There are three workshop customization options for our Consultative Partnering workshops, as described below.
Every workshop audience is unique in terms of the characteristics of the participants and their collective learning needs, style, and interests. Delivery customization is accomplished by the workshop facilitator, who “steers” workshop discussions and activities toward the needs and characteristics of the specific audience to help maximize learning and applicability to the participants.
To prepare for delivery customization, the facilitator collects general information about the company and group through research and primary client conversations, and collects specific audience information through participant responses to pre-work questions.
Every Consultative Partnering workshop includes delivery customization at a modest charge – typically two hours, and not more than four. However, it should be noted that when more in-depth customization (i.e., one or both of the other two types below) are included in the workshop scope, the knowledge gained during the associated interviewing of multiple client managers provides the facilitator with a deeper knowledge of the participants and the business, enhancing the facilitator’s ability to perform delivery customization. Thus, while every workshop includes delivery customization, the depth and impact of delivery customization is enhanced when combined with scenario/case study and/or material customization.
Every Consultative Partnering workshop includes coursework and activities around the important topic of Managing Client Interactions (MCI) or, in the case of the more advanced workshops, The Art of Managing Difficult Client Conversations. To provide participants with real world practice in MCI, scenarios are developed to set the stage for role play conversations between a consultant and his/her client. Participants practice playing the role of consultant in the role play simulations, which mirror and create circumstances that the consultants commonly encounter in their specific business. This brings the practice of MCI into the world of the consultants and makes the experience come alive with company specific relevancy.
During the second half of the Consultative Partnering workshops the participants learn and practice the phases of the Consultative Process. Again, to provide increased relevancy and impact to this portion of the workshop, a multi-part case study is developed and used as a basis for Consultative Process simulation activities (e.g., facilitating work agreements, interviewing clients who have characteristics and roles similar to the participants’ actual clients to uncover their actual project needs, etc.)
To develop scenarios and a case study, the workshop facilitator, or an instructional designer, typically interviews 2-8 client managers, SME’s and participants – the exact number depends on the specific organization and client preferences. The goal of the interviews is to achieve an in-depth understanding of the business, common participant challenges, and opportunities to apply learnings to the daily experiences of the participating consultants. The time required to accomplish scenario/case study customization typically falls in the 8-12 hour range, and varies based on the complexity of the business and the number of required interviews. The cost to the client is determined by the number of labor hours required. Most of our clients choose to apply this popular option among our workshop customization options.
Material customization typically involves customizing workshop materials: PPT, Participant Manual, activity worksheets and reference documents. At one extreme it may include only minor changes to the workshop flow and PPT. At the other extreme it can involve creation of a highly custom workshop by combining materials from various Advance Consulting workshops and customizing them to be very client specific (e.g., language, areas of emphasis, etc.). The effort required to accomplish material customization can range from a few hours of work to 30-40 hours. The cost to the client is determined by the number of labor hours required.
Advance Consulting Inc.
27570 Via Sereno
Carmel, CA 93923
831.372.9444
info@advanceconsulting.com