Tate.

Time For Change - Creating a visitor engagement training programme, delivered in-house for long-term sustainability through Train the Trainer.

‘Lily, Josh and Ben are excellent trainers and it has been a delight to work with them so far. They fill a room with enthusiasm, and have been very collaborative, considerate and flexible with our team in the creation of a tailored Visitor Engagement Training programme (despite numerous covid-related delays and subsequent necessary alterations!). This is a really exciting project for us and have confidence in the value that it will bring for our visitors and colleagues alike.’

Tate, Learning and Development.

Beginning.

Tate is a family of four art galleries in London, Liverpool and Cornwall. Their mission is to increase the public’s enjoyment and understanding of British art from the 16th century to the present day and of international modern and contemporary art. To help do this, they have a large number of visitor-facing staff and volunteers. Tate wanted to develop and roll out a visitor care and engagement training programme that would create an experience that is more attractive and accessible to a wider range of people, and which also encourages more spending and donating in support of the gallery’s work.

Middle.

We consulted with staff, from across Tate seniority and front of house roles, to ensure the programme was set to achieve something everyone believed in and delivered the help and support required to create the desired for visitor experience. The sessions needed to cater for different visitor facing roles and new recruits alongside seasoned old hands whilst never losing or talking down to anyone.

The set of 3 workshops looked at creating a warmer welcome throughout a visit; connecting with visitors while engaging them to the art, architecture and history of Tate; dealing with difficult situations; looking at Tate’s mission, vision and values and at developing staff so that their experience of working at Tate is equally rewarding to that of visitors.

End.

As the retail and volunteer teams wished to join, the project evolved into Train the Trainer programme so the workshops could be delivered to a greater number and sustainably develop over time. We trained staff from Tate Britain, Tate Modern and Tate Liverpool to be able to deliver the three workshops to their colleagues in house. This more sustainable approach allows for all current, alongside future, visitor facing staff to receive the training, creating a unified approach to and quality of visitor experience. By delivering the workshops, the Tate trainers are in a great position to offer support and encouragement to meet and develop the practical aspirations and goals set by staff for the visitor experience they can give at Tate.

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EY.

Connecting Culture and Business - Showing the many facets of your corporate personality and sponsorship.

"Our facilitator, Lily created a safe environment in which to practice engaging an audience. The training was highly practical. I’ve attended a number of presentation skills courses before but this really honed skills in a concise, practice based and creative manner.”

A participant from our EY training.

Beginning.

As part of EY’s staff engagement they involve their employees in their sponsorship of major arts exhibitions. This both encourages engagement in the exhibitions and provide opportunities for a whole new way of interacting with clients. Following a recommendation from Arts & Business, theWholeStory was asked to create training to equip up to 70 participants with the skills to confidently converse about the art with clients at receptions within the exhibitions. This was one of our first major clients and we are delighted to continue to deliver and improve this programme.

Middle.

theWholeStory devised and led workshops applying storytelling skills, techniques and games. The workshops enabled the participants to create and structure art historical information about the exhibition. The workshops also provided the opportunity to acquire and practice the necessary interaction skills. An important element of the workshop was to show that personal opinions or responses can help others find their own initial connection to a work of art, on to which they could then find a broader engagement with it.

End.

The fun but effective workshops allowed participants, from various EY departments and offices, to meet and collaborate together as teams prior to the receptions. The positive, encouraging but also challenging nature pf the process ensured that confidence and self-esteem were boosted. Participants left the creative workshop with a greater understanding of their subject and the tools to speak and interact spontaneously and therefore present themselves and EY in an authentic and friendly manner.

Crimestoppers

We Are Not the Police! - Finding the right tone of voice.

“I have to be honest: I was a sceptic. But I was so wrong. It’s hard to overestimate the impact that Josh and theWholeStory had with my charity. He inspires, enthuses and motivates in a very charismatic and approachable manner. He really gets people to believe and up their game. Within days, we were improving our copy and far better, connecting with our partners and supporters. It wasn’t just the communications team either; the approach benefited all. In short, a transformative experience: highly recommended.”

Crimestoppers Chief Executive.

Beginning.

Crimestoppers is an independent charity that gives people the power to speak up and stop crime – 100% anonymously. Crimestoppers was often thought of by the public as being a part of the police, deterring certain members of the public from calling them to report crime. They wanted to change their tone of voice to better represent both their brand and messaging. We suggested a workshop for a cross section of staff, from CEO to telephone operators, to create stories that could be used both internally and externally, which would give a breadth of experiences and perspectives on what Crimestoppers does.

Middle.

Staff took part in a full day collaborative storytelling workshop, collectively creating stories about Crimestoppers in small groups. Whilst respecting the much-prized anonymity of callers, the stories created captured the authentic emotional impact of both being aware of criminal activity and of doing something about. These stories helped promote the safe sharing of information with Crimestoppers, reassuring listeners by including descriptions of what takes place over a call.

