Nick Preshaw

As the Capabilities Facilitation Manager, Nick Preshaw needed to convert his face-to-face meetings and training sessions into a virtual environment when lockdown restrictions hit last year. He relied on our methodology and practical frameworks to uphold a high standard of engagement during this time and he continues to benefit from the learnings.

Why did you want to do the Mastering Communication program?

The need to maintain effectiveness whilst running several training sessions with co-workers who were working remotely made it important for Nick to broaden his skills. He tells us feedback from his colleagues drew him to our program. “I received a lot of feedback from colleagues about the value of it, since probably January this year with the virus and everything, we began to work remotely so we’ve been doing a lot of virtual presentations.” Nick says he traditionally runs meetings and workshops 3 or 4 days a week. The pandemic came as a rude shock, so like most industries, he had to adopt new ideas and tools to keep moving and stay effective. “That’s where virtual presentations started, we were all learning that at that moment and I think it’s something most people in the industry were kind of struggling with.”

What elements have had the biggest impact?

“I’m a big framework and systems guy. My background was biomedical science. So I was very into the way the systems work and so I’ve always been into systemic thinking in a way that I would present.” Having our effective framework and templates he could turn to when preparing for any meeting meant Nick’s was able to formalise the process. Preparation is very important when it comes to delivering a flawless presentation and the content and downloadable resources offered throughout the training has made Nick much more confident in how he approaches this. “I’m always thinking of the easiest way I can prepare – so I’m not going to be nervous or not going to worry about presenting. Certainly, a lot of the frameworks taught have helped me with that.” The program also helped him to easily transfer the energy used in face-to-face into the virtual meeting environment.

How did you find the virtual learning environment?

Nick tells us he was quite impressed by the virtual learning environment on the program. As an educator himself, he was attuned to the structure and delivery techniques used by our facilitator to lift energy and interaction for the participants. “There was a deliberate thought to structure in the way that I could see it. There were elements of ‘let’s stand up’, ‘let’s do something’ to get the blood pumping a little bit.” This meant the engagement and energy were maintained throughout the training. Which in turn helped secure sustained change with the participants.

Who would you recommend this program to and why?

For Nick, the program helped him brush up and embrace new ideas for his presentations and he believes it’s an excellent program for the types of leaders and executives he works with, as well as anyone delivering presentations or pitches. “I think somebody going into a presentation at the board level or even somebody trying to sell products. I think the flex of the framework could work almost for anybody in that environment.”