Gwyneth March

Portfolio

Please see below classic outlines including length, numbers and cost, for the following subjects:

• Presentation Skills
• Time Management
• Better Business Writing
• Leadership
• Managing People
• Mentor Skills
• Stress Busting
• Resilience
• Negotiating Skills
• Better Client Service
• Demystifying Advertising

 

 

Presenting with Confidence     One Day Workshop

Summary

As Drucker notes: “As you move…up your company hierarchy, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken or written word.”  Moreover, as Ted Talks show: “Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century…nothing more inspiring than a bold idea delivered by a great speaker.”  Yet many of us would rather have a heart attack than give a presentation or are pretending to be something we are not thus missing out on using our strengths and natural style, enjoying ourselves and properly helping the audience.  This workshop will leave attendees feeling ten feet tall, wanting to present and maximise the benefit to their audience.

What’s in it for the attendees?

• Greater confidence in your many strengths and natural style, which you can use to succeed in any presentation from small meetings with colleagues to a major pitch
• Lots of practice of the basics and new techniques in a supportive environment four presentations, two as a team
• A chance to stand back from what you’ve been doing, learn from the experience of others and present as a team
• Chance to think about preparation when you have time, and when you don’t
• Opportunity to become a presenter people look forward to hearing from

 

What we cover to get that:  please note this is always tailored by brief from the client and pre-questionnaire from attendees.  For example, if structure is popular we would add another structure method, if conquering nerves proved important I would do more on that.  We cannot do everything so choosing is vital.

• Building on your strengths

• What do I need to think about before I ‘put pen to paper’?

• Does chemistry matter?
• Who are you presenting to?
• Managing time and place

• How to structure a presentation

• The Grid
• Team dynamics
• What if you have no time to prepare?
• How to start – FART
• Storytelling and STAR moments
• End with a sell

• Present as well as you can

• Getting the best from nerves
• Voice
• Body language
• Handling difficult questions
• Dealing with the awkward squad

• Revisiting your strengths
• What are you going to do now?

 

Target Audience/timing/numbers/cost

All ages and levels have benefited from the workshop – aimed at those who need to feel more confident.

It runs 9 am to 6 pm.

Up to eight people – one tutor – £1,700 which includes all travel, hotel, materials.  I am not registered for VAT.

Recent Delegate Feedback

“I learned far more than I expected.  [The tutor was] amazingly friendly, expert, facilitating and fun.”

“Best course I have been on.  Interaction and energy were great.” 

“Really supportive but challenging.”

“I learned to present with confidence and combat nerves.”

“Really useful tips on how to get the audience to like you and how important that is.”

“Really felt involved and that I was in a safe place to volunteer opinions.”

“Small things that will make a big difference: how to be calm, how to easily structure, body language, coping mechanisms.”

“It made me think about aspects of giving presentations I previously hadn’t considered.”

“I feel powerful.”

 

 

 

Time Management: The Common Sense Guide to Getting The Important Things Done 

Learning Objective

How to work out what is important to do, the order in which to do these priorities properly for greater results, and then how to stick to them!

Content – this is tailored by the client brief and what attendees report at the pre stage: e.g. adding sections on tackling big goals, or getting the best out of other people when you have little time:

• What’s in this for you?
• Taking responsibility and choosing how to operate
• Why and when you should write your to do list
• Nine methods to turn your to do list into a list of ordered priorities
• What actions get the best results – the 80/20 rule
• How to deal with some of the things that get in your way
• Techniques to help you concentrate on the priorities
• What are you going to commit to doing now?

Target Audience

Anyone who would like lots of practical methods to help them know what to do, when, and stick to it.  Past delegates have ranged from graduates to owners of the business!

Attendees will all have to complete a simple and confidential questionnaire before the course, so that the material can be tailored to their issues.  Their private action plan will be sent onto them afterwards and followed up at three months. If bespoke in one agency there will also be public pledges and buddying up. 

Length/Numbers/Cost

Four hours.  Up to 16 people can attend.   £850 plus travel

Delegate Feedback

“I learned tried and tested methods that have worked for others”

“Allowed me to create a pattern of behaviour that in the future will reward me and my employers”

“beneficial to our whole team (esp. with regard to meetings)”

“Main benefit was learning skills to prioritise day.  Made things seem a lot clearer”

“Key learning was being ruthless with time but gracious with people”

“Really enjoyed the session and would definitely recommend it to colleagues!”

