THINK ON YOUR FEET - TOYFnet.com

CLARITY | BREVITY | IMPACT®

THINK ON YOUR FEET®

• Structure Your Ideas
• Get to the Point
• Be Remembered

Think on Your Feet International, Inc.
www.thinkonyourfeet.com

THINK ON YOUR FEET®

WORKSHOP MATERIALS: CLARITY | BREVITY | IMPACT®

Our professionally bound manual Think on Your Feet® is the globally acclaimed workshop that trains
which includes worksheets that you to analyse, organise and present your ideas fast!
allow participants to prepare and
structure their ideas quickly. Think on Your Feet® introduces the capsules-of-persuasion concept:
10 plans that structure your ideas quickly.
Plus summary wallet cards for • To explain complex ideas clearly
each participant. • To get to the point
• To be more persuasive
POST-PARTICIPANT • To respond on the spot
RESOURCES • To grab your audience’s attention

• TOYF-FRESH™ – Our on-line Especially under pressure!

refresher module. Think on Your Feet® is for anyone concerned with communications,
including:
• TOYF-TIPS™ – A monthly • Senior Executives
• Financial Analysts
Think on Your Feet® • Managers
newsletter, providing • Public Affairs Experts
reminders, tips, and • Sales & Marketing Professionals
reinforcement of your • Training Professionals
classroom experience. • Technical Specialists
• Customer Service Experts

What the Workshop Covers
Think on Your Feet® is filled with practice, coaching and feedback.
At the completion of the course, you will be able to:
• Structure ideas simply and persuasively
• Illustrate ideas with memorable examples
• Condense your thoughts

• Target listeners’ core concerns
• Simplify complex information
• Avoid information overload

• Handle objections positively
• Answer questions quickly and coherently
• Deal with challenges assertively and persuasively

• Get to the point and be remembered

© 2 0 1 0 T h i n k o n Yo u r F e e t I n t e r n a t i o n a l , I n c .

400 Years in Development

©2010 Think on Your Feet In the 17th century, French philosopher Rene Descartes wrote the
International, Inc. remarkable book, Discourse on Method. He not only coined the most
All Rights Reserved. famous line in philosophy (“I think, therefore I am”), he also
described the essence of clear reasoning.
Think on Your Feet® is a registered
trademark of Think on Your Feet In the 20th century, a distinguished Canadian, Dr. Keith Spicer,
International, Inc, and is registered developed Think on Your Feet®, and based it on the ideas of
with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Descartes, and other great thinkers. His genius was to add his
Office, the Canadian Registrar of media experience plus insights from brain research. The result was
Trademarks, the Australian Trade Mark a new, but practical, approach to clarity and persuasion.
Office and the European community.
Spicer said: “This workshop stems from a simple idea: you can't
talk (or write) straight unless you can think straight. And clear,
coherent thinking demands not so much genius as structure.”

Today, Think on Your Feet® is accepted in more than 30 countries.
And workshop attendees are mainly “knowledge” professionals.

Why? Because “knowledge” professionals work constantly with
ideas: ideas about products and services, ideas about customers,
ideas about new ways of doing business.

Today, it's not sufficient just to have ideas. They must be explained,
defended, and sold. This is true whether ‘on your feet’, across a
desk, at a keyboard, on a conference call, or in a video-conference.

Given that today’s listener/reader suffers from ‘information
overload’, it’s clear why Think on Your Feet® provides a source of
competitive advantage.

Ideas are the Currency of the New Economy

The ability to Think on Your Feet® is now globally regarded as the
core communication competence – the platform on which to
build speaking, presenting, writing and negotiation skills.

Typical Two-Day Agenda

MODULE 1 Getting to the Point & Being Remembered

MODULE 2 Presenting Your Ideas with Speed & Clarity

MODULE 3 Using Handy Fall-Back Techniques When You’re
Caught Off Guard

MODULE 4 Handling Questions Quickly, Clearly &
Persuasively

MODULE 5 Using “Visual” Pegs as Your Structure

MODULE 6 Dividing Information into Facets, Aspects
or Perspectives

MODULE 7 Bridging from Question to Answer

MODULE 8 Expanding or Focusing Your Listener’s Perspective

MODULE 9 Moving Two Opposing Viewpoints to
a Middle Ground

MODULE 10 Selling the Benefits of Your Ideas,
Products, Services

MODULE 11 Illustrating Your Ideas

MODULE 12 Telling a Story: What? Where? When? Why?

