Clients & Testimonials - Effective Communication

Australian Government Department-of-defence

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Argos

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Argos
Jim Romero

‘EC’ workshop showed me a simple & easy path to succeed in presentations by better influencing people with clear & focused messages to any audience.

Avaya

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Avaya
Roy Wakim – Solutions & Marketing, APAC

Effective Communication.com.au’s approach to entire Learning Process was, spot on‟… Please don’t change it. Interaction level during workshop was correct and all examples very useful.

I personally learnt to focus my message “punches‟ to be aimed at audience needs. And, keep punching away until audience get it.

I gained immediate tangible outcomes. For example, during my prospect presentation the day following workshop, my business gained new client which wants a live demo towards purchasing a system. What more could I hope for during one presentation!

Bancolombia

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Bancolombia
Alejandro Aguilar – Banca de Inversión

I participated in the ‘Effective Presentation Skills’ workshop delivered by John Rayner of ‘EC’. John’s facilitation style was beyond a typical business class or lecture. John facilitated interaction with all participants allowing the learning process to progress in a safe environment. John is a great presenter & coach. I recommend both junior & senior executives engage this coaching because it provides essential insights to ensure your presentations are more convincing and powerful.

Breville

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Breville
Tania – Marketing

Working with EC – Approachable, friendly and professional

What I learnt – How to plan any type of business communication, with a different approach to getting a clear message across to the audience

Personal outcomes – Increased my confidence towards delivering presentations and learning to slow down to a digestible pace.

Broad

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Broad
Jonathan Gould – Project Manager

I found the complete learning experience with Effective Communication.com.au to be thoroughly enjoyable. John Rayner was very professional in his approach to all our presentation training and John maintained the interest of all attendees throughout the 2 day workshop.

em>The main thing I learnt during the training process is that sometimes less is more. The art to a good presentation is to leave a very clear message and drum home the issues and key point(s) whilst delivering message.

The learning experience has saved me much time when preparing for business presentations and given me renewed confidence to speak before a group of people.

Clorox

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Clorox
Paul Andrade – National Account Executive

I had the privilege of putting the ‘EC’ model to the test in the real world yesterday and I thought I should share some key outcomes with you.

The client being a Franklins Senior Buyer who is always very busy and difficult in gaining 100% full attention during discussions/meetings.

Although the meeting did not go according to plan it was great to see the ‘EC’ model do its work in gaining his attention and also engaging him in discussions on how we could grow his business.

As a result of this ‘EC’ model I was able to gain control and keep the discussions on track and clear.

Judging by his reaction I delivered a sales argument well and embedded the focus sales message.

As a result this major buyer has already made an appointment with me in the next two weeks to discuss further initiatives to grow his business.

Thank you ‘EC’ for all your training and support throughout the course, I feel that I have got a grip on how best to effectively communicate with different prospects and customers towards gaining the most from all sorts of discussions.

Department of Defence

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Department of Defence
Martin Callaghan, Directorate of Combat Development – Army Future Land Warfare Branch

EC’s approach is designed to target those areas of communication that are common problems for professionals, in an interactive and supportive environment. The use of structured exercises and open dialogue combined to create a powerful tool for recognising problem areas in written and verbal presentations, and addressing them in a systematic and effective fashion.

Even after years of communicating in verbal and written formats, I found that the skills learned in the course have completely changed my perception of what is required to plan and deliver effective and professional presentations. In particular, the planning formulae provided a way to critically examine the premises of what is required in a presentation, which dramatically reduced the time and resources spent in information gathering.

I have been able to cut through the chaos the characterised my information gathering processes, and dramatically reduce the time and effort previously expended in planning verbal and written communications. Through using EC’s planning structure, I feel more confident in choosing what is included in presentations, and in succinctly presenting that information.

EC’s approach of getting in touch before the session surprised me, but certainly made the first day more efficient, as I had a better idea of what to expect than I normally do when going to a training course. EC had made their goals clear from the start, so after we met up we got straight down to productive work.