End.

A selection of excellent stories were created, many of which have since been recorded and shared across social media. These have been very well received, prompting Crimestoppers to engage us to run a series of workshops for staff, trustees and volunteers across the UK. By having a collection of powerful stories created by staff, they are now able to choose and share the one that best suits the potential donor, volunteer, new recruit or member of the public that will get the desired results.

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Connection and Engagement Coaching

You’ve Got This - Individual coaching to prepare a presentation so it would connect with a challenging audience.

“I just wanted to say thank you for an excellent day yesterday and express how grateful I am to you both. Your insightful nuggets were particularly powerful and have the potential to make all the difference for me. I know I need committed practice and focus – but I am smiling whilst I write this – as the thought of practicing actually feels like it could be fun?! Hopefully the results will speak for themselves! Thank you again for an invaluable session.”

Beginning

R had taken part in our workshops “Sharing the Message” and in “Vocal and Physical Presence” and wanted to use the same techniques to work intensely and one to one to develop an important upcoming presentation. She wished to explore and refine her content and to improve how she used her body and voice to be able to confidently present to a challenging audience. She had some fears that were holding her back from sharing her content, which she knew was important and valid.

Middle

R spent the first half of the morning with Lily, deconstructing her content and rebuilding it as a narrative, they explored who her audience was and how she could tackle any problems or issues they may raise, in a positive manner and then distilled the ingredients of her story to ensure it worked towards the outcomes and meanings she wanted to reach with her audience. In the second half of the morning, Ben guided R in how she could best use her voice and body to hold and deliver her message and build an effective relationship and positive connection with her audience. In the afternoon R had time to apply and process her learning before giving her presentation to Ben and Lily, who gave her feedback and practical comments for her to be able measure her improvement and areas for further work.

End

R left feeling enthused and energized and looking forward to practicing her presentation further. She had some simple techniques to draw on that gave her a strong foundation for her confidence. From the day she gained greater insight, both on her content and how she could deliver it so that it would connect and engage her audience and make her presentation more powerful.

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The Government Art Collection.

Enjoyable? Productive?? Fun??? - Teambuilding days can work.

Beginning.

The Collection promotes British art and plays a key role in its cultural diplomacy, delivering an expression of Britain’s soft power, its culture and its values. It is committed to ensuring wider public access to its works of art through loans, partnerships, public programmes, online access, exhibitions and events.

We had worked with GAC several years ago to help them create and deliver tours and we had been planning new tour training for their new home at Old Admiralty Building. Delays and Covid lockdowns had led to postponements and resulted in new needs we could meet. The Deputy Director was leading 3 sessions (online) with her staff - 'GAC Reset’. The sessions needed to cover process and procedures but she also wanted to welcome new starters into the team, to reacquaint everyone with each other, to inject some positivity and to revisit and bring to life their purpose and values. 

Middle.

With 5 days notice we put together a set of activities that were easy to achieve online, interactive and enjoyable but that also developed their thinking and engaged them with their values. Since the team had been away from each other for several months the first activity reminded them of what they enjoy at work, the importance of one role to another and to show the strength and fondness between them. 

We sent small groups in to breakout rooms to talk over the values, to reflect on what was relevant to them now or out of date and irrelevant, what stood out as something to focus on and aspire to. The prompts led to rich discussion to define their values in ways that meant something to them and could be used practically. 

Drawing on their discussions individuals then wrote postcards from imagined visitors to the GAC in the future. The text demonstrated how the values could be realised for users of the GAC, through the various means of accessing the collection. The participants enjoyed the process of both illustrating, writing and reading their post-cards.

End.

The team left the 2 hours feeling engaged, inspired and informed. Enhancing the team's connections to one another was also recognised as invaluable. Following the difficulty and uncertainty of Covid 19, the session initiated a sense of hope and growth. 

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NHS Hospital Trust

How Will This Affect Everyone? - Seeing and sharing the story of change.

“Your session was really enjoyable, informative and helpful and the whole team have gained something from it. It was a pleasure to work with you”

Chief Nurse/Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Chief Executive.

Beginning

The Trust was about to embark on a change, which could be perceived negatively, overshadowing the actual benefits and improvements that would take place. In order to help the team who were responsible for the change to communicate it, we suggested a practical workshop using storytelling techniques to explore what the change would be like for different individuals or groups to see it from their point of view and with empathy.

Middle

30 participants (drawn from staff, patient groups and unions) worked in small groups to create a story that described the change as it interacted with others. They focused on particular audiences and how they inform what needs to be communicated or what story is most useful to tell them. Having created the story, one person from each table told the rest of the room the story of the change. Each story had a different protagonist and an intended audience, which shaped each story of the change in a different way. We concluded with feedback on everything we had heard; picking and choosing elements from each story, identifying common narratives that everyone could use, finding themes, arguments or angles that had greatest impact and identifying ideas, problems and solutions that had not yet been considered.

