Think on Your Feet ®

The ability to ‘Think on Your Feet’® is now a core skill for every knowledge worker and subject matter expert. It means getting your ideas across clearly, concisely, persuasively (and being remembered). Everyone wants you to get to the point … quickly!

Think on Your Feet® introduces the ‘capsules-of-persuasion’ concept – 10 plans that structure your ideas quickly, for impact. For people who need to answer questions on the spot, to simplify complex ideas, and/or to be more persuasive, Think on Your Feet ® is the natural choice.

Originally designed in Canada, this program has supported over 150,000 specialists and professionals in more than 30 countries. Every business day of the year, five new ‘Think on Your Feet’ ® workshops start somewhere in the world. Clients include Telstra, Cisco, Motorola, Mercer, Citibank, Oracle, and Singapore Airlines to name a few. Australian public sector users include Centrelink, the Department of Treasury & Finance, the House of Representatives, Australian Sports Commission, AusAID, DIMA and the APSC. The programs often get the highest feedback scores of any workshop.

Learning Objectives

• get your ideas across clearly, concisely & persuasively in impromptu situations
• think on your feet (speaking without notes) using clear thinking & structural reasoning processes; and
• manage questions and discussions in interviews & meetings.

The workshop is filled with tools, ideas and insights. It is highly interactive and participative. Delegates practise their scenarios using the models taught in the workshop.

Content

Session 1: Getting to the Point & Being Remembered

• Techniques to package persuasion
• Structuring ideas simply and clearly
• Speaking in different situations: one-on-one, small groups, and to large audiences

Session 2: Presenting Your Ideas

• Using three-part plans to display analysis
• Helping your listener understand by placing your ideas into a simple, unifying structure
• Relying on structured reasoning to answer questions quickly

Session 3: Using Fall-Back Techniques When You’re Caught Off Guard

• Making sense out of a mass of facts
• Explaining step-by-step processes clearly

Session 4: Handling Questions Quickly, Clearly and Persuasively

• Following the “Rule of Threes”
• Creating logical pegs to hang your thoughts on
• Announcing & Recapping

Session 5: Using “Visual” Pegs as Your Structure

• Achieving impact
• Supporting large or complex topics
• Adding depth to your message

Session 6: Avoiding Common Communication Traps

• Keeping on track
• Avoiding information overload
• Addressing your listener’s core concerns

Session 7: Dividing Information into Facets, Aspects or Perspectives

• Achieving objectivity
• Expressing thoughtfulness
• Addressing issues from different viewpoints

Session 8: Bridging from Question to Answer

• Answering the right question
• Handling objections & tough questions positively
• Buying time

Session 9: How to Broaden or Focus Your Listener’s Perspective

• Moving from detail to the big picture, or vice versa
• Handling sensitive or confidential information
• Countering sweeping generalisations

Session 10: Moving Two Opposing Viewpoints to a Middle Ground

• Negotiating a win-win outcome
• Dealing with controversial topics
• Moving to action

Session 11: Selling the Benefits of Your Ideas, Products, Services

• Presenting benefits, not features
• Showing advantages to your listener
• Employing the “So what?” test

Session 12: Fleshing Out Your Ideas

• Using examples to increase understanding & recall
• Developing ideas through the use of opposites
• Explaining an idea by cause & effect

Target Audience

Directors, managers, sales staff, subject matter experts or job applicants who need to communicate in interviews & meetings with impact.

Duration

Typically two days (though modular & shorter workshops can be arranged)

Maximum Participants

18

Every participant receives a bound 140–page workshop manual, containing a synopsis of the Think on Your Feet® formats for easy study. Plus it includes examples, worksheets, checklists, and memory-jogging wallet cards.