Introduction
Welcome to 2024 (nearly!).
In the fast-paced, AI-dominated, digital era of 2024, there is a growing case that humanising your brand with employees and customers to boost engagement and advocacy will be mission critical. Today’s savvy consumers and employees are in increasingly in pursuit of authenticity and meaningful experiences. How can brands best respond?
As I’m sure you already know, authenticity in branding isn’t just about staying true to the idea of your values and promises; it’s about embedding these principles consistently across all communication strategies. In a world bombarded with media from all directions, the challenge is to cut through the noise. This calls for a shift towards more interactive and engaging content that resonates with people. Utilising storytelling, videos, and diverse multimedia elements, brands can elevate their communication to be more engaging and relatable.
As a brand-culture consultant, speaker-host, and speaker coach with three decades of global experience, I will take you through two real-life case studies in this blog. These examples will showcase the power of authentic, human-centric brand communication and I hope will help transform your 2024 strategies:
Case Study – Progress: Brand Activation and Thought Leadership
Global software provider Progress wanted to drive up sales by boosting their reputation for customer centricity, to shift customers from awareness and consideration to engaging in solutions. The key strategy was to activate a new brand proposition and values by coaching global leaders and professionals to shift away from traditional tech-centric language into a highly personalised, customer-focused narrative when communicating with key stakeholders. This shift is aimed at enhancing Progress’s reputation by activating their brand values and establishing their key people, and Progress as a whole, as being thought leaders in the industry.
Key Business Needs Identified:
- Establishing key Progress personnel as brand-thought leaders.
- Developing a consistent brand reputation as a top software provider.
- Showcasing the skills and talents of Progress’s leaders and innovators.
What Was Achieved:
- From PowerPoint to Purpose: We turned static presentations into inspiring stories,
enhancing communication across the company. - Aligning Hearts and Minds: Linking individual purpose with corporate strategy, bringing the brand to life.
- Coaching for Authentic Expression: Personalized coaching enabled leaders to present authentically.
- Storytelling That Resonates: Empowered individuals to craft and deliver impactful stories.
enhancing communication across the company.One of the many successful outcomes was in the area of DE&I, which involved a delegate successfully elevating DE&I within their organisation with executives, going on to even secure paid external speaking engagements.
Transform: A Tailored Programme for Sales and Marketing Teams
Transform needed to rapidly grow their business and team but needed to move beyond the situation where two executives led all the sales pitches. We developed a new custom programme focusing on branding, presenting, and storytelling to coach and develop everyone in the team to be able to tell the brand story, position their contribution, and connect with real customer needs backed up by great presentation skills. This was a powerful and unifying new programme that had a great impact. With team members representing Gen X, Y and Z, we needed a design that would reach everyone.
Key Focus Areas:
- Crafting and delivering compelling brand narratives.
- Articulating individual value in projects.
- Generating enthusiasm for ideas while remaining open to outcomes.
- Providing constructive criticism and inspiring improvement.
- Enhancing professional presence and credibility.
- Demonstrating active listening and valuable feedback.
- Receiving and responding positively to feedback.
- Alleviating personal anxiety and engaging individuals.
- Utilising storytelling techniques beyond PowerPoint.
The outcomes? There are testimonial videos from this group on our webpage: Presentation Coaching.
One delegate had this to say: “A significant takeaway from Nick’s communication coaching for me was learning to silence self-doubt. It was a truly rewarding experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from such a talented trainer like Nick. The coaching session was all I thought it would be and more.” Funbi Afolabi, PR & Marketing Senior Account Manager
…and the programme sponsor: “It was an incredibly useful experience and, more importantly, immensely applicable to real-life scenarios.” Veronica Hannon, Founder & Director at Transform
Tailored Workshops and Coaching Programmes
Our workshops like ‘Brand Messaging’, ‘Speaking with Impact and Presence’, ‘The Mindful Communicator’, and ‘Bridging Generational Gaps’ provide practical tools for brand communication, personal, and team development. These sessions are transformational and have been helping create more engaged and communicative work cultures.
Our Approach Includes:
- Leadership coaching for effective and engaging meetings – online and in-person.
- Presentation skills that emphasize authenticity, impact, and presence.
- Developing personal-brand storytelling.
- Bridging generational gaps in leadership.
- Being a mindful communicator – finding more joy and wellness in digital work-life.
The Emergence of Mindful Communicator
The Mindful Communicator, developed from our Business Soul Research, is a brand-new toolkit that enhances communication by focusing on mindfulness. This approach addresses the challenges of our digital era, fostering more genuine connections within and between each person.
You can purchase copies from Amazon here. However, some great news for December, I’m offering a free copy – see the bottom of this blog. There are limited copies, so please let me know if you’d like one as soon as possible.
Sally, a 32-year-old manager in a national retailer, had this to say after our 3-month coaching programme based on the seven principles: “By working through The Mindful Communicator with Nick, I’ve learned to take a moment, think things through, and choose my reaction. This has not only helped me professionally during times of intense change but also brought greater joy and wellbeing to my work life. It’s been very, very, very useful.”
Two Offers for You
The case studies of Progress and Transform demonstrate effective, adaptive strategies to address important internal and external communications challenges. For January, we’re offering the opportunity for a complimentary review session to explore these for your organisation. Places are limited, so please book early.
Potential Take-Aways
- Effective storytelling techniques to activate brand-culture values internally and externally.
- How to develop mindful communicators and why this is a mission-critical priority in the modern workplace.
- Tips for improving presentation performance.
- Ways to enhance team unity and brand alignment through internal communication.
Book Your Session: [Calendly Link]
Additionally, throughout December, I’m offering a complimentary copy of my latest book: The Mindful Communicator. There are limited numbers, so please order yours early.
Email your mailing address for a complimentary copy.
Thank you for reading. I’m eager to hear your thoughts and questions. Let’s make 2024 a year of transformative brand-culture communication and more meaningful human connection.
