Teach your Career Services Advisors the level of verbal communication skill required to lead by example and inspire their students to embrace the conversational skillset required for future success. A great Career Services Advisor will inspire students to embrace professionalism in all manner of their interaction. Their verbiage, diction and vocabulary must be exemplary and their personal presentation must be nothing less than perfect.

1. Presented by:
CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
COSMO WOLLAN
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE EXPERT
BAR”
STUDENT COMMUNICATIONS
CONVERSATIONAL
PROFESSIONALISM
F OR C AREER S ERVICES A DVISORS
“S ETTING THE E XAMPLE –
R AISING THE B AR ”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

2. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
Your Career
Services Advisors’
JOB is to
help students
PREPARE for their
career after
college.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

3. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
They rely on only THREE TOOLS to accomplish their task:
KNOWLEDGE of the Business World RAPPORT with the Student
WORDS
It is in how they USE those tools that success is achieved.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

4. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
How inspiring is a Career Advisor who sounds like this:
“There ain’t a lot of jobs out there, so we may have
to lie on your resume to get you in the door.”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

5. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
How can they teach students to say:
“Thank you for your time, I appreciate the chance to
discuss this opportunity face to face.”
When what THEY say at the end of a meeting is:
“Thanks for popping by – don’t forget to shoot me that
resume to me like I said.”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

6. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
What your students
THINK
is determined by what they
HEAR.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

7. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
What your advisors say = INFORMATION
How they say it = PERCEPTION
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

8. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
What is WRONG with the following:
“Where was your first job at?”
“Dialogue with me about your skills…”
“If you don’t got a good answer, make one up…”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

9. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
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?
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

10. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
The image your Career Services
Advisors are creating is
PROFESSIONALISM = SUCCESS.
How can your advisors expect to lead by example and
inspire professional behavior if they sound as if they
failed High School Freshman English?
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

11. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
Frequently Heard – Always WRONG:
• “Let me axe you a question…”
• “Your resume is, like, your door opener…”
• “Most importantly, remember to dress appropriately”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

12. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
This is not about being smart or dumb… or whether your
Career Services 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.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

13. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
Every time your Career Services Advisors answer
questions, provide assistance, offer advice or find
solutions, your students will be making judgments
BASED ON IMPRESSIONS OF WHAT THEY HEAR.
or
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

14. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
What do want your students to HEAR when they interact
with your Career Services Advisors?
or
It represents your school, your image and your reputation.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

15. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
A wise man* once said: “YOU NEVER GET A SECOND
CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION.”
Your students look to your Career Services Advisors for
inspiration.
HOW WILL THAT FIRST IMPRESSION INSPIRE THEM?
*Conflicting sources attribute this quote to Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Arthur Schopenhauer
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

16. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
Conversational Professionalism (for Career Services 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 Career Services Advisors who regularly interact
with enrolled students or alumni can benefit from this training.
Whether on the phone or in person, the image, credibility and
success of your Career Services team depends as much upon
how they communicate as it does on the information they provide.
CAN YOU REALLY AFFORD NOT TO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD?
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

17. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR”
THANK YOU.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
Cosmo Wollan
Student Communications Expert
Senior Training Executive
Communication ExcellenceSM
Office: 754.300.9678 Cell: 305.788.2469
Cosmo@CommunicationExcellence.biz
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.