“Learned lots – priority list; change eating/drinking habits”

“I’d just like to thank you again for that fun and informative time-management energiser.”

 

 

How to Get What You Want From Your Written Communication

What’s In It For You?

You will appreciate that written communication can be a powerful business tool; your own writing will be more effective; you will have a greater grounding in business etiquette

Content

Why attention to detail is vital to client service

The dangers of email – risks to companies, failure to communicate correctly, legality… (Exercise)

Don’t forget to love the language

Clarity of your purpose and what method of contact will work best (Exercise)

Difficult conversations – what works best when you have to ‘be the boss’ (Exercises)

The remote sell (Exercise)

Readability guide

Don’t forget the detail

Formalities – including sign off

Inappropriate/appropriate/not sure…? (Exercise)

10 rules e.g. Watch your tone

What are you going to do now to always get what you want from written communication?

Length/Cost/Numbers

Four hours, £850 plus travel, up to 16 people

Feedback

“Improved my communication in a business environment”

“Practical advice that…can be used in all aspects of my job”

“not only do I feel my skills have improved I also think my confidence has been raised”

“Great workshop.  Fun, interesting and informative”

“Really enjoyed it – a potentially dull subject made lively”

“All very beneficial for me.”

“Gwyn you rock at this.”

 

 

Advanced Leadership and Delegation – Directing not Drowning    One Day Workshop

Summary

Everyone is told to ‘demonstrate leadership’ without guidance on what this means day to day for you and the team – hence this very practical workshop from Gwyn March, who has 30 years of experience in our industry.

Objectives/Benefits

You’ll understand what is meant by ‘demonstrate leadership’ and develop practical skills to help you lead and inspire your people, without imploding

Content

• The difference between management and leadership
• Different styles of leadership and why people should follow you
• Leadership qualities that good managers can grow into
• Motivating the team: Using Emotional Intelligence, developing a rapport strategy; Praise; Active listening; Influencing skills; The benefits of Delegation; Motivational feedback; Productive meetings
• Directing not drowning: Long term priorities for the team, getting goals to stick; Managing expectations; Gracious with people while ruthless with time, concentration techniques
• Leading without losing it: Everyday Inspiration; Harvard Principled Negotiation and negotiating with difficult people; Getting agreement despite conflict; Being the boss; Conquering team stress
• What you pledge to do now

Target Audience/numbers/cost

Anyone who has been told to ‘demonstrate leadership’ and who would really like to do so.  Recent participants have had between five and 29 years’ experience. We recommend a minimum of five years.

Prior to the course they will all have read Shackleton’s Way, a rip roaring adventure story with excellent lessons in leadership; and filled in a questionnaire which helps tailor the workshop to what they need the most.  After the workshop they have private/public action plans to encourage productive use of the learning.

£1,700, maximum of 14 people.

 Recent Delegate Feedback

“one of the best courses I’ve been on in a long time.”

“the course was really effective and has inspired me to do things differently”

“I would recommend this to colleagues and give positive feedback to the talent team.”

“Objectives were to learn how to deal with conflict, how to delegate properly and how to instil confidence in a team.  The course fulfilled these objectives”

“Great course.  Good to have ‘time out’ to reflect and learn.”

“The course helped me…how to deal with tricky conversations.”

“Extremely engaging and very, very useful”

 

 

 

 

Managing People: An Emotionally Intelligent Way Of Getting The Best From People

Summary

People don’t leave companies, they leave managers.  Be a manager that people respect and want to do their best work for; a colleague welcomed onto a team; a supplier with whom clients want to have long term relationships.

Learning Objective

To give you the skills and confidence to get the best out of people so they, and others, want to work for you and do their best for you.

Content change depending on the agency brief/attendee pre survey e.g. how to develop ‘talent’

• What’s in this for you?
• Why bother with emotional intelligence in our business?
• How to win friends and influence people including lessons from the greats
• The benefits of active listening
• Gain authority and motivate through appropriate delegation
• Running focused meetings that get results
• Better briefing
• Dealing with difficult people and requests: e.g. principled negotiation, feedback and reprimands, conflict, saying no nicely, justifiably angry clients
• What are you going to do now to be the colleague everyone wants to work with?

