ARTFUL COMMUNICATION: Gina Barnett

I first met Gina Barnett a few years ago when she came to our office at SpotCo to help the senior managers work on presentation skills. While the president of our company is a natural and gifted orator who's at his most comfortable--and funniest--in large groups of clients, some of the rest of us, well... not so much. And that would be, including and especially me. I could speak to a conference of a thousand strangers without raising my blood pressure, but somehow feared that I was a fraud in front of small groups of people who are buying what we create.

Enter Gina Barnett.

Gina Barnett is an executive communication consultant who has a way of cutting through the crap--through all of your personal stuff that gets in the way of how you communicate. And for me, that's meant exploring not only the way I communicate with groups--eye contact, hand gestures, tone, and all that. Over time, it's also meant looking at the way I communicate with the people I work with directly, day to day. My department, my coworkers, other managers; the whole package. It's not always a flattering portrait, believe me, but that's why you enlist the help of the pros--to help you with the baby steps.

I've been fortunate to work for a company that's been open to taking a look at the way we relate to others internally, as well as the way we present ourselves to the outside world. We've been able to maintain good morale in an era of uncertainty, and to really plan ahead for where we see ourselves in the coming years.

Don't get me wrong. There's kooky, petty stuff anywhere you'll ever work. Not everyone's meant to be the great presenter, but you can become a better one. There'll always be politics and colleagues, editors, other designers, or clients who'll push your buttons. But a little outside perspective in this unstable time can be a good thing. And for us, Gina Barnett's style was the right fit. It's about learning how to pause and take a deep breath before anything in the end--any presentation, any answer, any blow up. Or at least that was the big lesson for me.

And so, Gina's going to do an SPD Speakeasy on March 25th at the Helen Mills Theatre. Come hear some frank talk in a nutshell; an evening on how to maintain your sanity in the midst of redesigns, shrinking ad pages, late night closings--and perhaps how to prepare for your second act if that's what's in the back of your mind.

BIO: A specialist in communications coaching, Barnett International consults for domestic and global multinational corporations such as Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Allianz Global International, HSBC Bank and Credit Suisse, as well as for mid-sized advertising companies such as SpotCo. Gina Barnett has coached CEOs how to present to their boards, taught heads of sales how to inspire their teams, and trained medical students how to communicate more effectively with patients.

Gina Barnett's cumulative experience of 35 years developing and teaching professional communication skills are provided by Barnett International to an array of domestic and multi-national corporations through specialized programs, seminars, team and individual executive consulting. Barnett International partners with other world-class coaches and consultants to design for clients' needs.


GINA BARNETT on Artful Communication: Redesigning Yourself.

Thursday, March 25, 2010
Helen Mills Theatre
137-139 West 26th Street (between 6th & 7th Aves), NYC

7:00 - 8:30 PM, doors open at 6:30

Tickets:

SPD Members, $15 in advance; if tickets remain the day-of, they will be available for $20 at the door, CASH ONLY

Non-Members, $25 in advance; if tickets remain the day-of, they will be available for $30 at the door, CASH ONLY

Students (full-time) & faculty with valid ID, $10 in advance; if tickets remain the day-of, they will be available for $5 at the door, CASH ONLY



Register in advance (and save $5 off the door price!) by clicking the button above or using the form below by noon on Thursday, March 25th for advance tickets; after noon on the 25th, remaining tickets will be on sale at the event at the door, CASH ONLY.
As usual for SPD Speaker Events, all tickets, and seating, are first come, first served.








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