The key point I took away from the course was the need to tailor one’s presentation to the audience. So often in the past I have tailored my presentations to myself! EC also highlighted just how essential good preparation is to effective communication.

Gazal

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Gazal
Joanne Day, Division Manager

Obviously whatever you worked on was needed for my staff as it all came together by the end of the sessions. Some of the immediate benefits I’ve witnessed are:

Increased enthusiasm for their work
More communication confidence
Thinking outside the communication skills box
Excited about learning new techniques
More Focused with their business messages
An increased team spirit
A higher degree of professionalism.

I believe most of the benefits from my team’s training will not all be read within such a short time frame. And so, based on these immediate benefits, I expect to see many more in the longer term.

General Mills Australia

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General Mills Australia
Michael Woodland, National Sales Manager

I found the workshop conducted by EC to be a valuable learning in all forms of communication. John Rayner’s approach is very practical & encourages participation.

We all tend to take communication for granted & forget about our audience or the message we want to get across. I now constantly stop & use the techniques, whether it be internally or with our external customers. Not a bad to use at home either!

I would highly recommend EC if you are looking to hone in on improving you or your teams communication impact.

HANSEN YUNCKEN

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HANSEN YUNCKEN
Trevor Nye – Regional Manager

Dear ‘EC’. Thanks for providing a new business communication challenge. I am already into ‘planning’ my next client contacts in accordance with my new skills.

IBM Australia

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IBM Australia
Brett Barclay – Learning & Development Professional

EC has significantly increased my ability to plan, prepare and deliver powerful and effective business communications.

I am better equipped to give simple yet strong and focused communications which communicate exactly what my audience need to know and the action they need to take.

EC’s professional yet informal style made the course an excellent personal and professional development experience.

INSPIRE COMMUNITY

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INSPIRE COMMUNITY
Brett Simkin – Leader

I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘EC Learning Process’ and have been going over my notes and thinking (with the intent of putting into action) about the advice John Rayner shared with me after the seminar was complete.

To begin with, John Rayner’s approach was immaculate. John engaged me on a personal level and in such a way as to encourage development without negative criticism. Although I went in with an open mind I left feeling content with where I was and even excited to begin pushing myself to develop in the communication areas that you focused on.

The biggest thing I learnt was how the parts of an engagement or situation can be not so much pre-planned but more so tooled so as to avoid uncomfortable silences, unless they are used to quickly gather thoughts for a more ‘to the point’ response. Learning how to properly answer or tool a response to a question was also invaluable.

As for personal outcomes, I have an increased level of confidence when it comes to meeting new prospects.

I’m sure many other people in business, especially those in leadership or sales, could benefit from ‘EC’.

I will keep ‘EC’ in mind when the opportunity arises to refer business communication skills training because your approach to teaching and quality of content was top notch.

Once again thank you for the opportunity to partake in your ‘Learning Process’ and best wishes for the future.

IRONSIDE CREATIONS

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IRONSIDE CREATIONS
Nathan Ironside – International Artist/Producer/Songwriter

EC certainly lives up to its name and reputation, EffectiveCommunication.com.au. I have personally seen my business communication skills and financial return triple as a result of receiving consultancy from John Rayner and the EC team.

The simple and effective manner in which John communicates his methods is both easy to understand and practical to apply.

There are many books I’ve read and programs I’ve participated in relating to marketing, sales, and business communication skills, however to sit down face to face with someone as skilled and approachable as John Rayner is something far more productive and exciting.

John has a knack for finding the overlooked and weaker areas in your business from which you could be profiting greatly and shows you step by step how to strengthen and present them. He also teaches you how to strategically focus your current strengths and in turn see immediate and long term business growth.

Being a creative music producer I learnt that what was dead air or down time can easily be turned into greater productivity and greater financial return with better communication, planning and presentation to my clients.

The music industry will now benefit more from my skills because EC is teaching me the most effective way to market and present myself as an international songwriter, producer and artist.

