Gathering information and putting together a narrative, with a hook (‘I’ statement with personal disclosure) and a narrative arc (beginnning, middle and end).  Preparing content for delivery by ‘pontooning’ it and rehearsing it out loud.

Strategising the message, both the content (what) and the way it lands (how); preparing the emotional strategy and working it through, so as to have greater influence over the outcome of the presentation, interview, conversation or meeting.

Aggregate Audience Assessment

Researching the audience and assessing where they are in their process of persuasion to the argument that’s being presented. Knowing more about the audience helps focus the messaging so it lands better.

‘On your feet’ rehearsal in the big or small space to ensure that You and your message land clearly, succinctly and authentically with the audience.  Aligning the spoken story to any slides or visuals to ensure they support the narrative. 

Work on a challenging interaction. Looking at the emotional negotiation that needs to take place, both externally with the other people involved, and internally, within You! -controlling any self-sabotaging internal ‘scripts’, getting into a positive mindset etc.  Strategies to use in the heat of the moment in order to  get the best result from TA and the performance toolkit eg using pause and breath between the trigger and the response. 

 Practise gathering information and converting this into usable intelligence – before rushing in to speak!  Seek to understand before being understood. Active listening is not innate in any of us; we are programmed to talk.  But it’s a very powerful tool – one that goes to the heart of establishing and maintaining relationships – and it needs practice to embed.

Practise and experiment in a safe environment with specialist role players to try different ways of approaching a conversation. If you have a difficult interaction to manage we can discuss what is going on and then simulate the situation, looking at the various options (and their consequences) and try out different ‘responses’ rather than ‘reactions’, so that you can move towards an optimal outcome.

The Performance Toolkit underpins everything of course.  Throughout these sessions your Coach will keep you checking in on your Performance Energy level and use of the Variety Pack and the golden mantra: 'twice the energy, half the pace, using Pause and Emphasis for clarity and meaning!'