Agenda and description of JazzCode´s Prepare, Produce, Present class

Informasjon på norsk

The pitch: less meetings and email, better productivity.  Meetings, email processing and data-gathering are the three biggest time and productivity killers in large organizations.  The Prepare, Produce, Present class can improve meeting structure, shorten and clarify emails and reduce time spent gathering data.   It can also improve your thinking and result in better presentations, interactions and decisions.  

The pain: Too much data.  At work, we are all like fighter pilots --  trying to make sense of massive amounts of data, and trying to grab the attention of other pilots who are also filtering.   To make it easy on the pilot, we must lead with the main point - the summarizing idea -- before we give the ideas being summarized.  This is the essence of the Pyramid Principle.  

The path forward: give summarizing idea first.  Saying the most important point first isn´t always easy.  Most of us communicate the same way we discover the world:  first build an argument, then reach a conclusion.  

Reversing the order is much better:  start with the conclusion, the explain they main building blocks in your logic.    

Clear writing starts with clear thinking.  The class will sharpen participant´s thinking, help them trust their conclusions and teach them how to explain their thinking to others.  

Specifically, the two day class will teach how to improve structure, setting and storylines and how to speed up the process of creating coherent documents using storyboarding. The one day and half-day class will cover selection, structure, setting and storyline.  

Class agenda:

1. Structure.  Participants will learn a) to structure complex issues into a pyramid, b) to structure the ideas being summarized using groupings rather than arguments, c) to test analysis and synthesis to ensure pyramidal consistency and completeness, d) to impose logical order, and e) to avoid gaps and redundancy.
2. Setting.  Participants will learn how to create effective introductions using Situation, Complication/Trigger and Solution as a way to focus the audience on the governing thought based on a stated information strategy.  
3. Storyboard. Participants will learn to speed up the production process using rapid prototyping.  The prototyping will use storyboarding techniques to turn pyramids into linear units of discourse.   (Two-day class only!)

The class will focus on heavy participation with team exercises to reinforce learning.  

The Prepare Produce class is delivered in two different formats depending on the needs and time constraints of the 12-20 participants.   

• Two day class.  This class will use written material produced by the participants as a basis for exercises.  Day one will focus on structure, whereas day two will focus on storyline and storyboarding.  
• One day class.  This class will also use client material for examples, cover structure and storyline, but with less exercises.  This is a good class  to create awareness and can also be fashioned as a refresher for participants who have already completed the two-day class or as a practice workshop for participants in need of additional training.  
• Customized.  This class is a tailored class which can be customized  e.g. for practitioners who have already been through the two day class.  Will only cover structure and storyline, using client examples and a few exercises.  

More information (norsk)  Check out past clients and customer testimonials (norsk) and suggested reading.

 

What the students are saying about the instructor:

I started working in 1968 and cannot remember having had a better instructor, except maybe during my year at IMD.

This is the first seminar that I have attended where I did not at any time look at the watch and look at the agenda to find out how much more time I had to spend at the seminar.

Praise: direct and honest with regards to work methods and in discussions Praise: dynamic as to letting discussions carry on when interesting / relevant Praise: not religious to schedule

I've taken the class 3 times now and enjoyed every session and have come out of every session with something new.

This was a good course. Close time-management meant we did not over-run. Lots of enthusiasm from the instructor. 

I like the way Carl reins in the one participant who "learns by talking" in a courteous but firm manner in a class that largely "learns by listening and doing".

His background from the business/finance industry was very helpful in the way he gave examples and answered questions.  Overall Mr Stormer was a very good, motivating instructor and a pleasent man.

He should get three days to hold this course as it is highly relevant and important.

I felt Carl did a great job in helping us to look at the subject matter in a different perspective other than as bankers. This helps open your mind to other solutions and structuring.

Soft skill sessions aren't easy to teach. Creating audience traction and keeping them interested in the subject matter was a huge achievement! What is often assumed a "common sense skill" was explained in a very structured, organized way with many tools & tricks imparted to enhance an area which we all take for granted - expressing our ideas and putting it on paper.

Has a lot of energy and gets everyone involved.

Suggested reading:  

Gopen & Swan:  The Science of Scientific Writing.  A great article with useful advice applicable to any kind of writing.  Read it several times -- preferably before taking the class.     

Barbara Minto:  The Pyramid Principle.  The classic book introducing the pyramid principle - the gold standard for business writing.  

 Strunk & White:  The Elements of Style.  The short book about writing.  Sold in more than ten million copies.  

 Peter Drucker:  Managing Oneself.  A classic from Harvard Business Review which talks about different learning styles.  

Ready to buy?  Click here for practical booking details.  See also: quotes from participants (norsk) and evaluation survey