Isuzu Australia

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Isuzu Australia
Ben Nicholson – Zone Dealer Sales Manager – QLD

EC Approach To Training: EC’s approach during our presentation skills development was very consultative and involved everyone in the group. It wasn’t just the facilitator giving feedback, it was our peers as well.

This meant it did not feel like the message was being pushed on us by the facilitator. Rather, as a group we worked towards our own ideals of what a good presentation should be.

What I Learnt from Training: That less is more with PowerPoint presentations. I also learned that I need to control the audience better when I engage them in verbal interaction.

Tangible Business Outcomes Gained: I am much more able to produce improved presentations that rely less on PowerPoint and more on me delivering the message.

MITSUBISHI DEVELOPMENT Pty Ltd.

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MITSUBISHI DEVELOPMENT Pty Ltd.
Cherie Davis – Executive Secretary

Thank you for facilitating our workshop this week. On a personal level I found it to be extremely valuable to me in lifting my confidence. The planning will be much easier for me in future, I believe, especially with having a template to assist in creating the message while keeping any communication brief.

I watched my presentations on the ‘DVD’ you gave me and, even though I know there is still much room for improvement, I believe the difference between my first and last presentation is very wide.

The two day workshop definitely lessened my presentation nerves.

Many thanks!

NORTEL

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NORTEL
Jared Wong – Technical Pre Sales Manager

EC positively changed myself and my team’s perception of what a business presentation is. In addition, we also apply the skills learnt in other areas of communication such as meetings & report writing.

Even if you’ve attended communication skills workshops before, you might just have to forget all the rigid rules that you’ve learnt to deliver a real presentation. Added to this I have recognized significant time saving during preparation.

John Rayner did an excellent job because based upon his knowledge & experience he had my teams constant attention throughout the learning.

NPC

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NPC
Li Jou Ooi – Business Manager

What I enjoyed:

The ways all participants communication development needs across the different work groups were successfully tailored
The use of participant presentations as the basis of all constructive critique, feedback and advice. This made the entire workshop easier to relate to plus, made all learning more effective.

What I Learnt

The best practices of constructing any presentation (Argument), Environment & Personal Delivery
How to plan & deliver presentations by focusing on key points + ‘take away’ message
How to ensure my presentations are clear, short & sweet (to suit audience palate)
How to present with more influence by ensuring my message(s) possesses the correct amount of ‘IQ’ (facts/data etc.) + ‘EQ’ (visuals, analogies, case studies, examples etc.)

Philips

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Philips
Michael Aquilina – National Account Manager

I would like to thank you for your recent involvement within the presentation planning for our biggest launch ever. We recently completed delivery of the presentation during an Australia wide “road show‟ to our main channel partner.

You assisted us in refocusing on the fundamentals of our presentation whereby we had to present the language of our audience, emphasise our key points, review our key points and keep the entire presentation simple based on one clear focused message.

At times like this when everyone is so enthusiastic and a large budget has been committed to a “road show‟, we often try to inundate our audience with information at the risk of them just glazing over and missing the key points and focused message. Your quote (John) that certainly stuck through this entire process was, “With Great Risk Comes Great Reward.

During all “road show‟ presentations we presented the best we ever have to demonstrate the best product we have ever had. And, by simply keeping our presentation very simple and at your advice allowing the product to speak for itself, we experienced the best outcomes we could have hoped for in terms of presentation efficiency, effectiveness and audience “buy in”.

Thank you again for being a part of our team during our biggest launch ever, which delivered great results. Looking forward to working with you again.

PYBAR

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PYBAR
Daniel Cruz – Superintendent

I found the approach that EC took while working with me to be a very honest and open.

What I liked about the course was: rolling up of the sleeves (telling it how it is).

What I learnt was: get a clear message across without the baggage.

Silcar

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Silcar
Bob Watling – General Manager – Power & Industry

For some time now I’ve had my eyes on a particular organisation in the hope of gaining their trust to convert them from a prospect to Client.

