Launch: short internal communication courses

Businesses are facing more internal communication challenges than ever. Keeping remote teams connected, changing behaviours at pace and sustaining that change at a distance, having a confident and bold position on numerous issues that can quickly become divisive are just a few issues challenging our communications at work. I spent some time over the summer thinking how I can support more teams and individual communicators. I want to help you make decisions, access the tools and have insights to take action. So I’ve created these short and sweet internal communication courses to help you through these challenging times.

The solution

I started developing short online courses to:

1. Provide a framework and understanding of the key principles at play in a given type of situation – such as sustaining change at pace and distance.
2. Supply worksheets and tools to take back into work to put the principles into practice
3. Create a cohort ‘bubble’ for each course – so while your time in the online session is short, you’re connected to others who have learned with you, maybe facing the same challenge and together you may form a mutual support and accountability partnership
4. Support you individually to put your learning into practice, with a follow up session to make sure you’re making progress and getting results

These are brand new courses. I’m offering each course to just six people, and at a special introductory price for this first round.

Grab your spot to be my first live cohort and your feedback will help shape the courses and how they are delivered.

Email me at katie@littlebirdcommunication.co.uk to book your place.

The first two courses

Course 1) Impact Lab – Helping your organisation make sustainable change with impactful communication

Wednesday 14 October 2020 1pm – 2.30pm

£50 to secure your place

 

Course 2) Being Bold Lab – Helping your organisation be bold and communicate in a world of uncertainty

Wednesday 21 October 2020 1pm – 2.30pm

£50 to secure your place

 

Book your place on either course by dropping me an email here: katie@littlebirdcommunication.co.uk

Here’s some more detail.

Course 1) Impact Lab

We’re at a point where we’ve had to make changes at speed in businesses of all shapes and sizes. But how will we sustain that and keep the good behaviours and ways of doing that have been made? This course is designed to help you achieve that sustained change in your organisations.

This short course gives you an introduction to internal communication principles needed to help people adapt and change their behaviours, how that can be sustained, so that the organisation can shift in line with its strategy.

You will have templates and a workbook to help you plan for change, sustain it and to keep you focused on the objective. You’ll be part of a small cohort of up to six students. As a combination of short online seminar with discussion elements, additional reading to give you context, and easy-to-use change communication frameworks you will have the guides to put this session into practice at work.

Course 2) Being Bold Lab

This course is all about bold conversations and decision-making. We have been reminded of what matters most during 2020. This year has given us an insight into what it could be like if we slowed down, consumed less, enjoyed nature more and spent more time with loved ones. This revelation may not be new for many but this time is likely to lead to lasting behaviours. We are likely to see consumers, employees and businesses making more careful choices about how and where they spend their money, and who they work for and partner with. Our ethical decision-making as businesses is critical to how we treat our people, customers, suppliers and the planet.

This workshop will help your organisation have bold conversations, and help you to work through how your organisation’s decision-making fits within an ethical framework. We’ll look at the use of data and listening to understand the issues we face and how to respond with confidence. Knowing what your organisation really stands for and how those values filter through all of the business is vital. As communicators we can help our organisations say what they do and do what they say, clearly and with confidence.

The course is designed for a small group of up to six students. You’ll be given some pre-work to consider in your work, take part in a short seminar online to give you context and the chance to discuss in the group. Plus the templates, frameworks and follow up to bring your learning to action in your work.

How the courses work

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive a confirmation and payment details.

Then once payment has been received and you’re enrolled, you will get confirmation.

Each course includes:

• A short pre-workshop activity to help you come prepared and with a context for your learning
• One 90 minute online seminar and workshop as per the advertised times
• Course materials – provided to you before, during and after the course
• Closed online community to share your thoughts and ideas and support each other – you’ll receive an invite to join this in the week before your course starts
• 15 minute individual follow up call to see how you are doing, find out what the blockages are and suggest solutions – you’ll be given a selection of times to book with me to follow up

 

The normal fee per course is £200, or two courses booked at the same time, it’s £300

The introductory price is just £50 for each course.

 

Future courses

Once I start taking bookings and delivering the courses I’ll start to work on future courses and share more dates through my site here and a waiting list.

How frequently each of these courses will repeat depends upon demand and the moment in time. I plan to run two courses at a time on different topics. When the situation or demand shifts to a different topic the courses will adapt.

I’m drawing upon my passion for learning, reading widely and taking a broad view, coupled with my teaching, mentoring and consultancy to create a dynamic learning experience. The courses are designed to help you make an impact quickly.

I like the style of agile and squad working to design and deliver work. It lends well to the creation of adaptive courses that need to change quickly to suit the world of work now. As part of the course, you’ll experience part of that agile and squad working approach and can take some of that style into your wider work too.

With that in mind, the courses are delivered in small groups, so you get a shared experience and small bubble around you. You can support each other as you go through your real life implementation of your learning and share your experiences.

What makes me qualified to help you?

I’ve worked in communications for over 20 years, the last ten of which I’ve worked independently as a consultant for a wide range of clients solving their business communication challenges. I’ve also led the CIPR Internal Communication Diploma course at Bournemouth University since 2016.

I’m a Bournemouth University graduate in PR in 1999, and later a graduate of the CIPR Internal Communication Diploma from PR Academy in 2014. As an active volunteer committee member of CIPR Inside, I have helped to create a range of events and webinars since being involved in 2012. I’ve run sessions on subjects from change to measurement, and helped set up and manage the inside story awards programme from 2012 until 2016. I also researched and wrote the ethics guide which you can see in my resources page here.

I really enjoy working with teams of people in workshop environments to help them achieve their aims. With the onset of Coronavirus I wanted to find a way to bring all of my knowledge and working experience to life for small groups to help them achieve success in their work. My driving ambition is to help make workplaces work better for everyone. A way I can do that is sharing my knowledge beyond consulting and hands on delivery.

 

I’m looking forward to working with you. Email me at katie@littlebirdcommunication.co.uk to book your place on an introductory course.

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog.

I work with businesses of all shapes and sizes to help them communicate clearly, reveal the human connections that matter and get meaningful results. Read more in my solutions page. If you would like to find out what people think and feel about your business, and communicate with them better, get in touch.

Feature image credit: Photo by Jordan McDonald on Unsplash