Case studies in training

Communication Partners builds targeted and customized training programs to solve virtually any business communication challenge—training professionals from the customer service desk to the boardroom. The case studies below show how we create these business-specific and dynamic training programs.

Getting international division presidents to “speak” the same language

The head of an international pharmaceutical organization had10 division presidents, from 10 countries, reporting to him. For some, English is a second language. Each quarter, these independent-minded presidents were charged to produce a report updating results for their divisions. However, these “President’s Letters” were inconsistent in the kind of information they presented—and the way they presented that information. To get the international presidents to “speak” the same language, Communication Partners facilitated a session with the presidents to help them come to consensus on both the content and the form the content of the letters.

Result: a set of monthly reports that were easy to read and that facilitated comparative analysis.

Developing special training session for IT personnel

A major consulting firm had a fast growing “business information systems” area where highly educated consultants do custom programming for clients. However, senior management believed that the communication skills of these IT people needed improvement.Communication Partners created a customized course aimed specifically at these IT personnel.

In developing this course, Communication Partners discovered that the department produced five kinds of documents. Neither senior management, nor IT personnel, were conscious of these five document types.   Communication Partners designed the course around these five document categories, providing efficient shortcuts for drafting each type, as well as a unique 5-step systematic process to write quickly and to avoid common mistakes.

Helping controller's office develop powerful graph presentations for the Board of Directors

At a Fortune 500 manufacturing company, the controller's office assembled a series of charts, tables, and graphs illustrating the financial condition of the corporation, as well as an overview of product demand and pricing. This information was presented each month to the company's Board of Directors. But the Board found the information difficult to decipher. The controller realized that the structure, style, and content needed to be revamped to bring clarity to the presentation.

Communication Partners created a 1-day workshop for financial personnel on sound principles of charting and graphing. Using PowerPoint, we explained the range of graphs and charts available, when and how they should be used, and how to create a logical story line with slide headings and other textual elements. We explained how oral remarks should be used in conjunction with those slides. The workshop ended with Communication Partners providing before/after versions of the slides used in the Board presentation; workshop participants also develop their own improved versions.

The principles taught in the workshop were applied immediately to the next month’s Board presentation, which received a positive response from the CEO and Board members.

A writing training program for junior customer service personnel

A health care organization specializing in long-term home-based therapies had a unique communication problem. Due to the complexities of implementing these therapies, and especially getting insurance reimbursement, the company’s employees had to correspond frequently with consumers, physicians, and insurance companies on a wide variety of issues. These junior employees felt overwhelmed by the complexities they faced.

Communication Partners structured a two-part program to help this business: (1) we created a library of standard letters that could handle many of specific situations the employees faced; (2) we conducted a training program that gave employees a firm grounding in important principles of sound communication, teaching them how to think strategically when adapting the model letters to any unique situation they faced.