I was warned by my peers that people in compliance were not very excitable. That perhaps I would find this audience challenging.
NONSENSE!
People are people, and they want to engage and learn. That was my responsibility, and by the end of the session, people were lining up to get into the sold-out event to join in as we turned a 400-strong cohort into a choir!
It was beautiful.
My focus was on how we can use the VOICE model for practical communication skills while strengthening quality, compliance, leadership, and technological innovation across Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. The session explored how technical teams and leaders can shift away from standard administrative checklists and lean into impactful stakeholder engagement, presence, and clear voice delivery.
As with training any group to be a choir, we must first each take ownership of our voice. When we own our voice and tune into others, we will be in harmony with our community and our organisation.
While the event organisers were totally on board it still felt like a bold move sticking to the cohort-to-choir format, but it paid off. There were lots of laughs, eye contact, and people having vibrant conversations in the break after the session.
A shout out to Linda Li, Andrew Shea, and the VETQI team for bringing together a group of people so passionate about the future of the VET sector. Thank you for inviting me to be part of the conversation.
One of my favourite events ever!
Much love to the technical people.
Key Takeaways
- Communication is about clarity, not complexity -Technical expertise creates value when we can communicate ideas clearly and connect with the people around us.
- Finding your voice starts with owning it – When we understand our own voice, presence, and communication style, we can show up with greater confidence and impact.
- Great communication is created through harmony – Like a choir, effective teams thrive when people know when to contribute, when to listen, and how to work together.
