Posts

woman-speaker-cover-photo

Why Professional Development Should be Important to You

/in /by

Professional development should be part of your PIP, growth plan, development plan or personal plan.  As communicators we need to be able to speak factually and confidently about matters pertaining not only to the practice of communications but to matters impacting the organization or business we work within. How will you gain knowledge about trends and best practices in communications?

Today’s new normal is full of change. Professional development can assist you with creating your own change, keeping up with a change you can’t avoid, knowing about what change might be coming your way and more.

Here are five reasons professional development should be important to you:

  1. Lifelong learning – Career Development

The pursuit of knowledge suits the curious nature of human beings. It enhances social inclusion, self sustainability, employability and competitiveness. If you want to reach the top, you’ll never stop learning along the way.

  1. Get outside your box

We all spend so much time in our workplace, with our colleagues, in our industry that some times we just need to step outside it all and hear from a totally different perspective – plus a day out of the office is a great way to feel refreshed and invigorated

  1. Cross industry pollination

Just like ‘we’ve always done it that way’ can lead to trouble, so can ‘everyone in our industry does it like that’ – a great idea in one industry can be a great idea in another, or repurposed to fit another…

  1. Networking, like brainstorming, can lead to idea sparks

Those questions that get asked at the end of a presentation or that great lunch time conversation – that’s where the real gold can some times be found. Everyone hears and digests information differently, so it’s likely their question or thoughts on the very same information you just heard, are not the same!

  1. Keep up or get left behind

Ensure your capabilities and scope of knowledge is where it should be. Be on the crest of the curve, not behind it. Continue to make meaningful contributions, be an effective team member or leader.

In short, professional development prepares you and opens you up to new possibilities, new knowledge and new skill areas.

Check out all of Swansea Communications professional development events.

Master Class – an Elevated Learning Environment

/in /by

So just what is a Master Class?

Simply put a master class it is a class given by an expert on high level content to highly talented students, or in your case, experienced communicators!

Now, don’t be scared off by this definition. What our master classes set out to offer you is a high-quality learning environment with content provided by seasoned communications professionals who have tried and tested not only the delivery of this content but the actual content you’ll be learning from.

We’ve all been to the workshop or presentation that fell short of our expectations, was disengaging or was so high level that there was no way to relate the content to your situation. You won’t experience that at our master classes.

Dissection of a Master Class

Our master classes are designed to be engaging, detailed, hands on, collaborative and personal. We’re not going to pack the room with 50 other people and throw a manual at you and call it a day. Your master class experience will be a guided journey through relatable content, storytelling, peer discussion and hands on application. Each class will have about 30 people in total – just like a traditional classroom, only a little less unruly and no need to ask to go to the washroom.

Now don’t get the wrong idea, master class content is delivered in perfectly sized nuggets. Not so large you can’t relate, not so small that it feels ‘dumbed down’. We want you to finish your class with a sense of accomplishment, knowing you’ve got new knowledge, fresh ideas, invigorated enthusiasm and well, down right feeling good about how you spent your time.

That’s our last point, our master classes are intense half day sessions so you can get in, get the knowledge and get out. We know you are busy, we know you can’t be away from the office for days at a time but you need high level professional development; we know our master classes can fit that need.

See the 2020 Atlantic Communications Master Class Series.