We often talk about what we DO do, so we thought we'd start this post a bit differently and share specifically what we DON'T do:
Communication is at the heart of our professional lives - from building rapport with colleagues and sharing ideas in a meeting, right through to delivering presentations and asking for a promotion. It impacts the quality of our connections and our ability to pitch, sell, persuade, convince and inspire - both internally and outside the business.
By communicating in a way that fosters a collaborative, supportive and empowering environment, there are benefits for everyone involved - on an individual level as well as for the success of the company.
Our bespoke communication courses for businesses go far beyond regular presentation skills training - we give participants a shared language around what they’re doing, so that they can feed that to others constructively, building camaraderie and team dynamics.
We’re often prone to take our natural skills for granted, and accept that “Tim from sales is more confident than me”, or “that guy is better at presenting than that guy”. By giving individuals the skills that let them flourish, whether it’s in emotional intelligence, reading the room, being self-aware or presenting an idea, the overall collaboration of the team will improve significantly, which will then lead to success after success.
Meetings - particularly virtual ones - have lost their shine a bit over the last few years. Zoom fatigue is a very real problem! When you’re reduced to a thumb-sized square on a screen, there’s more to think about than just sticking to an agenda and making sure actions come out of it. A workshop teaches you to be fully aware of other attendees, keeping everyone involved and engaged.
When someone with presence walks into a room, people take notice. When they speak, others listen. When they put forward suggestions, others are minded to follow. A communication course will teach individuals to tune into their values and natural qualities, harnessing them to persuade, inspire, listen, collaborate and care.
We offer courses that go far beyond the classic off the shelf presentation courses. By using proven storytelling, gravitas and nonverbal communication techniques, the team can learn to create and deliver a compelling presentation that appeals to the heart as well as the mind, ensuring people sit up and take notice. Public speaking anxiety is a challenge that many of us face - with the right tools, it’s possible to deal with the nerves so that they are energising, not depleting, force.
Rather than simply taking what we’re born with for granted, or assuming that we’ll never be confident or charismatic, we show people that these are all skills that can be taught, no matter if you’re just starting out in your career or you’ve been a director for 30 years and delivered hundreds of presentations.
Over the last few years, many companies have formed bad habits - lack of structure, working overtime, burnout - and forgotten about the mental benefits of coffee breaks, team socials, mindful activities and informal catch ups. We teach you how to add these moments of respite, with empathy and active listening, so the team can escape from their to-do list and feel motivated, rewarded and connected.
From informal one-to-ones and stakeholder meetings, to pitches, presentations and appraisals, alongside different cultures, personalities, ages and seniority levels, the way in which we communicate changes entirely depending on the business setting we’re in.
Many companies offer their staff a growth budget or learning and development fund to use on personal development. If this is you, or if you think your company could benefit from this type of work, why not consider putting the budget towards a bespoke communication course for you and your colleagues? If you’d like some free tools and advice on how to make this happen in your workplace, get in touch with us on 020 3137 6323.
To be truly inspiring as a leader, you need to be able to communicate as one. A communication course for your business will help the emerging leaders to find their leadership voice, equipping them with key communication skills to manage workplace interactions flawlessly, have gravitas in presentations, pitches, meetings and all number of situations.
Meetings and other group situations can easily be dominated by one or two powerful voices and then valuable ideas from other, often more introverted members, are lost. In today’s hybrid working world, it’s more important than ever to make sure that work is a safe space where everyone feels like they can bring their full selves to the table, rather than standing on the side-lines. Effective business communication means teaching from both sides - so leaders can learn to engage and build trust with those who don’t feel confident to speak up, and less confident people can feel empowered to open up and share. In an environment of group positivity and support, the best ideas are generated.
Recently, we’ve seen a trend in clients who are entirely values-led, wanting to build connection and collaboration amongst staff members and increase wellbeing. We’ve worked with clients all over the globe, helping their businesses to communicate effectively internally and externally. From start-ups and universities to EY and the Korean Winter Olympic bid team, the content is completely designed around the business’ unique challenges and goals. You can read some of our success stories here.
Recently we worked with a healthcare service who wanted to improve their team collaboration, boost their presenting skills and get the most out of client-facing roles. After three sessions with our Principal Coach Sam, they were thrilled with their progress and plan to implement the training on a company-wide level.
“There's a huge amount of value in being humble enough to realise that just because you've reached a certain point in your career and are the Director of X or Y, it doesn't mean you're an effective communicator.”
To quote the sales manager, “To put it bluntly, I saw people that were more junior in my estimation, show a natural talent for communication, and it really came through. To see my team come forward and impress in that secure but challenging environment was a fantastic realisation.”
“My B2B Sales Team learned about their own presenting & communication habits and practised practical new techniques to address gaps and enhance their skills. The focus on self-development - not simply rehearsing a pre-prepared presentation - was exactly what I was searching for and made the sessions really engaging & enjoyable. We laughed a lot and learned a lot.”
“London Speech Workshop were fantastic at being able to accommodate a whole group's individual needs, upskilling our presenting skills and highlighting our strengths. The entire training sessions were well structured and made me incredibly self-aware of how I interact with others and what I can improve on.”
We offer a range of communication-focused group workshops and webinars for businesses, designed to increase staff wellbeing, efficiency and clarity of communication, as well as improve client and colleague relationships. If this is something your company would like to do, we’d love to have a chat with you about the specific goals, challenges and budget of your team - you can book this in here.