Effective communication is critical to organizational success. The team at Somerville Architects and Engineers understands this.
The Challenge: Enhancing Communication
Somerville Architects, a community-focused organization that has served the Green Bay area for more than 75 years, partnered with O’Connor Connective to enhance their team’s public speaking skills.
Although Somerville’s senior leaders were proficient in public speaking, they recognized an opportunity to build on their skills and better prepare their emerging leaders.
Matt Schachtner, NCARB, AIA, president & director of design at Somerville, 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, to sharing our knowledge at conferences and networking, Somerville needs strong communicators. 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.”
To prepare for the training, we conducted a discovery session with the Somerville leadership to learn more about the challenges they were facing, understand their current process for developing and preparing for presentations, and to define the goals for the program.
Then, we used this context to build a customized training program aimed at addressing their challenges. Additionally, the training program considered each participant’s individual public speaking goals.
The Solution: Speaker Training
The speaker training 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 comprehensive skill development and three of the sessions were recorded to allow leaders to watch themselves back and gain insights to improve.
Heather Nohr-Valley, director of marketing & branding at Somerville, reflects 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 individualized sessions, they provided valuable insights from an external viewpoint, emphasizing that authenticity and vulnerability were powerful assets for connecting with any audience.”
After a successful first cohort, we began a second cohort targeted at leaders who had fewer speaking opportunities but were anticipated to take on more significant roles in the future.
The final cohort of the speaker training program was tailored to Somerville’s emerging leaders, reflecting the firm’s commitment to the long-term growth and development of their team members.
Melanie Parma, senior vice president & director of client relations at Somerville, explained the decision to extend the training beyond senior leaders, “As participants in the first cohort, Matt Schachtner and I knew right away that we would continue with additional groups because the coaching received was insightful and practical. O’Connor Connective worked with us as a group and individually to identify existing strengths and specific challenges to address.”
Results and Impact
Through this comprehensive training program, the Somerville team increased:
• Skill Development and Confidence: Participants experienced a significant increase in confidence and effectiveness in their communication. The structured feedback and personalized coaching has led to improved project presentations and stronger engagement with stakeholders.
• Team Cohesion and Support: The training reinforced a culture of continuous learning and mutual support. Participants developed a shared vocabulary and strategies, enabling them to aid each other in their communication efforts.
• Growth and Readiness: Forty percent of Somerville’s employees completed the speaker training, resulting in many team members skilled in effective communication. It has 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.”
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, Parma 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.”
Let’s Partner!
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 the possibilities.
