Dr. Artem Levchenko, Chief of Customer Transformation and Innovation, ISBN (Japan) participated in the Art of Influence program with the goal of increasing operational excellence and implementing innovating ways to communicate with customers.
Initially skeptical about the time required to invest in the program, ended up being a productive experience, having being led by example and resulting in more efficient meetings and communication with his team. The program was transformative in his business and day-to-day communication.
Reflecting on the experience, he said,
“The skill, how to deliver your message, especially in a virtual environment, I think is what everyone needs to learn right now. It will directly influence productivity.”
What are the three things that had the biggest impact?
Dr. Levchenko focused on understanding and engaging the audience, ensuring that the message came across with clarity.
“It’s important to understand your audience. It's important to keep your message simple, and also to engage your audience.”
Who do you think benefits the most out of this kind of training?
According to Dr. Levchenko, leaders would most benefit this program, however ultimately he believes any customer facing role would highly prosper with this training.
“First priority is the leadership team who need to deliver a message in a short period, but keep it memorable, and to ensure that your message will remain in the memory of your listeners. And all customer-facing roles.”
Have you seen any impact of this program on your business?
Saving time has been the most advantages outcomes of learning the skills from the program, from cutting down additional meetings, to being able to cover all the necessities comprehensively.
“It will save your time, and maybe sometimes, not require some additional meetings, because you can cover everything in one meeting.”
Is there any reason you wouldn’t have wanted to join this program when you first saw it?
Dr. Artem Levchenko was initially hesitant to join the program because of the time investment required, however his concerns quickly dissipated as he found the program interactive, engaging and added immense value to his skills.
“I was not ready actually for such big-time investment, Colin James Method, I found it's interactive, it's not something you can just listen and maybe to read more details later on, no. It was intensive work during all three sessions for three hours, they require some preparation in advance. It means I cannot just listen and work on it later on. I need to invest time right now, and be ready to make it productive.”
What stood out about this program compared to others?
Being led by example is what Dr. Levchenko appreciated most - the methodology could be seen in action, making learning digestible and applicable to any situation. He was impressed by the sessions ability to capture his attention throughout.
“What I like, it's not just theory, not just practice, but also leading by example approach. For me, it was really impressive. Maybe it's the first three hours session where I paid attention from the start till the end.”
Why do you think learning presentation skills are important day-to-day?
It’s not only about the big meetings and presentations according to Dr. Levchenko, it’s about the smaller daily interactions that create an immense impact in driving results.
“And of course you need to use different presentation skills, techniques, but it's not only about that. If you have small meetings, or even just an informal chat with someone, it's also important to pay attention to the way you are saying, and how you are saying, and to whom you are saying - from sender to receiver.”
What did you think of the training being virtual?
Dr. Artem Levchenko assumed it would be another training to just “tick off the list”, and attend, however found that this training was perfect for his remote environment and communicating with clients online - the program was a great example of that.
“I was a bit skeptical about one more online training, I need to go, I need to participate, just to put ‘tick’ - but what I found is that it's a new reality what I've to listened to right now.
We are still working remotely. We are engaging with our customers remotely, most of our time. So that's why I think this training by Colin James Method, it was great example of how virtual trainings, meetings, should be delivered.”
