Communicate with Impact

Omni Academy invites you to immerse yourself in the art of business communication. Communicate with Impact course is designed to help delegates to take a serious look at themselves in relation to who they are now and who and how they want to be in the future.

Communicate with Impact will equip you with the awareness, tools, confidence and energy to create the impact you choose when you choose to create it.

This is a challenging communications course that incorporates material from many disciplines.

It will make a substantial difference to your leadership, communication and relationship skills.

Course Key Topics

CP1 – 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

CP2 – 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 behaviors
• Linguistic styles of modern Anglo Saxon speech
• Words people use to 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

CP2 – Perception is Vital

• Non- verbal communication
• Handling Difficult Messages
• Dealing with crisis communications
• How behavior 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 of 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

CP4 – Course Challenge !

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 with 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 Omni Academy. This combination of expertise always makes this part of the Programme memorable.

CP5 – 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 for 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

CP6 – 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 offer
• 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