Attract attention with personal conversation summaries
The vast majority of companies offer their customers printed information about their products and services. Some are beautifully designed and enhanced with expensive photos and illustrations. The vast majority, however, overwhelm the reader with tons of text. This text is often confusing and complicated. But there is another way.
I recently went out for dinner with a friend in Como: The restaurant was in a romantic location, tastefully decorated and the food tasted excellent. But what I liked best of all was the menu: All the delicacies were described on two pages - very clear and very inviting. The restaurant owner explained everything to us and told us little stories about the individual menus. We already had "movies in our heads" before the meal and could hardly wait until we were finally allowed to enjoy the culinary delights. And once again I thought to myself: "If only more companies would use the power of storytelling ...
Because when you read a lot of brochures, flyers and menus, you get the feeling that they are mass-produced - everyone gets the same material. Yet advisors have many opportunities to differentiate their documents. For example, with personal, visualized reports and meeting summaries. And that is exactly what this Micro Training Session (MTS) is all about: it is designed for employees in the financial sector, but can easily be adapted to other industries.
Aim
- Participants lose their fear of visualization and become enthusiastic about the pictorial, emotional enrichment of discussion summaries and consultation reports.
- Participants receive templates for visualizing technical terms and practice implementing them.
- Participants receive tips on writing for completing the consultant report.
- 70 minutes
- Participants bring notes from the last customer meeting.
- Practice pictograms
- Reserve the room
- Prepare posters
- Welcome
- Agenda
- Objectives
- DIN-A3 for BLICK headlines (1 per participant) - Invite participants
- Set up the room and provide materials
- 2 flipcharts with enough paper
- posters
- projector
- Laptop/tablet/smartphone
- loudspeakers
- Moderation kit for MTS trainers
- Moderation markers for the participants
- DIN A4 recycled paper or waste paper for the drawing exercises
- 10 consultation reports per participant
- bikablo® 1 - the trainer's dictionary of visual language
- Colored felt-tip pens 1mm for all participants (e.g. Neuland Fineliner)
- DIN A3 templates for BLICK headlines
- Written and visualized commitment on a consultation report.
- BLICK headline.
1st attention - 5 minutes
- The welcome poster hangs on the flipchart.
- Greet all participants personally.
- Play music in the background - for example "Philharmonic Wind Orchestra - Cartoon Medley"
- Present the "Goals" and "Agenda" posters.
Ask the following questions in quick succession. Activate the participants with the following instructions:
"Mental performance is higher with physical activity: people learn best with some movement: therefore, always stand up when you agree with a statement and then sit down again."
- I draw up a report for important meetings and give it to the customer straight away.
- I draw up a report afterwards and give it to the customer.
- I already draw up reports today.
- I don't create any reports at all.
- Customers are happy to take my reports with them.
- I can always read my handwriting.
- Others can't always read my handwriting.
- Sometimes I'm ashamed of my handwriting.
- My customers have already thanked me for a report.
- Without a report, customers sometimes miss the deadline for submitting documents.
- I often have to follow up with customers to get them to send me missing documents.
- I have already received compliments from clients on my drawing skills.
- I would also like to receive compliments on my drawing skills from my clients.
"These are exactly the reasons why we are focusing on the topic of 'consultation reports' today!"
3. knowledge and information transfer: 25 minutes
- Tips on writing
- Take care of your pen: ballpoint pens often smudge. Stabilo 0.4 mm or 1.0 mm pens are ideal. Fountain pens are also suitable. A nice side effect: with a fountain pen, you generally write more slowly and therefore more beautifully.
- Always write slightly larger: the letters blend together less and are easier to read.
- Write in block letters and avoid flourishes (G-loops, circles on i and j, ornaments of all kinds).
- Write with upper and lower case letters: This is more pleasing to the eye and therefore much easier to read.
- Write calmly and relaxed: Cramping makes for unsightly pressure marks and writing is no fun.
"Now you've practised briefly - show your results to your neighbor and discuss your progress.
We've done the writing. Now let's look at the pictograms: Images anchor information in the brain more easily than text.
For this reason, we feel addressed by the pictorial support of information."
- Draw the most important pictograms step by step on the flipchart. The participants practise on recycled paper or paper waste.
"Good news for anyone who thinks they can't draw: Drawing is easy. It is enough if you depict 30 percent of reality.
The basis for pictograms are very simple, geometric shapes such as squares, rectangles, circles, ovals, arrows, lines and dots."
Practice only the pictogram first and only work with colors and shadows later.
At the end, all participants draw their 5 best pictograms on a consultation report.
4th application: 30 minutes
- All participants now take a case from their own practice and create a sample counseling report with text and pictures.
- Accompany the group during the implementation phase. Pay attention to these points:
- Not too many drawings (less is more)
- Little text (keywords instead of whole sentences)
- Meaningful formulations
The individual work takes about 15 minutes. Afterwards, the participants exhibit their works in a gallery. The artists present their works and the other participants hand out compliments.
5 Measuring learning success and ensuring transfer: 5 minutes
- Hang up a BLICK headline as a DIN A3 template for all participants.
- The participants are given the task of formulating the findings of the micro-training session in a headline with text and pictogram. For example
Let the creative headlines with pictograms have an effect on everyone: Make the participants smile, have fun and be proud. Motivate the participants to put what they have learned into practice straight away: Announce a success celebration, for example.
Collect feedback from customers on the new consulting reports and hang them on a wall in your office. After three months, hold a drinks reception and celebrate the successes as a group.
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