 

Target Audience

Anyone who wants to get the best from clients and colleagues and who thinks it must be possible to do this and still be a nice person.  All delegates will get the chance to tailor the course to what they most need; and each will have an action plan to follow.  Ideally this course should have a pre and post stage with what they commit to do with their manager; and other opportunities for the group to share ideas – such as doing book summaries, awards for ‘marvellous manager of the month’….

Length/Cost/Numbers

Six hours.  £850 plus my travel.  Up to 12 people.

Delegate Feedback

“It clearly highlighted to me things I need to work on and tactics I can use. It was also fun!”

“Gwyn was a very good listener and made everyone feel as though they were part of the training”

“Opportunity to hear other’s point of view and experiences”

“Made me feel more confident”

“I now understand the team’s point of view”

“Very energising and thought provoking; also good size and length”

 

 

 

 

 

A Brief Outline of Classic Mentor Skills Workshop

 WIIFY?

You will be encouraged by the potential of the scheme

You will discuss the best ways to run a mentor session

Practice vital skills, such as active listening, setting objectives and asking the right questions

You will learn techniques to improve your concentration (thus gaining time to devote to mentoring!) and top tips from other mentors and schemes

 

What we’ll cover to get that:

• How mentoring is different to coaching or being a buddy or a manager
• Why mentoring is good for our business and our people and how the scheme will work here
• Who is going to want this mentoring
• Practicing being a mentor using a case study and a mentoring ‘model’
• Asking the right questions
• Helping your mentee set realistic objectives
• Active listening – benefits, challenges, principles and lots of case study practice!
• Techniques to improve your concentration
• Summarising – how to conduct a mentor session, top tips then ACTION PLANS:

• What learning are you going to teach your team? (public pledge)
• What one thing from today will I make sure to use from now on (buddy pledge)
• Three techniques you will adopt (private plan sent a month later)

 

Length/Cost/Numbers

3.5 hours, £850, up to 20

Feedback

“I wanted tips on mentoring but also management skills in general.  This was great as it enabled me to make the distinction.  Gwyn is fantastic.  Very open and encouraging but also clearly very knowledgeable”

“Great to have a chance to practice.  Invaluable.”

“I wanted to learn aformal structure for conducting mentoring sessions.  The workshop fulfilled my objective absolutely.”

“Inspiring, very engaging, memorable, enjoyable.”

“Probably the workshop I have enjoyed the most. Thank you!”

“Gwyn is a great communicator”

“I’m so glad I came.”

 

 

 

Stress Busting

 Summary

Stress makes people stupid and ill and unproductive.  And it is horrible, but there are practical ways to bust stress; and achieve eustress where you feel excited by the challenges you face.

 Learning Objective

To give you immediate skills to bust stress and achieve eustress, for you and your team

 Content (this is tailored by agency brief and questionnaires to attendees)

• Understanding your stress trigger points and those of your team
• What happens mentally and physically when you are stressed?
• Optimal performance in eustress mode not boredom or distress
• How can you and your team become members of ‘The Hardy’? – the resilient
• What are bad ways of dealing with stress?
• “You cannot do everything, at least not properly” so what do you prioritise?
• Practicalstress busters – diet, exercise, breathing, doing something for others, taking breaks
• What can we do now about this as individuals, and as managers?

Target Audience

Anyone who suffers stress, and would like some practical help with that.  Anyone who wants to help colleagues manage their stress.

Length/Cost/Numbers

Three hours, but can be four depending on brief/numbers £850 plus travel.  Up to 20 people.

Example Delegate Feedback

“The tutor was great.  Really friendly and knowledgeable”

“A range of ways to deal with stress, many of which I had never thought of”

“lots of positive advice and practical examples”

“Very insightful”

“[main benefit was] to understand triggers of stress”

“Tutor understands our role”

“I could do this every week!”

 

 

 

How to Build Your Resilience – one hour workshop classic outline

Summary

Most people would agree that resilient people bounce back faster from adversity, but many think resilience is inherent and can’t be taught.  But it can.

What’s In It For The Attendees?

To understand why resilience is useful in life and work and how you can become more resilient

What We’ll Cover To Get That

• Facts about resilience – true or false
• Why it matters
• The importance of mindset
• Six ways to improve your resilience
• Be clear about the meaning of your life

• Play to your strengths
• Good daily habits
• Strong social support
• Don’t react badly
• Be optimistic

• What are you going to do now?

 

Timing/cost/people

This workshop can run for up to 40 people, one hour, cost tba.

