Worldwide Who's Who Names Lorraine Banks Professional of the Year in Professional Communications Services

    BROOKLYN, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, April 4, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Lorraine Banks, Managing Director of Laurel Associates Ltd., has been named a Worldwide Who's Who Professional of the Year in Professional Communications Services. While inclusion in Worldwide Who's Who is an honor, only a small selection of members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, years of service, and the credentials they have provided in association with their Worldwide Who's Who membership.

Ms. Banks has 40 years of experience in professional communications services and 18 years of experience as the managing director of Laurel Associates Ltd. She is responsible for writing, preparing business presentations, serving as a chief training officer and providing training on sales proposals, written and oral business communication. Laurel Associates Ltd. is a consulting company that was established in 1994 as a specialized provider of training in presentation skills and written communication. It provides in-house courses, individual coaching, advice on document content, style and design, including editing and proofreading services, and works with clients to plan, deliver, and rehearse presentations for small internal groups (such as meetings) and large external audiences (such as conferences). Its client list includes internationally known organizations based in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Its approach: "We pride ourselves on our flexibility. Wherever practicable, we customize our courses to best meet our clients' needs. We explore the reasons for the proposed training, clearly establish course content and determine what outcomes the training is to deliver." You won't find yourself in an inflexible program that is tied rigidly to a set of notes. The effectiveness of this approach is reflected in the quality of the client feedback it receives. For many years now, all new clients have come through referrals from satisfied customers. Cold calling is a thing of the past.

Ms. Banks says, "I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to build a career around two things I love with a passion - performance and language. Because of this passion I focused on these areas when pursuing qualifications. I had no clear plan for my future; I just loved what I was studying. My passion for excellent presentation started early at the university, where I began coaching children, students and business people in acting, and in presenting their ideas persuasively and appealingly. A friend asked me to train his sales team in presentation, and buoyed by the very successful outcome, I developed my first courses. Even when working with a group, I see myself as a one-on-one coach, helping speakers with their individual needs. Voice production, for instance, is a specialist area, learned during my acting days. There is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing a nervous, ineffective speaker blossom into someone who delivers a focused, persuasive and convincing presentation with confidence and flair. I have always loved the power of language. After completing an honor's degree in English, I was equipped to write in an elevated and academic style. I shudder to think what my first writing efforts were like when I joined a government department. However, what my study did equip me with, was the ability to see how language and style can be adapted to suit different needs. And now I get immense satisfaction helping people produce the concise, clear, well-structured and dynamic documents needed in the workplace."

Ms. Banks runs courses in New Zealand, Australia and the UK in her specialist areas of presentation and business writing. After graduating with an honors Master's degree in language and literature from Victoria University, Wellington, she completed a LTCL in teaching speech and was then awarded a fellowship from the Trinity College of London for her work in oral communication and performance. She also holds a New Zealand Diploma of Teaching. A nationally recognized authority on oral communication, she has acted professionally, directed plays and examined for the New Zealand Speech Board. She has provided personal coaching to top executives, barristers, judges and Ministers of the Crown. She also plans and designs corporate presentations. She attributes her success to her skills in drama and acting and hard work. Looking head, Ms. Banks aspires to expand her overseas client base.

For more information about Laurel Associates Ltd., visit http://www.laureltraining.com.

About Worldwide Who's Who
With over 500,000 members representing every major industry, Worldwide Who's Who is a powerful networking resource that enables professionals to outshine their competition, in part through effective branding and marketing. Worldwide Who's Who employs similar public relations techniques to those utilized by Fortune 500 companies, making them cost-effective for members who seek to take advantage of its career enhancement and business advancement services.

Worldwide Who's Who membership provides individuals with a valuable third-party endorsement of their accomplishments, and gives them the tools needed to brand themselves and their businesses effectively. In addition to publishing biographies in print and electronic form, it offers an online networking platform where members can establish new professional relationships.

For more information, please visit http://www.worldwidewhoswho.com.

Contact:
Ellen Campbell
Director, Media Relations
[email protected]

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