Your Partner In Executive Search And Recruitment For Critical Hires In Insurance
“If you can’t sell yourself, you’re going to have a much harder time selling your ideas.”
Improv Workshop
“Building Communication Skills Through Improvisation”
COMMUNICATION
&
PRESENTATION SKILLS WORKSHOPS
The quote above isn't from anyone famous. In fact, it's from our founder Bob Morand.
Here is Bob's explanation of its relevance:
The quote appears on the final PowerPoint slide of the communication and presentation skills workshops/sessions I've presented at industry conferences and for client companies over the past 20+ years. While I don't normally quote myself to others, I believe the sentiment and meaning of the above citation rings true for many who may struggle with communication skills in the workplace.
A former professional improv actor and advertising executive, I decided over two decades ago to give back to the insurance community in which I ply my trade and make my living by offering the skills and expertise I've achieved in the art and science of communication.
Two workshops, in particular --"Building Communication Skills Through Improvisation" and "A Presentation About Presentations: Creating The Dynamic Actuary"-- have provided hundreds of insurance professionals new perspectives on addressing communication skills in and out of the office and/or giving presentations at industry conferences or other settings.
And these workshops are not only for those at all levels who struggle and need to invest more of themselves into honing their communication skill sets. These workshops are also for C-Suite and other senior executives looking to sharpen and re-examine their skills in the communications realm. Below outlines brief details of each workshop.
Improv Worshop
Using fundamental exercises from the theater genre of improvisation, attendees will interact with this session's facilitator to examine business communications. The facilitator guides attendees with suggestions to improve their communication and negotiation skills. In small groups, attendees participate in improvisational exercises that emphasize the importance of listening in communication.
Attendees will:
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Learn to communicate and negotiate more effectively with colleagues and clients;​
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Gain a better understanding of both the input and output of communication
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Examine their confidence in communicating and negotiating; and
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Improve their communication and negotiation skills.
No experience with improvisation is required.
Presenters Workshop
"A Presentation About Presentations: Creating The Dynamic Actuary
(or other Insurance Professional)"
Presenters Workshop
For the first half of the workshop, participants review tips on how to communicate and connect with an audience...and with an objective. As actuaries and other insurance professionals gain increasing access to C-Suite roles, finely honed communication and presentation skills are of paramount importance. The session also examines incorporating "business storytelling" in presentations to build more intense and personal connections between the presenter, the audience and the message.
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The second half of the session breaks the participants into sub-groups, each of which are given a light/fun topic to jointly create a presentation...which will then be presented to the other sub-groups. The focus is to attack the fear of presenting while incorporating creative elements into the development and delivery of presentations.
{Improv and Presentation workshops each are an hour-and-a-half in length and can be scheduled individually or together. Most clients schedule both as they complement one another.}