C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM F OR A CADEMIC A DVISORS C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM F OR A CADEMIC A DVISORS “ Y OUR W ORDS D RIVE Y OUR S TUDENTS ' S UCCESS ” Presented by: C OSMO W OLLAN S TUDENT C OMMUNICATIONS E XPERT

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Your Academic Advisors’ JOB is to help their students to SUCCEED in school.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. They rely on only THREE TOOLS to accomplish their task : K NOWLEDGE of the SchoolR APPORT with the Student WORDS It is in how they USE those tools that success is achieved.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. How are students going to feel when they hear this : "Class kicks off tomorrow, so if you dunno somethin, shoot me a message and I'll get back at-cha soon as I can."

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. How well will students adhere to the school rules if they hear : "Don't worry that you were late... everyone does it." or "Just tell the teacher your computer crashed. That's what I used to do."

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What your students THINK is determined by what they HEAR.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What your advisors say = I NFORMATION How they say it = P ERCEPTION

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What is WRONG with the following : “Where can I reach you at?” “Check with the Register's Office …” “You can find all of that at the Li-berry…”

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Would it bother you if you discovered that the guy from the FORD Dealership who sold you your car drove a HONDA ? DO we or DON'T we have more confidence in a product if the person selling it to us also uses it themselves?

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. The product your Academic Advisors are promoting is KNOWLEDGE. How can you expect to inspire potential students to take your school seriously if your Academic Advisors sound as if they failed High School Freshman English?

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Frequently Heard – Always WRONG : “Let me axe you a question…” “Monday is the firs day of class...” “…don't be like, all worried and stuff…”

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. This is not about being smart or dumb… or whether your Academic Advisors have a master’s degree, a bachelor’s degree or no degree. It is simply about using the BEST TOOLS for the task at hand. Like a thoroughbred racehorse or a top fuel race car, PROPER GRAMMAR IS A TOOL WHICH WILL MAKE THEM BETTER AT THEIR JOB.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Every time your Academic Advisors answer questions, provide assistance, offer advice or find solutions, your students will be making judgments BASED ON IMPRESSIONS OF WHAT THEY HEAR. or

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What do want your students to HEAR when they interact with your Academic Advisors? It represents your school, your image and your reputation. or

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. A wise man * once said : “ Y OU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION.” Your students look to your Academic Advisors for inspiration. H OW WILL THAT FIRST IMPRESSION INSPIRE THEM ? *Conflicting sources attribute this quote to Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Arthur Schopenhauer

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Conversational Professionalism (for Academic Advisors) is available as a stand-alone 2-hour seminar or can be incorporated as a 2-hour segment of a larger scope training program. Seminar groups should be no larger than participants for optimum interaction. All university Academic Advisors who regularly interact with enrolled students can benefit from this training. Whether on the phone or in person, your students' experiences at your university are based as much on your people as their progress. C AN YOU REALLY AFFORD NOT TO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD ?

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS ' SUCCESS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. T HANK Y OU. W E L OOK FORWARD TO W ORKING W ITH Y OU. W E L OOK FORWARD TO W ORKING W ITH Y OU. Cosmo Wollan Student Communications Expert Senior Training Executive Communication Excellence SM Office: Cell: