Teach your Academic Advisors to interact with their students in a manner that is friendly and motivating while remaining professional and earning the student’s trust and respect. Academic Advisors are your students’ guide and mentor on the challenging road from enrollment to graduation. They must be friendly and motivating while remaining accurate, scholarly and always professional. Proper grammar and appropriate vocabulary will serve to remind students that your institution is one not only of higher education, but of higher standards.

1. Presented by:
CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
COSMO WOLLAN
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
STUDENT COMMUNICATIONS EXPERT
CONVERSATIONAL
PROFESSIONALISM
F OR A CADEMIC A DVISORS
“Y OUR W ORDS D RIVE Y OUR
S TUDENTS ' S UCCESS ”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

2. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
Your Academic
Advisors’ JOB
is to
help their
students
to SUCCEED
in school.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

3. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
They rely on only THREE TOOLS to accomplish their task:
KNOWLEDGE of the School 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
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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."
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

5. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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."
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

6. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
What your students
THINK
is determined by what they
HEAR.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

7. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
What your advisors say = INFORMATION
How they say it = PERCEPTION
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

8. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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…”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

9. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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?
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

11. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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…”
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

12. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

13. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

14. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
What do want your students to HEAR when they interact
with your Academic Advisors?
or
It represents your school, your image and your reputation.
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

15. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
A wise man* once said: “YOU NEVER GET A SECOND
CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION.”
Your students look to your Academic 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
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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 20-25 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.
CAN YOU REALLY AFFORD NOT TO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD?
©2012 COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

17. CONVERSATIONAL PROFESSIONALISM
“YOUR WORDS DRIVE YOUR STUDENTS' SUCCESS”
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.