Academy of Better Communicators Club

WHAT IS THE ACADEMY OF BETTER COMMUNICATORS CLUB?

The Academy of Better Communicators ™ (ABC) Club is an online monthly training + coaching club. It will (dramatically) improve your communication skills. Led by renowned communication expert Ira Koretsky, The ABC Club offers fast-paced, fun training lessons complemented with personalized and confidential coaching.

Combining coaching with training, The Academy of Better Communicators ™ creates a powerful synergy that maximizes the effectiveness of long term talent development. Together, coaching and training help you achieve organizational and professional goals faster.

Coaching takes training a step further. Coaching facilitates the application of new skills and new tools in real-life scenarios. Also, coaching helps you bridge the gap between theory and practice by providing personalized guidance and support, allowing you to effectively implement the training concepts at work, in real-time.

Unlock the Power of Communication. In today’s fast-paced business landscape, effective communication is paramount to your future success. After all, that’s why you are here. The ABC Club equips you with the skills and tools you need to confidently engage, persuade, and inspire both internal and external audiences.

EVERYONE PARTICIPATES. EVERYONE IMPROVES.

The Academy of Better Communicators ™ Club is designed to ensure EVERYONE participates in discussions and exercises, and EVERYONE receives feedback to help them improve and grow. Each club is 10 to 15 members.

FACILITATOR

Ira Koretsky is your facilitator. He founded The Chief Storyteller ® in 2001, and turned it into one of the most recognized communication and storytelling firms worldwide. For more than 20 years, he has trained more than 40,100 professionals in nearly a dozen countries, and coached hundreds of professionals internationally.

He helps you deliver The Expected Experience ™ . His specialties are simplifying the complex and communicating effectively when the stakes are high. Storytelling is his secret sauce. Success stories can be found here.

Ira…

• Offers unbiased insights and outside perspectives
• Provides advice AND hands-on support
• Is an active practitioner, delivering more than 550 training programs worldwide
• “Gets you.” He is a techie at heart, having started the computer club in high school, won a high school science fair, was a CIO, and worked for three high-tech companies in managed web hosting
• Customizes the training and coaching to your goals

CUSTOMIZED & PRACTICAL

Ira draws from more than 150 exercises and 50 learning modules to align the content to your learning goals. You complete a survey before starting, sharing your challenges, goals, and current skills. He conducts a 30-minute pre-interview with you before your Academy of Better Communicators ™ Club starts. And he has a check-in with you every fourth month.

Every topic, lesson, example, and exercise is practical and immediately applicable to the workplace.

SAFE LEARNING LABORATORY

As a professional trainer, facilitator, improvisational comedy performer (G-rating content), and adjunct professor, Ira knows all too well the importance of creating a safe learning laboratory for everyone to grow and learn. Members must always be supportive and be encouraging (see below, Required Mindset).

COACHING SHOULD BE MORE THAN ADVICE

To truly be successful in achieving your goals, you need a coach who offers more than advice. You need a coach that offers resources and hands-on support. And you need a coach that offers learning with application. Application of concepts and resources to your workplace activities that help you achieve your goals.

When giving advice, Ira makes suggestions for you to consider and to implement in your communications you are working on. Examples include presentations, emails, meeting agendas, budget reports, internal communications, data storytelling — any communications you are working on.

When providing hands-on help, Ira helps concept, develop, and revise your communications. Examples include presentations and visuals; story narratives and messages; emails and subject lines; speeches; briefings; and board room presentations. Ira practices and role-plays with you to build and maintain (new) skills and abilities.

ABC CLUBS

Currently, we offer six Academy of Better Communicator ™ Clubs:

1. General Storytelling (Accepting Memberships)
2. Better Communications (Accepting Memberships)
3. Public Speaking (includes storytelling)
4. Data Storytelling
5. Presentations
6. Leadership Storytelling

If you would like to be put on a waiting list for any of the ABC Clubs, please visit the Contact page and complete the form.

RESOURCES

Resources specific to each monthly lesson are provided to members. Examples include:

MEMBERSHIP

Members are leaders, rising stars, thought leaders, influencers, experts, trainers, and those seeking to develop themselves. Members come from any industry and from associations, non-profits, charities, government, and corporations.

Leadership Storytelling is the only club with a restriction for senior leadership roles.

Each ABC Club meets for a minimum of six months.

BENEFITS OF JOINING

• Improve (dramatically) your effectiveness across a number of communication areas such as storytelling, data storytelling, public and speaking
• Experience sustainable behavior change with personalized attention and tailored coaching
• Improve (dramatically) your confidence in any setting
• Apply the new knowledge and skills learned in the same day
• Accelerate your personal and professional success

COLLABORATIVE MINDSET REQUIRED

As part of your contract, members must maintain a collaborative and supportive mindset. Specifically, members must:

• Be supportive
• Be encouraging
• Think “Yes, And” (improv saying)
• Ask, “how can I help?”
• Appreciate constructive feedback

Monthly Training Agenda

Each monthly program is 60 minutes and consists of four parts:

1. Ira presents the lesson – 20 minutes
2. Members practice with practical, real-world exercises – 20 minutes
3. Volunteers demonstrate the exercise and learning with collaborative feedback from everyone – 15 minutes
4. Ira closes the training lesson with next steps, Smart Exercises, and homework – 5 minutes

One to two weeks later, each member meets with Ira for one-on-one confidential coaching for either 30 or 60 minutes, depending upon The ABC Club™ package selected.

Please visit each ABC Club™ page for example learning modules, exercises, resources, and homework.

MEETING TIMES

A consistent day of the month and time will be shared before you join.

The Chief Storyteller® is based on the east coast of the United States. And as such, meeting times are 09:00 to 17:00 ET.

For our international friends, if you have 10 or more members joining, Ira will be delighted to offer a convenient time.

INVESTING IN YOUR SUCCESS

The Academy of Better Communicators ™ Club described here is for individuals. If your organization is interested in a customized ABC Club, please contact us.

Please see the individual ABC Club pages for training + coaching packages (descriptions coming soon).

1. General Storytelling (Memberships available)
2. Better Communications (Memberships available)
3. Public Speaking (includes storytelling)
4. Data Storytelling
5. Presentations
6. Leadership Storytelling

SUCCESS STORIES / PAST PERFORMANCE

Photography Source:  University of Maryland
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