MODULE 13 Putting it All Together
Advanced Think on Your Feet® drills

MODULE 14 Think on Your Feet® Speed Networking

HOW TO MASTER worst, might say nothing, says Roger years ago teaching business writing
THE ART OF Davies, chief executive officer of strategies. In recent years, however,
THINKING QUICKLY Toronto-based McLuhan & Davies he has noticed increasing demand
ON YOUR FEET Communications, Inc. from clients for help with verbal
communications skills. His firm
By Virginia Galt “Most communication is one- now offers its trademark Think on
Workplace Reporter on-one, informal, impromptu,” Your Feet® program, developed by
Globe & Mail Mr. Davies said in a recent interview. former federal communications
You don't generally have time to regulator Keith Spicer, in 20
Caught off guard by a question at prepare speaking notes before countries. The concepts cross
work, do you blurt out the first bumping into your boss in the cultures, Mr. Davies said.
thing that comes to mind? Or do hallway – and, even in the age of
you take a moment to marshal e-mail, hallway encounters are “Today, no one has time for you to
your thoughts? still important. ramble. Everyone is in a rush, hence
the premium on the skill of thinking
Most of us are not too adept at So, when face-to-face opportunities on your feet.”
thinking on our feet. Extroverts arise, how does one make the best of
tend to respond with far more the situation? Mr. Davies said clients are
information than the situation seeking pointers on how to answer
warrants, while an introvert, at “It is not enough to be questions on the spot, how to
spontaneous. That can come over explain complicated ideas more
as a ramble, or beating around the clearly and how to be persuasive.
bush,” Mr. Davies said. “It is also
not enough to avoid a response, to Whether you have 10 hours, 10
be evasive.” minutes or 10 seconds to prepare,
Mr. Davies offers some tips:
Mr. Davies, a former journalist,
started his consulting business 25

Advice on How to Keep an Answer, Clear and Direct

THINK BREVITY THINK MOVEMENT present sales and your strategies for
Be aware that your audience values increasing future sales.”
you getting to the point. They value Demonstrate your mental ability to
complex ideas being explained be logical, and to move your Mr. Davies has people prepare for
simply. Everyone suffers from audience through that logic. What if his workshops by bringing a list of
information overload. If you don't someone asks a question to which the 10 questions they most hate to
get to the point, you're adding to you do not know the answer? answer. For bosses, these often
the overload. include: Why haven't you given me a
Mr. Davies advises that if you raise? For sales people, one of the
THINK STRUCTURE really don't know the answer, say so. most hated questions is: Why should
Place some kind of framework into I buy your product when the
your communication so that your “Our research clearly shows that competition sells it for less?
audience can see you are organized people expect and value honesty and
and have thought about your directness. They don't like waffling... Anticipating questions that might
answer. You have focused your Just acknowledge that you don't be asked helps you respond to the
answer into something digestible, know, but promise to get back to tough ones when they do arise, he
something an audience can absorb. them – and then get back to them.” said. As an opening Think on Your
It forces you into brevity and clarity. Feet® exercise, workshop participants
How do you buy time if you just are invited to assume the role of
THINK THREES need a moment or two to gather a famous person, and field the types
Strong verbal messages require your thoughts? of questions that person might
focus. They also require substance. be asked.
One item is not enough. Seventeen “Usually, people know the answer
items is too many. Three items is but get flummoxed, pressured and For instance, a person playing
enough for you, and your audience, have a hard time recalling what they the late prime minister, Pierre
to retain. Three items forces you to know,” Mr. Davies said. “One strategy Trudeau, might be asked to justify
focus on what is really important. It that will buy you time involves his decision to drive an expensive
also focuses your audience on only instantly taking your questioner German sports car.
having to listen to three. Remember back in time, to review what
your audience's attention span. happened. “For example, you are A hint from Mr. Davies: Fuddle
cornered by your boss to discuss duddle is not an acceptable answer.
your group's sales performance. You
can quickly frame a response by © Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All
grouping all the details into what
affected past sales, your targets for Rights Reserved.

AVAILABLE ON-SITE

ON-SITE WORKSHOPS This network can work with you to adapt Think
Think on Your Feet® is available globally from a network on Your Feet® for on-site groups in more than
of highly experienced communication specialists. 30 countries.

“Quite simply the most immediately useful course I’ve ever attended. I was able to apply its
techniques in meetings, structuring business proposals and running a training session. The
course does exactly what it says!

It helps you think more clearly and effectively. Most importantly, you practise the techniques so
that they have an immediate, practical impact. If you’ve ever been at a loss for the right answer
in an important meeting, book a place now.”

Ian Florence, Managing Director, Only Connect

THINK ON YOUR FEET INTERNATIONAL, INC.

www.thinkonyourfeet.com