Improving Communication through Improvisation
PROGRAMS PRESENTED
"Thinking on your Feet" Interactive Workshop - First Session
Sunoco contacted Communiprov about designing a training day for members of its exempt population. Many of these people would be mid-level management as well as some HR people and associates who worked extensively with station owners. The sessions were to be held in the Philadelphia area.
The program, designed with input from the Sunoco contact, was intended to help people think on their feet, improve communication skills, enhance public speaking proficiency and enable the participants to deal more effectively in day-to-day situations. There was to be a special emphasis on active listening, agreement and trust and support issues.
The objectives as stated by Sunoco were:
- Participants will become more aware of inner talk and the anxiety it creates when the participant is put into an extemporaneous speaking situation.
- Participants will become more aware of the power of body language in communication situations.
- Participants will practice proper and appropriate responses to others' comments or questions.
- Participants will practice responding to on-the-spot questions, comments and situations.
A full day workshop was designed with the objectives in mind. The number of participants was kept at no more than 18 so as to allow for more one-on-one contact and also to allow each participant to have the opportunity to really focus on the exercises.
Two consecutive days were scheduled with a new group each day.
As is often the case with this type of interactive training, there was some initial apprehension about the workshop but as the day went on, the participants became much more comfortable with the format of the session and the exercises.
The two days of training were very well received and Sunoco scheduled a second training session for the following October covering the same material with two different groups of people.
It is sometimes best not to tell the potential participants exactly what is going to be involved with the workshop. This helps avoid apprehension about the "performance" aspects of the training and allows the participants to enter into the training with more of an open mind.
COMMENTS
Avg. score: 3.6 out of 4
45 participants
"Good program - well facilitated by a strong instructor."
"Best class taken so far."
"Very well taught and interesting."
"Every day we are forced to think on our feet and these exercises helped us to be spontaneous and thorough."
"I thought it was great. This was the best session I've attended. It was fun, understandable and got you thinking without overwhelming you."
"Instructor was excellent and kept the material and class active."
"Best seminar that I've attended with Sunoco."
"Great workshop. Great energy level kept a fun atmosphere while still getting his point across."
"Great instructor. Knew his material well and added life experiences to the learning which helped a lot."
"Effective. Time well spent. Will definitely apply to my life."
"It was good. It held my interest the entire time."
"Great workshop!!"
"Great class. Really challenging."