1. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM F OR F INANCIAL A ID A DVISORS C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM F OR F INANCIAL A ID A DVISORS “ T HE R IGHT W ORDS TO D ISCUSS THE N UMBERS ” Presented by: C OSMO W OLLAN S TUDENT C OMMUNICATIONS E XPERT

2. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Your Financial Aid Advisors' JOB is to help students UNDERSTAND and NAVIGATE the complexities of college financing.

3. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. They rely on only THREE TOOLS to accomplish their task: K NOWLEDGE of the ProcessR APPORT with the Student WORDS It is in how they USE those tools that success is achieved.

4. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. How many first time students will make sense of this : "Just go to the FAFSA site, get your PIN and email me the EFC on your SAR when you get it."

5. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. How IMPORTANT will students feel when they hear : "Call me back when you're done. I'm usually very busy, so you may be on hold for a while.."

6. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What your students THINK is determined by what they HEAR.

7. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What your advisors say = I NFORMATION How they say it = P ERCEPTION

8. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What is WRONG with the following: “How much you paying now?” “Check with the Register's Office …” “Do you know where your paperwork is at?”

9. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©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?

10. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. The product your Financial Aid Advisors are discussing is THE VALUE OF EDUCATION. How can you expect to inspire students to appreciate the value of their financial investment if your advisors sound as if they failed High School Freshman English?

11. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Frequently Heard – Always WRONG : “Let me axe you a question…” “Just get me the paperwork tomorrow...” “…don't be like, all worried and stuff…”

12. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. This is not about being smart or dumb… or whether your Financial Aid 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 THAT WILL MAKE THEM BETTER AT THEIR JOB.

13. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Every time your Financial Aid Advisors answer questions, provide assistance, offer advice or find solutions, your students will be making judgments BASED ON IMPRESSIONS OF WHAT THEY HEAR. or

14. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What do want your students to HEAR when they interact with your Financial Aid Advisors? It represents your school, your image and your reputation. or

15. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©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 Financial Aid Advisors for inspiration. H OW WILL THAT FIRST IMPRESSION INSPIRE THEM ? *Conflicting sources attribute this quote to Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Arthur Schopenhauer

16. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Conversational Professionalism (for Financial Aid 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 20-25 participants for optimum interaction. All university Financial Aid Advisors who regularly interact with potential or 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 ?

17. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ THE RIGHT WORDS TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS ” ©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: 754.300.9678 Cell: 305.788.2469 Cosmo@CommunicationExcellence.biz