Colin Anderson ACSI, CISI client relationship manager Scotland & Northern Ireland, explains how scripting and sketching can enhance client communication
During the first week in May, we ran events in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Newcastle in conjunction with Dimensional Effective Communications. These were designed to help delegates improve their communications with clients. All events were fully booked.
They were the outcome of a meeting I had with Harry Walker from Dimensional in a coffee house on Lothian Road, Edinburgh in November, to discuss providing engaging opportunities for our members. In Scotland we have provided many events which concentrate on the technical skills and knowledge that we need in our jobs, but often the key skills everyone needs are forgotten or overlooked. These ‘business skills’, such as communication, delegation and leadership, are key to developing your relationships with your internal and external clients. We all need to be able to communicate effectively.
So, we decided to deliver an event on effective communication, looking at two techniques: scripting and sketching.
David Swanwick was the key speaker, supported by Blair Anderson (honest no relation) and Harry Walker, all from Dimensional, with an introduction from me. David explained that everyone becomes an investor at some point in their lives, for example by joining a pension scheme or saving in an ISA, but it is extremely unlikely that anyone has explained to them what investing means in simple terms. It is therefore important that when we talk to a client that our messages are clear and consistent.
The key skills everyone needs are often forgotten or overlooked
The second part was a workshop on ‘scripting for success’. Yes, there was role play involved but the delegates took to the challenge and a new skill started to develop. Thinking about the words you use is crucial. This doesn’t mean writing a script to repeat robotically but being prepared with a kind of verbal template that you can personalise, to ensure clarity and accommodate different learning styles.
The third part, sketching, began with David taking us through a brief history of imagery and writing before turning to a smiley face emoji. It’s amazing what you can learn at a CISI event!
He shared some great sketches which you can use with clients, but more importantly, showed us that sketching can be used in so many other ways to help inform, clarify and keep things simple.
Everything was designed to ensure that every delegate had the best opportunity to learn new skills - and all with the occasional elegance of Pink Floyd playing discreetly in the background during the breakout sessions. At every session there was a buzz about the room and regardless if you went to the event in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Newcastle, everyone enjoyed the chance to gain new practical skills that could be utilised immediately with their clients.
Hopefully we will be running similar sessions in the near future and thank you to the Dimensional team.