WORKSHOP – EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Overview
What happens when an IT Professional attends a conference, an industry meeting or other networking event? In an ideal world, the person attending the event will be confidently communicating with other attendees. Your organisations image and reputation will be enhanced by positive interactions with others at the event. But what if the attendee is not so confident?

Conferences, technical meetings and industry gatherings are a great chance to meet new people, but these events can also be quite daunting. The majority of people attending these events feel some level of anxiety about being in a room full of people they don’t know. Technical people in particular find these situations challenging. It can be tempting to withdraw or escape from these situations.

This half day workshop is designed for IT Professionals who recognise the need to gain effective networking skills. This course provides simple strategies and hands on practice for gaining confidence in the crowd, making introductions and having effective conversations with strangers.You will learn easy ways of coping with the crowd environment and how to become an effective evangelist for your organisation.

Every interaction you have with others creates an impression. When you attend a networking event you become the “face” of the organisation you work for. Having a professional image and positive communication skills will enhance your industry relationships and your organisations reputation.
Duration: Half Day

Course Content

The course covers the following:

  • Understanding and overcoming the fear of networking events
  • How to prepare for conversations with strangers
  • How to break in to a group
  • How to ask the right questions
  • Active listening skills for a crowded room
  • How to enhance the reputation of your organisation
  • Important lessons on what NOT to do and what NOT to say
  • How to break away from a conversation
  • How to follow up and keep in contact with people after the event

Approach
This course will be delivered by an NZTE registered training instructor who specialises in transforming technical communication. The course will introduce a number of concepts with a participative style to ensure learning is directly applied to each attendee.

Objectives
At the end of the course attendees will be able to:

  • Feel confident in a room full of people
  • Introduce themselves to strangers the easy way
  • Enjoy effective conversations with people they meet at a networking event
  • Be an effective evangelist for their organisation
  • Avoid the common mistakes people make at networking events
  • Break away from conversations without feeling awkward
  • Form ongoing business relationships with people they meet at the event

Target Audience

  • IT Professionals who will be attending industry gatherings
  • Hosts and organisers of IT networking events – to understand the needs of attendees

Your Trainer
Heather Grace is an experienced training facilitator and business coach who has worked in a variety of professional roles in the technology sector.
Originally from a technical background in the manufacturing sector, Heather has diplomas in Management and Psychology, plus 30 years experience in the business world overseas and in NZ. Her business experience includes technical sales, sales management, project management, contract management and general management roles.
She has particular experience in running businesses involved in IT, Professional Engineering Services and the Sciences.
Heather runs the TechBiz Success Academy, providing training and coaching in communication, technical sales and growth strategy for technical people and technical businesses.