In early December 2021, The Brazilian Consulate in London began a tendering process to secure a training provider for a 12 month communication programme.
Taking place weekly across 2022, the aim of the programme was to increase written and verbal business-focused communication skills in a team of senior individuals who all spoke English as a second or third language.
Key topics to be featured in the programme included negotiating, chairing meetings, presentation skills, conducting interviews and appraisals, writing effective business reports and emails as well as making the team more confident in their command of English overall.
Communication Skills, Voice Work, Accent Softening for Business, Presentation Skills, Business Writing, Presence and Impact, Influencing Skills
Vere Street, Mayfair, London
Senior leadership team
5
The tailored programme was created and delivered from late December 2021. Each week, a workshop ran for 2 hours in person at the Consulate’s Mayfair offices.
The cohort worked with a series of City Academy Business’ top coaches to train on key communications skills. Coaches were booked in advance to lead training on specific topics relevant to their expertise – from masterclasses on influence and negotiation, leading constructive appraisals, to writing compelling reports.
Predominantly led by Rebecca Mable, Mark Prince and Christine Kavanagh, coaches involved in the programme spent time preparing and designing content specifically for the delegates. Content was relevant to their organisation’s requirements and personal career goals. This ensured sessions were focused, specific and relevant to the people in the room.
Throughout the programme, delegates participated in practical workshops, took part in role-plays with trained actors and were given constructive feedback on their verbal and written skills. The delegates themselves provided feedback and steers on topics they would like to cover in more detail or add to the programme to enhance their learning further.
A final festive session was held in December 2022 to conclude the programme and reflect on the year. The team toasted the cohorts’ commitment to learning, efforts in the training room and skills learned over the past 12 months. Each participant received a certificate to recognise their completion of the programme.
In 2023, City Academy Business will deliver additional programmes to the Consulate for a team of new delegates looking to upskill and receive valuable training.
“We were really glad to have Rebecca as a tutor - She is fantastic, smart. Most importantly, she has fantastic language, cultural knowledge and teaching skills. She is a great asset to your company.
We would also like to thank the other tutors that we had during the course. We remember Mark Prince and Christine Kavanagh vividly.
Mark Prince contributed a lot with his deep knowledge in communication and language. I believe we all benefited a lot with his lessons. He is a great trainer.
We also had a lovely time with Christine Kavanagh, learning how to project our voice, to pronounce the words with clarity and to mind our posture when speaking. I am sure we will always remember her teaching.”
Renata Campos Nogueira Cid
Programme Participant