Based on an existing contact who now works within this organisation, I was able to convince him to book time with a number of his senior managers to present my business. I must admit, two weeks before the agreed presentation date, I was lacking in confidence predominantly based on the fact that our business needs to “raise the bar‟ in the business development area.

I had been referred to Effective Communication.com.au (EC) who I contacted only days before I was to present. Having met with John Rayner of EC, he asked the right questions to gain a clear commercial understanding of where my business was at plus, what needed to be achieved to ensure the upcoming presentation was successful.

In very little time John was able to construct my entire presentation, which greatly helped overcome my lacking confidence.

I really liked the way John tailored his approach to suit my individuality. “Hand Carved‟ is the term SILCAR (my business) uses.

In addition, John cut out a large number of PowerPoint Slides I had considered based on our organisations “standard‟ approach‟. And the visual aids he designed were brief, specific and drove the key Points and Message home.

Ultimately, during the presentation our organisation gained immediate commitment with this prospect to review 2 of their sites. This was what John and I set out to achieve when we first met because by gaining this commitment means we have a really good chance of selling the fullness of our services to this prospect. Great result!

In addition, I’ve already used EC’s approach again at our recent “Safety Conference‟, which had a great affect! Thanks John and I hope we can work together again.

Thiess

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Thiess
Steve Holden – Building Manager

In my capacity as Building Manager within the Leighton Holdings Group I have been associated with Effective Communication.com.au since early 2004. I involved EC with our Westmead Hospital team in a High Performance Team Workshop to better align our project objectives to the performance of each key staff member. This was a critical process as the project runs until June 2008 and the team was relatively new.

Accountabilities Maps were created against each identified objective. The outcome was the creation key performance communication indicators stating the involvement of particular members of the team. We are monitoring this process quarterly to ensure we achieve what we agreed.

The process that EC put us through in preparation for the Westmead Hospital Workshop assisted in making sure the day was successful. I have since used this process and EC’s input on our 100 Pacific Highway (a commercial high-rise development) project.

I know some of my staff could not have presented their input on the two examples above without the preparation work EC put them through leading up to the workshop. EC are retained on an ongoing basis to conduct Communication training for our business and to assist on individual assignments as required. I highly recommend EC to future clients.

Vodafone

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Vodafone
Korry Hoogesteger – National Account Manager

60% SALES INCREASE

Having engaged Effective Communication.com.au (EC) to support the construction and delivery of “24‟ critical presentations to approximately 1,500 Woolworths Ltd. Managers, the results speak for themselves.

23 out of 24 presentations ‘hit the mark’ by achieving all pre-planned outcomes. Based on the calculation of commitments gained during all presentations, I believe these results will lead to a 60% increase in sales of our presented product through Woolworths Ltd. EC’s approach was highly flexible – tailoring the message to the audience very quickly.

Personally, I learned a great deal about how to tailor a message and present in a highly convincing, yet non- confrontational style. More importantly, my confidence to speak in public has grown by applying the simple tools that EC offer.

The real benefit of EC’s approach is FLEXIBILITY. EC’s specialist trainer was able to instantly recognise areas during the construction and delivery of this presentation that required immediate change and therefore reacted quickly.

EC’s approach is highly audience and commercial outcome centered vs. a traditional company approach which can be far more rigid and focused on ensuring OUR companies message gets across, rather than a message which actually leads to a “yes”, then commitment from the client or customer.

A very successful event! I believe our organisation gained these standout results because of EC’s input”

Worksense

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Worksense
Chris Douglas | State Manager NSW/ACT

I was impressed by working with EC. The approach made me feel comfortable, & the content was ‘right down my alley’.

I’m a big fan of continual improvement. The teachings on the day helped me question some of my current techniques. A number of the teachings were also very much in line with what I currently push our business to improve on so it was very relevant.

I’ve already put into practice the ‘rule of thumb’ about the number of presentation slides I use, if I am to use a PowerPoint. Plus, I have already started using the very effective presentation planning template.