 

 

 

The Benefits of Principled Negotiating – Success and Long Term Relationships

Learning Objective

Attendees will understand the benefits of principled negotiating and gets practice in how to conduct non positional negotiations and how to get past no so that they succeed short and long term.

Content always tailored to client brief and/or pre work with attendees

• The benefits of win/win? Examples from our lives.
• Harvard Principled Negotiation theory basics
• Separating the people from the problem
• Focusing on interests not positions
• Inventing options for mutual gain
• Objective criteria
• Knowing you BATNA
• Practice – negotiation over a family holiday; and over an agency merger
• What character traits you should develop to help you?
• The top skill to help – learning to actively listen – and practice of this: seek first to understand before being understood
• Practice – negotiation with a client
• The five principles of negotiating with difficult people (and how to apply them to your role)
• Don’t react; Disarm your opponent; Change the game; Make it easy to say yes; Make it hard to say no
• Do you always have to negotiate?
• What are you going to do now with this learning? Action plans

Target Audience

Anyone who has to negotiate – these techniques have been taught to all levels (including board directors) both inside and outside the advertising industry.  It is important however, that the theories are fresh to the attendees.

Length/Numbers/Cost

Four hours.  Up to 12 people: the workshop requires a lot of group/paired and individual work.  For there to be meaningful feedback from the tutor 12 is the maximum number.  £850 plus travel.

Recent Feedback

“Makes it a pleasure to learn”

“Key benefit was learning the importance of preparation”

“Makes me think differently and take a step back.”

 

 

Better Client Service

Learning Objective

You will learn what clients expect from agency service and practice what this means for everyday behaviour to help secure longer lasting client relationships, higher client satisfaction scores, more work from existing clients and increased referrals.

Content

• What’s in this for you?
• The benefits of emotional intelligence in our business
• Building that vital rapport
• Understanding the client’s role and business
• Learning to listen
• Getting a better brief
• Managing expectations
• Identifying and executing the priorities
• Getting better results from your written communication
• Dealing with the difficult
• Public commitment to action

As pre work the attendees and their managers have to identify what they regard as the most important aspects of better client service and the workshop is tailored around these.  Also to commit to one thing they are going to try to improve upon.

At post stage the attendees/their managers are reminded of what they wanted to improve and now how they are going to do that.  For example if they planned to build rapport with clients they might decide their practical first action would be to ring any client they had not spoken to in three months.

Also recommended is a project to find out more about an existing client or new business prospect.

Target Audience

Can run successfully with mixed levels of experience, any discipline.

Length/Numbers

Eight – nine hours, up to 16 people.  £1,750.

Recent Delegate Feedback

“Key benefit was looking at how to deal with awkward clients”

“You are lovely and very engaging.  [key benefit was] understanding how to manage client expectations, prioritising work, knowing what’s important.”

“Enthusiastic, upbeat, interactive.  [I’ll use] listening – being more focused and noting down on briefs.”

 

 

 

 

Demystifying Advertising 

What’s In It For Attendees

To explain the advertising process and key concepts to those who wondered what client facing departments did all day…

So that you get a sense of your role in the big picture and are reminded that this industry is a fun place to work.

What We Will Cover:

• What’s in this for you?
• A fun quiz on key advertising, digital, media and marketing terminology…and what to do if you don’t know what some of it means
• How we make and place the ads:
• The key roles, why it’s a team game, and why it’s a circle
• Why it all starts with the client’s business needs and a clear brief
• Big data and big theories du jour
• Why media planning and buying are now challenging jobs
• How can we tell if it worked?
• What types of people flourish in what roles

 

• Why bother?
• Advertising as a driver of GDP
• What advertising can and cannot do
• Where we sit in the marketing mix
• Brand building

 

• 3. Key concepts:

• What is an idea? What is an execution? Is it a good idea?
• What is a strategy? What is an objective? What are tactics?
• The golden thread: positioning statement, proposition and tag line

 

• What next for your learning?

Time/Cost/Numbers

Four hours. £950 plus travel.  Can accommodate up to 30 people due to team nature of the exercises.

Feedback

“well structured and great set up for Foundation course”

“better overall understanding of the industry so feel I’ll be more confident”

“I wanted to learn more about creative agencies – I feel I have improved my knowledge”

“Gwyn was interactive, clear and warm.  I would like to do more courses with her as I have learnt a great deal”

“All…new starters who are new to advertising should do this workshop.”