presentation
• Maintaining confidence and handling nerves
• Coping better when feeling wrong-footed 

Day Five - Networking and Pitching

• To consolidate all the learning from the previous four days. Networking session
• Meeting & Greeting
• Networking 'Etiquette'
• It's You They 'Buy'
• 30 Second Influencer
• Spheres of Influence - obstacles to getting your message through the people you want
• Joining and leaving groups - how physical boundaries work
• Rapport Building skills
• Some of the things to look at here are
• Deliberately using 'I', 'You', or 'We' statements
•  Self-disclosure
• Demonstrating knowledge of their business
• Compliments
• Using their name
• Using their jargon and abbreviations
• Pitching - Identifying the key elements of successful pitching
• Exploring the journey from plan-prepare-practice to pitch
• Connecting our personal stories with our product or service offering
• The Pitch Process
• Partnerships
• What do you need in a partner? 
• How pairs work in a pitching situation
• Making your partner look good
• Using both your strengths
• Pitch Perfect - Delegates are invited to pitch to the group in a seriously light-hearted "Dragons' Den" for a fun finish.

Final Communications Course Hand-outs and Plan for going forward

As part of the wrap up, we will re-visit each delegates Personal Communication Style - What do you now know works for you?

The delegates will finalise a Plan of Action to take the work of the course back into their workplace.

All delegates will be issued with relevant hand-outs to remind them of the Communication with Impact Coursework, including our memorable visual cue cards.

Delegates will also have access to a personalised post course web page, giving access to the extensive material and imagery of the week.