- Project self-confidence when talking to individuals and groups
- Make highly persuasive arguments
- Create a positive first impression
Overview
When communicating with others it is impossible not to create an impact, but is the impact you are making creating the results you’d like?
We have all sat through meetings, interviews and presentations that have failed to engage or inspire us and (perhaps) written certain people off as having no ‘presence’ as a result. Equally, we all have experienced individuals who speak in a way that captivates and motivates us.
This coaching based programme, for no more than six participants at a time, explores how to connect with people and to communicate in a way that demonstrates credibility and gravitas. It provides powerful tools and personalised feedback to participants on how to command attention and inspire action.
Learning objectives
By attending this two-day highly interactive course you will:
- Understand how your beliefs can help you demonstrate gravitas
- Explore tools for maintaining people’s interest and attention
- Gain methods for structuring your messages in a logical way
- Build rapport with the people you want to influence
- Discover how to use language patterns to talk in highly persuasive ways
Who should attend?
Senior Managers, Executives and Leaders who want to ensure that they have the capability to grab people’s attention and communicate with charisma and credibility.
Course structure
Impact and Presence runs as a two-day workshop, which explores what makes people charismatic and persuasive. Participants will be expected to prepare in advance of the course a five-minute presentation for use on day one.
The workshop is followed by a three month Action Learning phase, where delegates receive coaching as they try out the techniques in real life situations. The initiative ends with a half-day review session, where the success of the programme is assessed and key learning points are captured.
Action Learning projects
The initial workshop is followed by an Action Learning phase, which involves the participants meeting once every two weeks for about thirty minutes and discussing how they are using the tools in action. This ‘peer group coaching’ allows the delegates to support and mentor each other as they try out their new skills in the work environment.
In addition, delegates also have three, one to one, telephone based coaching sessions with the Boulden consultant to review progress and provide additional guidance on developing their personal impact.
We conclude this phase with a Closure Workshop (about three months after the Impact and Presence course) during which each participant gives a presentation on how they have applied the lessons from the training in ‘real life. In this way the impact of the training on the business can be evaluated.
Day 1 - Individual Impact and Presence
1. The inner game of impact and presence
The phrase the ‘inner game’ is a term borrowed from sports psychology. It is a reference to the fact that what is going on inside a person’s head (their state of mind) is crucial to good performance. Here we consider the role perception and beliefs of people who are expert at delivering messages with impact and presence.
- Examine your current beliefs
- Reviewing expert beliefs
- Making changes that you feel are appropriate for you
Pairs exercise: applying the Affirmation Technique
Day 1 - Individual Impact and Presence (cont.)
2. Making a positive impression
How to make both a positive first impression and an on-going positive ‘second impression’ through the use of body language and ‘high impact’ language patterns.
- Power Posture & Power Gestures
- Strong Statements & Headline Statements
- Soften Technique & Credibility Statements
- Scripting
- The Improvisation Technique
Pairs & group exercise: practising the Positive Impression Techniques
Day 1 - Individual Impact and Presence (cont.)
3. The power of ‘attention’
Giving someone your undivided attention makes them feel worthwhile and respected as an individual. Paying attention to others is one of the simplest, most powerful and most underappreciated methods for improving presence.
- Three Types of Attention
- Staying Present
- Staying Present exercise
- The Acceptance Prophecy
- Solve Their Problem
Group exercise: Using the Acceptance Prophecy
Day 1 - Individual Impact and Presence (cont.)
4. Rapport building
People respond well to people they like and trust, so rapport building is central to the ability to have a personal impact. Here we look at generating positive relationships by:
- Matching body language
- Matching and leading vocal patterns
- Matching language
Pairs exercise: matching vocal patterns and matching language
Day 1 - Individual Impact and Presence (cont.)
5. Reading people
Part of having an impact on others is reading their body language to be able to judge, (a) are you getting your message through to them and (b) are they being completely honest in what they are telling you. Being able to understand what people are really saying means:
- Understanding how people really communicate
- Watching for visual ‘tells’ (indications of untruth or doubt)
- Listening for vocal ‘tells’
- Questioning inconsistencies
Pairs exercise: learning to spot ‘tells’
Day 1 - Individual Impact and Presence (cont.)
6. Persuasive language
Persuasive language is about being able to put your ideas across powerfully by using:
- Other people’s psychological patterns (The Motivation & Gain, Storytelling & Headline Techniques)
- Matching & Leading Values
- The persuasion pattern
Pairs exercise: trying out the Persuasive Language Techniques
Day 2 - Group Impact and Presence
1. Structuring your message
It is easy for an audience to be drawn into a message if it has a clear and logical structure that makes it easy for them to follow the main points of the argument. Here we learn how to communicate with clarity and structure by:
- Goals and Structure
- Having a strong opening
- Using a strong call to action
Day 2 - Group Impact and Presence (cont.)
2. Voice work
Learning how to project your voice so that you can command attention and connect with all the people in the room.
- Correct posture and relaxation
- Breathing from the diaphragm
- ‘Thinking’ the voice forward
Pairs exercise: practising breathing and projection
Day 2 - Group Impact and Presence (cont.)
3. Keeping people with you
Learning the tools and techniques needed to maintain people’s interest and attention.
- Using eye contact
- Asking questions to engage with the group
- Utilisation
- Signposting
Small group exercises: making short speeches to practise the techniques
Day 2 - Group Impact and Presence (cont.)
4. Building your self-confidence
Mastering techniques for building your self-confidence and acquiring the ability to boost your feelings of confidence quickly and easily in any situation.
- Sources of confidence
- Understanding Pavlov’s conditioned responses theory
- Building a personal confidence associative thinking response
- Understanding Resource Anchors
- Setting an instant confidence ‘switch’ or ‘trigger’
Pairs exercise: developing a Resource Anchor
Day 2 - Group Impact and Presence (cont.)
5. Rhetorical devices
Rhetoric is the ‘art or study of using language effectively and persuasively’ and the various techniques used in rhetoric work by helping with ‘processing fluency’ i.e. making information easy to understand and remember.
- Triads
- Rhyme
- Antithesis
- Anaphora
- Hyperbole
- Metaphor & Analogy
Small group exercises: making short speeches using Triads and Anthesis
Day 2 - Group Impact and Presence (cont.)
6. Practise presentations
Putting it all together by giving a five-minute presentation and receiving feedback.
Feedback
Feedback is based upon peer review using Boulden assessment checklists. Completing the Boulden assessment checklists is not only valuable to the people involved in a given case study, it also helps those completing them to gain an in-depth understanding of the skills used by credible communicators who demonstrate impact and presence.
Remote Training
All of our workshops can be delivered as Remote Training via e-learning modules plus Zoom based virtual workshops. Please see our Virtual Training page for more information.
