Training day at CBi makes great first impression

Rather than trying to recover from a sudden loss of memory, the team members were practicing how best to introduce themselves and communicate what CBi is all about to industry peers, prospective clients and guests.

The exercise was part of a workshop run by CBi managing partner Debbie Delaney, which also covered breaking the ice at events and how to set people at ease.

 “The workshop helped us identify the three most important things to communicate about CBi - that we are a consulting company focused on design; a local company with unparallelled China expertise; and that we combine local and international talent in a unique way,” said Myra Wang, an HR assistant at CBi who benefitted from the workshop.

 “Introducing yourself at events can be a little like speed dating; you need to get across all your good points in an appealing way We also learned about how to engage with groups of people at parties and conferences, which was really helpful,” she said.

Yama Zhu, marketing assistant at CBi, said she had put what she learned to use within just a few days of the training. “I found myself standing alone at an event, and there was a lady near me. I would normally have felt nervous about speaking to her, but I recalled the workshop, and started a conversation, using what I'd learned. She turned out to be an important prospective client, and I was able to give her a positive image of myself and CBi.”

Design strategy manager Sebastian Frith said the workshop had highlighted differences between Eastern and Western culture when it comes to networking. “There can be more of an emphasis in China in collecting contact details and name cards, rather than engaging with people on a more personal level. The workshop covered these and other important points.”

Said Debbie: “We want all of our team - not just those in PR or sales - to be able to help create a buzz about CBi, and talk to potential customers to bring them closer to us.”

This is part of our full training program at CBi to promote leadership skills and teambuilding, and we have many more workshops planned.”