I totally agree with Thomas Jefferson when he says, “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do”, especially in the business environment. I also think Peter Drucker is spot on when he says, “As soon as you move one step from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken or written word”.
I see it happen every day in the corporate space. The young man or woman, who communicates well, is able to speak up, present ideas, proffer solutions, and get the accolades. They may not necessarily be the best executors, but they get heard, they are understood, they put their ideas across. They simply communicate effectively. This buttresses the fact that one of the hallmarks of effective leadership is the ability to communicate effectively.
It is not uncommon to hear older colleagues complain about the quality of graduates our universities churn out. They can barely communicate in writing or verbally. They get into the workforce hugely disadvantaged simply because they don’t know how to go about it. They are ill equipped to excel, because nobody will give them the chance. The sad thing is that a lot of these green horns don’t even realize how much they need to up their games in this area.
As a business trainer, I saw a huge gap and decided to do something about it. I developed our Effective Writing and Communications Training Program to show young professionals how to communicate in the corporate space. The intention was to highlight the basic rules of communication in the work environment.
The curriculum was simple but loaded enough to give anyone who attends the program enough to carry them through as they get back to work. This four-module program has been well received, by the desired audience, young professionals looking to grow in the corporate space or as entrepreneurs.
My last class with the most recent set of management trainees in AXA Mansard Insurance PLC was really exciting. The class was full of brilliant, self-opinionated young people. The attitude was, this is a day away from work, no hassle no trouble. What is in this Business Writing and Communication anyway? Then I began to teach and suddenly, I could tell I had their attention. The point at which I linked their progress as professionals to the program, everybody sat up. The conversation became more interesting.
Then I gave them the first exercise. I had taught a number of writing rules and expected them to put them to use in correcting a passage. Here goes: It is my objective to utilize more fully and satisfactorily both my university educational experience and my skills as an editor, preferably in a full-time employment position with your firm.
Now I had their full attention. No point in teaching so many rules in grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and so on without putting them to test. They groaned, complained, but eventually corrected the sentences and did all the other exercises, pretty well. I saw them take the tests with a certain tenacity that really blew my mind.
One of them had this to say in the feedback survey, “You will never communicate the way you currently do. If bad, you will communicate well, and if you are already good you will communicate better”. And this is our scorecard. It simply said to me, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”.
For us at CPPL, our major objectives were to get participants to:
- Communicate effectively through different media within the business environment
- Write business documents to professional standards.
- Present information in an organized, structured manner to achieve diverse business objectives
- Use correct grammar, punctuation and spelling, hence avoiding mistakes in writing.
- Express ideas with confidence and clarity, supporting persuasive and logical arguments
- Bring presentations to life with extra influence, personal impact, authority and natural presence.
We want them to feel confident enough to put these skills to use right away. The response is the same each time and it is very gratifying that we impact these young people so strongly with a program like this. We have had participants from other organizations, namely:
- First City Monument Bank FCMB
- Outcess Nigeria Limited
- Prime & Hills Energy Services Limited
- Moore Advice Limited
- Osato Osawaye & Company
- Tequila Nigeria Limited
- Eko Electric Distribution
CPPL Training Programs is the training and capabilities development arm of the business. We focus on the development of the individual and teams through a range of strategic activities that aim to achieve current business goals, meet future challenges and build capacity for growth. We provide a holistic model for capability development which supports a workforce to respond quickly, effectively and innovatively to customer needs in constantly changing business environments.
For enquiries, Call or WhatsApp on 0701 196 2027 or send a mail to info@CPPL.com.ng.
