Phase 3: Expressions of Leadership

Distinguishing Your Branded Communication

Your personal brand is what sets you apart. But that alone is not enough. How you communicate your brand, both verbally and non-verbally, will ultimately determine whether or not others perceive you as a leader.

CW&A will show you not only how to communicate in a polished, poised and professional manner, but also how to sustain it with consistency, so that your leadership presence is always “on brand,” regardless of the environment — at work, in your personal life, or within your community.

This final phase of our program is designed to equip you with a host of innovative communication/presentation strategies and social/business etiquette skills that will give you an edge in every interaction. During phase III we will:

Assess your emotional and relational IQ
Identify strategies to promote civility in the workplace that transforms
Illustrate the 5 Ps of personal presentation
Refine your communication through body language and gestures
Perfect your vocal tonality and pitch
Increase your confidence and assertiveness

A key part of this session focuses on business, cultural and social etiquette (including dining). Etiquette is a practice of civility that should be a brand attribute of every leader. Amid increasing incivility in today’s high-pressure global workplace, this code of polite and respectful behavior can transform your relationships with subordinates, superiors, customers, and suppliers.

I have spoken to international audiences about my scientific research. But this time was different. A national news organization was coming to film the story about how a young kid obsessed with becoming an Olympic gold medalist grew into a research professor running an independent scientific laboratory at Duke University. I had never given thought to what the color of my shirt would say to a board viewing audience about my personality, or how to best communicate the intricate details of my scientific research to a broad audience that may not have had set foot in a scientific lab since their high school biology class. It was clear that I was in a little over my head…so I called Cynthia White and Associates.

Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD

Duke University Medical Center