End

The workshop helped those involved in the change to find some clarity in what had become a very complicated and lengthy process. Exploring the change as a story reconnected the participants with the day to day and long term impact and benefits it would have on individuals (staff and patients) and the hospital as a whole. The participants felt more confident about approaching the audiences and groups that they would need to communicate the change to and had a selection of narratives that could be chosen from as needed. After this first workshop, to find the story of the change, theWholeStory’s voice coach Ben Joiner developed the teams communication skills further, to help each individual feel more confident and be more successful in how they used their voice and body to connect with their audiences.

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Bletchley Park.

It Was So Complicated - Updating the tour story and its delivery to connect and engage a new and wider audience.

“We went on one of the guided tours. The volunteer who took the tour, really made the place come alive. His sheer knowledge and passion for the place was infectious. A memorable day out that has left a real impression on me.”

A Bletchley Park Visitor.

Beginning.

Bletchley Park was the home of World War Two British codebreaking; a place where technological innovation and human endeavour came together to make ground breaking achievements that have helped shape the world we live in today.

It has undergone a transformation in recent years: restoration, new interpretation and a growth in visitor numbers. However, their tour, written and led by volunteer tour guides, still needed improvement and refreshing to bring it up to the quality experienced across the rest of the site. theWholeStory was asked to work with Bletchley Park and the tour guides to firstly find the best story that could be told by a site specific highlights tour and secondly to train the volunteer guides to bring the story to life. The tour story and its delivery by the tour guides would compliment the media guide, inspire visitors to explore the site on their own, hold correct information and facts and overall ignite the interest and curiosity of all types of visitors.

Middle.

theWholeStory found a story for the highlights tour that explained, illustrated and evoked how each stop had been involved in the problem of breaking codes and cyphers at Bletchley Park. This story was then the foundation for each tour guide to follow, but also to interpret to suit their own and their audiences’ interests, knowledge or enthusiasms. The volunteers each took part in 2 days of training during which both the content of the tour was developed and how the guides could deliver and express it. Applying techniques from storytelling the guides became more visitor aware and able to adapt and improvise, used descriptive language to clarify the technical complexities of Bletchley Park’s story and bring to life the ideas, events, time and people of the site’s history.

 End.

We worked closely with Bletchley Park to motivate and support the volunteers through what was a difficult change for them. Throughout the process the volunteers were involved in the creation of the tour story and were invited to contribute to its form and content but were also reminded of the changing expectations of visitors, whose experience needed to be considered first and foremost. Following the training we created a set of resource documents to help the volunteers change from the old to the new tour. Of the 42 tour guides who took part in the training only 2 have left and since the adoption of the new tour story there has been an increase in positive visitor comments about the tour.

“Bletchley Park engaged theWholeStory to help review and refresh our one-hour Highlights Tour, to ensure it was warm and welcoming to a wide range of audiences. Working with our volunteer tour guides, Lily and Josh set about building relationships and trust and managing expectations about how we were all going to work together. Lily and Josh took so much time to immerse themselves fully in Bletchley Park’s history and our desire to better engage visitors with our often too-complex stories. Over the course of many two-day workshops, they worked with the guides to create a framework for the new tour, which still allowed flexibility and the guides to show their personalities and their passions. It was a great experience and we are delighted with how Lily and Josh tackled this difficult transformation of a core part of our visitor offer.”

Director of Public Engagement Bletchley Park Trust.

COEO.

But I Don’t Get It… - Personal impact and presence to connect and engage clients with the technical.

Beginning.

COEO supports how businesses use and optimise their data software.  We were asked to help how their technically brilliant consultants communicate with individuals within their clients’ businesses, who usually do not have the same expertise. Our client at COEO was particularly interested in how we could help the consultants to enliven their presentations and be able to better use their personal impact and presence to connect with clients and engage them with the technical. Our presence and body language expert, Ben Joiner, met with our client to create a bespoke session that would do the job.

Middle.

The 1-day workshop with 10 participants started by introducing the principal of verbal and non verbal communication, before going on to explore and practice how to make the most natural and effective use of the participants’ voices and bodies to connect and engage with others. Ben helped the participants to use their body language, how to hold the space they are in, being inclusive and responsive to their audience and how to use inflection and modulation of their voices to help make the delivery of their technical, analytical and factual content interesting and enticing. The workshop ended with Ben coaching individual participants in front of the group, ensuring individual needs were met whilst still ensuring the group learnt from each other’s development.  

End.

The thought provoking day enabled the group, who usually didn’t get to work together, to find creative and collaborative solutions to how they communicated. They left feeling more confident that their clients would better understand and engage with their product, as they could now deliver their technical subject matter with more clarity, applying their deeper understanding of how to successfully use their physicality and voice.

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