CBS Training

Influential Writing – Polish your Written Texts for Greater Impact, and More Positive Influence

Some people are natural wordsmiths, but most of us are not, are we?

Yes, writing can be hard work, especially when our words don’t achieve the actions desired, right? Put another way, when others don’t read what we’ve written, or when they don’t take the actions we wanted, that can be frustrating. It can also negatively impact business performance, can’t it?

Yet, it doesn’t have to be that way, does it? With an injection of a few new skills and techniques, as well as a refreshed mindset, it’s plausibly possible to take a contemporary look at the “lost art of writing”. This will allow us to embrace writing for more effective & enjoyable, business & personal use.

To be effective & enjoyable, we need to start writing in ways that are much more purposeful and engaging. We need to structure texts in ways that credibly stimulate our audiences to pick-up, and to read on. We need to be mindful to use simple grammar, that’s organised to make it easier for others to understand the message we’ve encoded. We also need to consider how to leverage the language, to make that message much more persuasive.

As we do these simple things, and do them well, then yes, we create a platform that achieves influence. And, it is influence that every Writer needs in order to positively affect their readers to take action; wouldn’t you agree?

This Workshop therefore takes an emotionally intelligent approach to writing. Our focus reframes the challenge, to explore how we can encourage others to read and understand our words. We’ll also see that real action is only possible once we start using more persuasive language.

Course Objectives
Our intentions are to strengthen your ability to use Emotional Intelligence (EQ) when writing, so that others are encouraged to read what you’ve written, drawn in to make sense of the message, and finally, influenced to take action. Practice is the key on this Workshop.

You’ll use the skills to re-examine and reframe perceptions you may hold on writing. We’ll help you transition your writing mindset away from blocks you may hold as Author, towards your Audience and how you intend for them to act once your written words take hold.

Emotional intelligence sits well at the heart of this soft skills Workshop, as you move the focus of your internal thoughts away from the words that you want to write, and on to the words that your external audiences need to read.

Course Outline
  • Combining positive intentions with a little EQ
  • Clarifying more purposeful communication objectives
  • Creating credible impressions by architecting with grammar
  • Organising thoughts to isolate key themes & ideas for the audience
  • Decomposing the message into much more digestible, meaningful, passages
  • Ensuring text is simple, but not too simple, sophisticated, but not too sophisticated
  • Exploring language, and elements needed for greater positive influence & persuasion
  • Keeping your Reader, reading; staying mindful to ensure your writing creates rapport
Who Should Attend
This one-day Workshop accepts that for some, writing is a chore! At best it’s a time-consuming barrier that gets in the way of communications. At worst, and despite our best intentions, we’re unable to use it to achieve actions we desire.

Therefore, if you are a person at any level who wants to feel more confident when writing, express their ideas with greater clarity, and increase their levels of influence, then, this Workshop has been designed for you. It will strengthen your ability to create impact when you write, so that you can realise positive results through the actions of Others.

Training Methodology
This is an experiential Workshop, which emphasises engagement, interaction, and practice. Participants should expect short presentations that introduce content, experiential activities for skills practice, and group discussions for reflection that deepens their learning.
Testimonials
  • Many thanks Patrick, for helping me to regain my confidence in writing!
  • I like that we are required to write, and my learning is applied immediately
  • The concepts and structures of Influential Writing are very useful for work, and in everyday life
  • I found the course answered several questions I had before I came on it; a great & intense program
  • I love the courseware, as the contents are clear, concise, specific, and tally with what’s taught in class
  • Beneficial, will definitely help emails; I’m able to express my thoughts in the best sequence for understanding
  • My key takeaways were the persuasive levers, as these are important when we write persuasive emails and letters
  • I enjoyed the course greatly, there was a lot of positive energy and engagement between Patrick & Participants
  • Very good balance of lecture and practice to keep attendees awake! Great slides & music
  • Great training session, and I will recommend it to friends and to colleagues
Trainer

Mr. Patrick O’Brien, CMgr

With a constant appetite for change, Patrick came to realise one very important thing: it’s the People that matter in business, personal development and growth counts. His learning delivery approach therefore focuses on building those important soft skills. Training thus scaffolds atop three firm foundations.

First, for learning to stick, it needs to be fun; enjoyment & engagement are precursors to absorption & adoption. Next, for learning to be relevant, it has to be real; it needs collaboration, openness, and a little intensity. Finally, for learning to be desirable, it must match expectations; it has to substantially deliver what it says “on the tin”.

Patrick therefore designs Workshop experiences that masterfully combine Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) with a deep Coaching mentality. Both are invitingly interlaced using Improvisational techniques. His diverse background and experience also allow him to facilitate inclusive and valuable learning moments. These are highly engaging, empowering, and, enjoyable.

His life’s journey has straddled different countries and cultures in Ireland, England, New Zealand and Singapore. He has worked his way through a variety roles, from individual contributor to Managing Director, in the corporate world. And, he has built considerable business experience along the way in working across sectors such as government, technology, manufacturing, finance, consulting, aviation, telecommunications and the Internet.

His formal education is well rounded: Honours in IT, Masters in Marketing and MBA in Finance. He is also a “Master Practitioner” of NLP, and an enthusiastic author with Articles regularly appearing in the local media. In whatever form you experience his work, you’ll always feel his curiously cheerful sense of enjoyment; it shines through.

Patrick is an active member of many international Professional bodies, such as the Chartered Management Institute, the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Institute of Directors. He is proud to be one of only a small handful of “Chartered Managers” in Asia.

With a warm Irish wit, a love of the “craic” and a big beaming smile, audiences in over twenty-five countries have found his disarmingly unpretentious and conversational approach to learning, to be refreshing and rewarding experiences.