Craft of Communication: BIDS, PITCHES & NETWORKING

Craft of Communication: Bid Coaching and Networking workshops

Making a Good Pitch, successful Bidding and Networking all require communication that is subtle and sophisticated. They demand:

• A full understanding of the audience
• The ability to move quickly and elegantly from one level of communication to another.

John Abulafia works with both Teams and Individuals to help them acquire the range of communication skills needed for these challenging situations. His training method combines skill-building, exercises and role-play. Clients learn then immediately have a chance to use the necessary skills. John creates a safe environment in which they can gain the necessary flexibility to deal with a situation that can be changeable, charged and contain unexpected or secret agendas.

Both workshops are in two phases: Skill-Building and Rehearsal.

Phase One: Networking workshops builds five skills:

• Getting the attention of others.
• Keeping their attention.
• Using the voice to maximum effect.
• The technique of Active Listening.
• Techniques for Influencing others.

Phase One: Bid Coaching workshops help clients to develop:

• Presentations that presents a case in an effective, time-efficient way.
• How to Present a bid as a team.
• Use of PowerPoint that makes full use of the resonance of visual images.
• Insights and techniques to endure material and style addresses all the interests and constituencies within the audience
• The ability to handle Q & A.
• How to become adept at Active Listening.

These, like all Craft of Communication workshops, are all action. Once a skill is learned, clients are given time to use it and make it their own through a series of exercises and short role-plays.

This allows time to explore issues or situations that may be unique to each person – such as how you network with those who are more senior that you or, in a Bid Q & A, dealing with difficult or aggressive questions.

Phase Two: Applying the Skills.
In both workshops, the second phase consists of rehearsal.

• In Networking Workshops, clients role-play an entire networking situation.
• In Bid Coaching Workshops Individuals and Teams rehearse the Bid in a
  situation as close as possible to the real situation they will face.

The key feature of this phase is that clients get to play BOTH sides.

• In Networking Workshops they get to play both Speaker and Listener.
• In Bid Coaching Workshops Teams have can opportunity to play both themselves and the client.

One cannot influence a client without understanding them. The best way to understand those on the other side is to BE them.