Date: Saturday,
10th of August, 2019
Venue: Capital Square, Ikoyi.
The higher you go
up a communication ladder, the more treacherous the path becomes --
semantically and grammatically. Your world was simpler when a basic grasp of
the English language was all you had. Erudition oft comes with second-guessing;
“if this sentence was to be redone, would
it communicate my thoughts more efficiently effectively?”
Quite often,
people need refreshers when communication is the aim. I’m sure this is why,
like myself, many signed up for the free Business Communication Workshop as
soon as the registration link was shared by David
I. Adeleke on social media.
I got to the
venue six minutes late and the event had already begun. [Is that ‘began’? You
see??]. The screen projected the list of topics to be discussed:
1. Basic grammar and writing style
2. Email etiquette
3. How to pitch your ideas
4. How to write a report
5. Presentation skills
In spite of the
rain, the room was filled within the first thirty minutes stipulated for
introductions. Bankers, writers, poets, quality assurers, entrepreneurs, comms
people and students made an interestingly diverse list of attendees.
The first session,
delivered by the convener, David
I. Adeleke was on “Basic Grammar and Writing Style.” Sweet, short slides
distinguishing the application of WhoVsThat, WhoVsWhom, WillVsWould,
WhoseVsWho’s and funnily but important enough, AmVsI’m. Everyone laughed
through it, but I did not fall for it. They are those who type AM SORRY.
A recap? WHO is used to describe people, and
THAT is used to describe objects. For example:
“Everyone WHO
came out today is amazing”
“Her cup is the
only one THAT is clean”
WOULD is
conditional; a probability, but WILL is used when something is expected to
happen with a high degree of certainty.
Tips to help your
writing: simplicity and knowing your audience were given out and the session
wound to an end with recommended resources which included a Lupe Fiasco album, Teju Cole’s advice to young writers
etc.
Basically:
●
have a clear subject line
at the beginning,
●
you must include a call
to action,
●
edit rigorously,
●
do not prevaricate.
The third
session, HOW TO PITCH YOUR IDEAS AT WORK,
was taken by David Adeleke. Here, he talked about the subtleties of work
politics. The world isn’t black and white, and the realities of any workplace are
rarely ideal. There was a quote here: “to
progress, you often have to think for two: how your progress can benefit them
AND you at the same time.” He ended the session with an intricate narration
of how it ought to be done – from conception to execution.
The fourth
session, “PRESENTATION BEST PRACTICES”
was delivered by Peace Itimi, the Head of Marketing at Korapay.
This wasn’t how to design slides, but how to present them. According to Peace “what good are ingenious ideas or a good
vision if you cannot convey their fabulousness to the audience?”
She highlighted
and discussed both bad and good presentation characteristics.
|
BAD
|
GOOD
|
|
Lack
of preparation
|
Competence
|
|
Not
knowing your audience
|
Composure
|
|
Using
monotones
|
Extroversion
|
|
Inappropriate
visual aids
|
Calmness
|
She ended with
ideal content hierarchy for (most) presentations:
1. Introduction
2. Problem
3. Solution
4. Impact
5. Conclusion
There
was a food break and attendees networked over an excellent meal.
The anchor, Uzor
Anakebe, a Google enthusiast and also one of the coordinators of the Google
Business Group (GBG), preached the Google gospel as he presented ONLINE TOOLS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS. No
matter how tech-savvy you are, Uzor’s presentation will leave you feeling like
you are grossly underutilizing Google tools in business communication and
marketing.
The last session:
HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS REPORT was,
again, taken by David Adeleke. Is it prose or data-driven? What’s the purpose?
Will it influence a major decision or is it just a basic summary? Do you need
comments? Charts? Graphs?
The program ended
with a group photograph of facilitators, speakers and attendees. Contacts were
exchanged, improvements were made and we left for home.
It was a fine,
timely event. Kudos all around.
Captaincue is a freelance writer taking on gigs for unridiculous money. Call/Text 08132150177 now.
