I have been facilitating Think on Your Feet® (TOYF®) workshops for several years, primarily with public sector clients, many of which choose to begin with a pilot program. In virtually all cases they have subsequently chosen, based on enthusiastic feedback from learners, to bring the program in-house. This 'repeat business' speaks to the content, process and engagement of TOYF®.

The content is solid and appropriate for all learners: senior staff, technical staff, and front-line staff. An experienced facilitator can also adjust the content to suit the audience and make it applicable to their context; as a result it does not come across as a ‘canned’ program. Likewise, from a facilitator point of view, the workshop never feels stale. There is ample opportunity to change/update examples to keep the content fresh and relevant.

The workshop processes are geared to maximize learning and provide tremendous variety to learners. It appeals to all learning styles. And…participants have fun while they are learning.

The level of engagement of learners is extremely high. In my experience, it is this engagement that helps them understand the content. They have opportunity to work on specific challenges in the worksite and leave the workshop having faced (and conquered) the difficult questions/issues facing them daily.

Learners constantly tell me that ‘this is the best workshop I have ever taken’.

— Gwen Anholt, Partner, Greenfield Partners, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Think on Your Feet® is one of the best courses I have attended, let alone facilitated. I see participants grasp the ideas quickly and put them into practice immediately.

Clarity, Brevity and Impact™ in communication are always listed in the objectives of why participants take the Think on Your Feet® workshop. I always fee that these objectives are met. As a facilitator I see participants grow into more effective communicators and watch their progression from the start of day one to mid-day and then realize their growth by the end of the workshop. Participants generally start the day hoping to get an idea of how they can be more effective communicators, but by mid-day they actually use the Think on Your Feet® techniques to achieve some of their goals. Finally, by the end of the workshop, participants overwhelmingly feel that their skill level as communicators has increased, but better yet, these skills are transferable into the real world the very next day.

Think on Your Feet® is a workshop that allows participants to learn in a dynamic, interactive, fast-paced environment. What participants learn helps them communicate more effectively in this ever-changing economy immediately, from informal ones to more formal meetings or to creating a dynamic presentation. The Think on Your Feet® techniques are a great way to increase credibility and create impact.

— Sally Bevis, Sally Bevis & Associates, Port Perry, Ontario, Canada

Think on Your Feet® is a fun and rewarding course to facilitate. It is a well-designed program, which creates a great learning environment.

I think the test for a good training program rests with the range of participants that find the course relevant. Think on Your Feet® passes this test easily.

I have delivered Think on Your Feet® to a wide variety of participants. Ranging from front-line construction workers being groomed for advancement, to participants from Fortune 500 Companies.

The evaluations from participants consistently praise Think on Your Feet® as a terrific learning experience, which prepares them with communication skills that they can begin using immediately.

This is a program that I feel confident in recommending to all of my clients.

— Rhonda Caldwell, Caldwell Communications, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Think on Your Feet® is definitely one of our most popular courses at Export Development Canada! Participation remains very high, even after three years of several course offerings per year. As trainers, we thoroughly enjoy teaching the workshop. While it is fun to teach the strategies along with the anecdotal examples, it’s most rewarding to watch participants learn and increase their confidence level as the workshop progresses.

Participants comment on how much they enjoy the many practices planned throughout the day and feel that coaching them through the exercises provides them with valuable feedback. The strategies behind Think on Your Feet® are so practical that participants are eager to ‘try them out’ immediately after the workshop. As a follow-up, a few weeks after the workshop, the trainers invite the participants back to a one-hour practice session to literally practice Think on Your Feet® in front of each other.

We all — trainers and participants alike — agree that this is an excellent course and we look forward to many more sessions!

— Export Development Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Martina Baker-Sohn, Pat Zito, Jen Empey — EDC trainers

There is no doubt that the workplace has become more complex over the past few years. People are demanding more for less. In the training business, that translates into more learning in less time! The pressure that puts on both the student and the teacher is huge.

Just when I am feeling that pressure become excessive, along comes a Think on Your Feet® workshop and, like magic, the pressure dissipates. Learning and facilitation become fun again. Participants seem to gain energy, and truly enjoy themselves as the days unfold. And guess what? They are learning new skills that help them communicate effectively almost immediately. I have had so many individuals contact me years after completing a Think on Your Feet® workshop to say how much it helped them achieve results they did not think possible.

One of my clients, 3M, encourages their people to take TOYF® so that they can communicate on a global scale. They have found that as you increase your marketing reach, your ability to be succinct is critical.

Of all the professional workshops I conduct, Think on Your Feet® is by far the most productive. It is a smart investment for everyone.

— Steve Jefferies, Talaria Group, Thornbury, Ontario, Canada

I find Think on Your Feet® a very rewarding course to facilitate because I know people use it. Participants light up during the two days with new insights and awareness.

One participant called me three weeks after the workshop and told me she had practiced for three weeks and was using the techniques automatically.

Another past participant shared with me that he had taken Think on Your Feet® 10 years earlier and it had changed his career. He is now in a senior management position and insists that his employees take Think on Your Feet®.

On another occasion, a participant at a client site, where I have been delivering Think on Your Feet® for about six years, let me know that the course was recommended by past participants and it was making a big difference in their lives.

The techniques are practical, easy to use and improve communication in the workplace which makes it a great course to present.

— Susan Lynne, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I see a tremendous change in participants from the first hour of Think on Your Feet® to the last. They go from wide-eyed and tentative during the participant introductions, to confident communicators, fielding tough questions with quick, clear answers. Witnessing this change and consistently receiving positive feedback on the course, is always a pleasure.

A participant recently summed up why she had enrolled in Think on Your Feet®. 'My head is like a bingo ball machine,' she said, 'the ideas bounce wildly around.' Think on Your Feet® is a superb teaching tool that helps participants settle down those bingo balls and learn to present their ideas with clarity instead of chaos.

— Gina Pecore, Beachrock Group, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Since I joined McLuhan & Davies in 1995, I have had many great learning experiences, and I am proud to be part of such a professional team. Everyone at MDC has always been courteous, respectful and supportive. Becoming an affiliate distributor of the Think on Your Feet® products has been one of my best decisions ever.

— Renée Peterson, President, Groupe Conseil en Leadership et Efficacité Inc., Montréal, Québec, Canada

I have been a Think on Your Feet® instructor and Master Trainter for many years, and I have seen repeatedly the lasting effects of the workshop and techniques have on how people communicate.

Participants in my workshops are always excited about how they can immediately apply the techniques to their personal and professional interactions.
A comment I frequently hear from participants and their companies, is how the Think on Your Feet® plans can be used in presentations, e-mails, one-on-one discussions, and even letters.
When I have trained trainers on teaching the course, they are instantly energized by the program and can't wait to get into the classroom to work with participants.
I love teaching the course because of the energy in the classroom, the practical nature of the tools, and the ease with which you can customize the program to meet specific needs.
I also use the techniques in my own life to communicate with others, sell my services and explain challenging concepts.

I would recommend this program to any company who wants to improve communication, to any individual who wants to increase their confidence when speaking, and to any trainer who is looking to add a powerful program to their offerings.

— Jacqueline Throop Robinson, President, Breakthrough Learning Associates, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

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