Effective communication is key to achieving strategic goals.
We believe an organization’s success hinges on the clarity and effectiveness of its team’s communication skills. This includes your current and emerging leaders. The team at Somerville Architects and Engineers understands this.
Although Somerville’s leaders were proficient in public speaking, they recognized the opportunity to enhance their skills and prepare emerging leaders. This insight initiated the partnership between Somerville and O’Connor Connective.
The Challenge: Enhancing Communication
Somerville Architects, a community-focused organization that has served our area for over 75 years, contacted O’Connor Connective to enhance their team’s public speaking.
Matt Schachtner, NCARB, AIA, President & Director of Design, explained the need for this initiative: “We know communication is key to any successful business, and public speaking is most people’s greatest fear. From interviewing with potential clients to presenting designs to our partners, from sharing our knowledge at conferences to networking, at Somerville we need strong communicators.”
As Matt mentioned, effective communication is critical for Somerville in three key situations:
1. Interviewing for potential projects
2. Presenting project progress to clients
3. Sharing completed projects with the public
Schachtner continued, “We wanted a partner who could not only help our team improve their communication skills but also give our team tools to build confidence in public speaking; we found that with O’Connor Connective.”
Somerville recognized the value of continuous improvement and wanted to prepare their emerging leaders for future opportunities. Matt, Melanie Parma (Senior Vice President), and four other leaders committed to being the first cohort to set a precedent for future groups.
We held a preliminary two-hour meeting with the leadership to define the program—which altered the approach from a 4 to 6-session program, allowing for more individual feedback. This first meeting helped us learn what challenges they were facing, their current process to develop and prepare for presentations, and the most challenging topics.
Their buy-in and enthusiasm were helpful in defining a customized training program to achieve their unique objectives. Each person and company has different speaking goals that guide the training development.
The Solution: Speaker Training
After tailoring the training to Somerville’s desired outcomes, the first cohort began. The program lasted two months and consisted of six sessions:
1. Presenting for Somerville
2. The Ups and Downs of Public Speaking (Individual Presentation)
3. Individual Coaching Session
4. Finding Your Style (Individual Presentation)
5. Team Dynamics in Public Speaking (Group Presentation)
6. Final Individual Coaching Session
The presentations covered individual and group scenarios to ensure skill development across all three situations. Sessions #2, 4, and 5 were videotaped to allow leaders to watch themselves and gain unique insights to improve.
Heather Nohr-Valley, Director of Marketing & Branding, reflected on her experience:
“Participating in the communication training was truly enlightening. During our presentations, O’Connor Connective recorded us and asked us to review the videos afterward. In personalized sessions, they provided valuable insights from an external viewpoint, emphasizing that authenticity and vulnerability were powerful assets for connecting with any audience.”
After the success of the first cohort, we started a second cohort, focusing on leaders who had fewer speaking opportunities but were anticipated to take on more significant roles. The third cohort included Somerville’s emerging leaders, reflecting the firm’s commitment to long-term growth and development.
Melanie Parma, Senior Vice President & Director of Client Relations, explained the decision to extend the training: “As participants in the first cohort, Matt and I knew right away that we would continue with additional groups. The coaching was insightful and practical. They worked with us as a group and individually to identify specific challenges we would need to overcome and strengths we should enhance.”
Results and Impact
Through this comprehensive training program, Somerville’s leadership achieved:
• Skill Development and Confidence Boost: Participants experienced a significant increase in confidence and effectiveness in communication. The structured feedback and personalized coaching led to improved project presentations and stronger engagement with stakeholders.
• Team Cohesion and Support: The training created a culture of continuous learning and mutual support. Participants developed a shared vocabulary and strategies, enabling them to help each other in their communication efforts.
• Growth and Readiness: 40% of Somerville Architects’ employees completed the speaker training, resulting in a team skilled in effective communication strategies. It also prepared emerging leaders for future responsibilities.
What do the leaders who went through the training have to say?
• “Before the training, I struggled with organizing my thoughts during presentations. Now, I feel much more confident and structured.”
• “The personalized coaching and feedback were invaluable in helping me develop my public speaking skills.”
• “The skills I gained have already made a noticeable difference in my presentations.”
Nohr-Valley added, “I left the training feeling more self-assured and grateful for the mentorship they provided.”
The leadership at Somerville noticed similar positive changes. “The training has transformed our leaders’ communication skills, leading to better project presentations and stakeholder engagement,” noted Schachtner.
Looking forward, Melanie shared her thoughts on the benefits and progress:
“We’ve seen nice improvements in our team’s communication skills and confidence in public speaking. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I received was that we all have our unique style of public speaking, and that’s a good thing. Some of us are outgoing and charismatic, while others are detailed and methodical, and together, we make up Somerville, and that should be celebrated.”
Conclusion
Through our collaboration with Somerville, they were able to refine their leaders’ public speaking skills and increase their ability to win new business, engage stakeholders, and present projects with greater impact. This success story highlights the benefits of investing in professional development and its substantial impact on organizational success.
This approach makes your message more impactful and shows that you respect and value your audience’s time and attention.
- Research: Request an attendance list to see who’s joining—learn about their diverse backgrounds, interests, and demographics.
- Customize Content: Use examples and case studies directly relevant to the audience’s field or interests.
- Adapt: Be prepared to adjust your presentation based on the audience’s reactions and feedback.
If you want help in that process, we offer a Speaker Training Program.
We realize the importance of speaking in successful marketing strategies, whether in a video, donor presentation, or keynote. So, we created a cohort-based model for improving 6-8 individuals at a time, including education, practice, and feedback—the three ingredients you need to improve at speaking.
We’ve implemented this for corporate teams and are opening a cohort to leaders from different companies and industries. We hope that the participants’ unique backgrounds will amplify their growth.
If you want to improve your individual or team’s speaking ability, contact us at info@oconnorconnective.com, and we will schedule a call to discuss your goals.