Business Communication & Influence (BCI)

Program Overview

In engineering and technology, effective communication will always guide the delivery of what clients truly want and need. Done well, it’s the key to influencing decisions that will generate immediate revenue and long-term client relationships. Competence in listening, speaking, logical thought and planned engagement are essential for success.

But engineering and technology educational programs rarely provide opportunities to learn and develop these essential professional skills. The Business Communication & Influence (BCI) program tackles this problem head on. It helps engineering and technology students tackle both ends of this problem. Firstly, to successfully draw out and develop the problem or desired outcome. Then to craft a solution and effectively communicate their knowledge and ideas to anyone – whether a major investor, a C-suite decision maker, or influential users.

The uOttawa Engineering Sales School (uOESS) has developed and proven this over the past ten years - in the rich, diverse entrepreneurial and engineering leadership ecosystem at the University of Ottawa. PDI now partners with uOESS to deliver a range of professional development courses in a variety of formats. The backbone of all our courses is BCI. It's intensely practical tools, techniques and insights are groundbreaking – and now 100% available online as well as in class. The program develops and supports business leadership, sales skills and product management effectiveness - for individual professionals, engineering teams and entire companies.

Program Format

The program's three modules can be delivered in the way that best suits participants:

• Online - asynchronous (Brightspace)
• Group training - tailored to your business needs and staff locations. Please contact us at [email protected] to know more.

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BCI Foundation - Basics (10-hour Module) $700 (plus tax)

Conscious Speaking, Active Listening, Rational Understanding

This module delivers powerful, effective communication and influence skills. The techniques and insights taught are widely applicable from the newest engineer, through the most senior research and development engineer, to anyone running a Business Unit or Startup. The Foundation Module is 100% self-paced asynchronous online learning.

Registration closes 1 business day prior to the course start date and Brightspace credentials will be sent to you by email at that time. You will have 6 weeks to complete your course. Afterwards, you will no longer have access to the Brightspace account. However, all reference material is permanently downloadable for later reuse. Upcoming schedule:

• April 1 – May 13
• May 1 – June 12
• June 1 – July 13
• July 1 – August 12
• August 1 – September 12

Register

BCI Communication - Discovery (10-hour Module) $850 (plus tax)

Truly Effective Connections with Customers & Clients

Prerequesite: BCI Foundation

This module delivers practical skills for absolutely anyone with customer-facing engagements:

1. Engage & elicit (or draw out) their true needs.
2. Discover & develop the business outcomes they drive
3. Explore the economic outcomes of a solution. The target is a Product Manager, Startup Leader, Installation & Support, Business Unit Managers. The Communication Module 100% self-paced asynchronous online learning.

The target consumers of this module are:

• Solution Consultants
• Partners Managers
• Startup Leaders
• Installation & Training
• Sales Engineers
• Business Unit Managers

Registration closes 1 business day prior to the course start date and Brightspace credentials will be sent to you by email at that time. You will have 6 weeks to complete your course. Afterwards, you will no longer have access to the Brightspace account. Upcoming schedule:

• May 1 – June 12
• June 1 – July 13
• July 1 – August 12
• August 1 – September 12

Register

BCI Influence - Decision (10-hour Module)

Proposals, Pricing, Pitches & Presentations that drive Decisions & Action

Prerequisite: BCI Foundation

This is quite simply the module for absolutely anyone who has to ‘get out there and get the business’ - whether from a technical, business or financial background. They will take away the ‘Five Ps’:

Registration closes 1 business day prior to the course start date and Brightspace credentials will be sent to you by email at that time. You will have 6 weeks to complete your course. Afterwards, you will no longer have access to the Brightspace account. However, all reference material is permanently downloadable for later reuse. Upcoming schedule:

• Well prepared Proposals that actually get business;
• Well analyzed Pricing with clearly stated Returns or Savings;
• An innovative approach to Pitches that make them useful business tools;
• Probably the best, easiest and most effective framework for any Presentation around.
• An approach to personal, team and buyer Preparation that allows everyone to flourish.

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Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, participants will grasp specific techniques and skills for communicating and influencing:

• Buying Drivers - The only five ways anyone is motivated to take action (or buy something!) - and how to use them
• Human Filtering - How each of us see the world through a different filter - and how to determine and utilize that knowledge
• Building Personal & Business Rapport - The four levels of rapport that create open communication and to support long-term influence
• Needs Elicitation - Rise above the detail to discover exactly what someone wants, truly needs and can actually afford
• Conversational Navigation & Control - Refocusing conversations to a productive place for both parties where the real problems (and their solutions) are truly exposed
• Presentations, Proposals, Prices and Pitching - Turn these normally onerous tasks into successful, profitable and, just as importantly, enjoyable events for yourself and your team

Target Audience

This program is for everyone who needs to:

• build what people truly need - not just what they say they want
• communicate with any team they lead - without costly assumptions or guesses
• influence others to buy their ideas, products or services
• start or grow their own company with minimum time and at minimum risk
• deliver effective presentations that fearlessly communicate & influence
• manage partnerships and channels that deliver effective results
• become a uniquely Certified Sales Engineer

Program Requirements

Participants must complete all three BCI modules to receive a joint professional development certificate from the Faculty of Engineering and the Professional Development Institute.

Trevor Græme Wilkins

Trevor is a Mechanical and IT engineer who has spent 26 years in the technology industry. He’s been the sales leader at a highly successful NASDAQ start-up, directed a global solutions channel, wrote navigation software for the America’s Cup, sold to the world’s largest banks and airlines, and was Managing Director of a company building internet collaboration software.

During this time, he observed and modelled how the “best of the best” in business influenced, spoke, acted and thought. He used this work to create a simple universal process that can be used by absolutely anyone to influence others to buy (or buy into) their ideas, services or products. This process is described in detail in his three “Turning Selling into Buying” books.

As Engineer Executive Entrepreneur (E³iR), Trevor lectures in classes ranging from Engineering Management to Entrepreneurship to Business Influence. He also teaches and coaches in a wide range of startup programmes, the largest being Startup Garage. He tweets @sellingtobuying about creating what others want, need and buy.