Telling Our Story - Communications Workshop

Telling Our Story: Helping Non-Profit Organizations to Get Their Message Across 
Penny McKinlay, Communications Consultant 
9 am – 3 pm, Wednesday, November 28, 2012 
Room 403, Galleria Building, Innovation Place, Saskatoon 


Advocacy organizations want to touch the hearts and change the behaviours of their public. That’s not easy, but effective communications can help you to get your message across.

I am offering Telling Our Story, a hands-on, interactive workshop, to assist the staff and volunteers of advocacy organizations to share their message. Small group discussions and activities will help you learn new skills and integrate them into your professional life.

The workshop is based on my study and practise of storytelling, effective writing, content design, and change management. Similar workshops for the League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents of Saskatchewan (LEADS) have been very well received.

“The workshop was amazing. It surpassed my expectations. We shared, we laughed, we learned from each other and from our excellent presenter. Penny pulled us together and facilitated the networking masterfully.” Vince Hill, Credenda (LEADS 2011) 

Workshop Schedule 
1. Storytelling: Delight your readers with heroes, action, and emotion 
“The structure and significance of stories transforms information from static and flat to dynamic and alive.”

Purpose: Every organization has a story to tell. Far too often, we bury it in technical language and jargon.

Hands-on Activity: Storyboarding: turn your report into a story.

2. Elegant Simplicity: Bridging the gap between the writer and the reader 
"Effective writing is simple and elegant. It invites readers to enter, to follow the story, to explore the ideas."

Purpose: Learn how to start a conversation, eliminate clutter, and highlight the important information.

Hands-on Activity: Identify and provide examples of effective communications.

3. Wading into Complexity: Who are we, and what is our message? 
“Products that are remarkable get talked about.”

Purpose: How we frame the question and how people view us has a major impact on our effectiveness.

Hands-on Activity: Find a beautiful solution for one of your gnarliest problems.

4. Switch: How to change things when change is hard
"Logic, emotions, environment: three paths to change" 

Purpose: Pick up some concrete, practical tips for changing behaviours and practices.

Hands-on Activity: Identify communications practices that you want to start/stop/continue and figure out how.

Workshop Fees
$125 (includes morning snack, lunch, and a resource booklet)

Payable to: Penny McKinlay, 106 – 1223 7th Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK S7K 2W1
mckinlaypenny@gmail.com     306.978.2939

Let me know if you have any particular dietary requirements.

Maximum participants: 25     Register by November 20, 2012

Telling Our Story is sponsored by EcoFriendly Sask as part of its mission to inform, support, and encourage environmental initiatives in Saskatchewan.

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