InternalConsultativeSkills.com

Results focused collaboration.

Our standardized initiatives reflect the key consultative principles we have developed from our client work worldwide.

Classroom

Even our standardized classroom education is “consultatively” custom fit to our clients and delivered through sponsored private sessions only, with session sizes typically limited to 24 participants. Some clients may choose to invite other groups/departments or a non competing supplier/partner to economically help share program costs.

Internal Consultative Skills

Internal Consultative Skills is an intensive and creative 3 to 5 day classroom immersion into the key behavioral strategies and tools to establish and maintain business value-oriented relationships with internal clients and client teams. It is ideally suited for new or existing teams who seek to raise client value perceptions of their capabilities. It addresses how to transform client perceptions from “service providers” to “insightful advisors”.

Participants regularly compliment us on our rigorous internal team case studies, which may optionally be customized as needed or left intact. The intended educational insights that all teams generate are transferable to their real life responsibilities through the team experience and co-facilitated debriefs. Clients tell us this course repeatedly receives the highest participant satisfaction ratings of all their offerings from any source.

For client convenience, US/Canada classes may be “turn-key” where we handle all meeting room arrangements and costs, along with assuming our own travel expenses. Your administrative duties need only be filling the class, providing a roster, and whatever internal bookkeeping your company requires. We also assume our own travel expenses for classes at international locations, yet prefer local coordination of meeting room arrangements and logistics. Other arrangements are negotiable.

Internal Consultative Skills “PONDER QUIET”© model

Our proprietary course model helps to show how diligently applying a rigorous consultative methodology can help produce impressive results.

	Prepare: Gathering the requisite skills, knowledge, and attitude to perform credibly.
	Orient:Identifying what you will need to know to understand the problem, client, direction and role to play.
	Negotiate:Coming to agreement about outcomes, project elements, deliverables.
	Document:Formalizing the understandings and scope that were negotiated or given.
	Engage:Launching the project within the documented scope.
	Research:Gathering adequate information to meet the project objectives.
	Question:Assessing project thoroughness, quality and risk.
	Understand:Synthesizing information into priority messages.
	Inform:Presenting messages to client and other stakeholders.
	Evaluate:Reflecting on process and results.
	Teach:Sharing transferable learning that will enhance preparation for the next engagement.

Workshops/ Practice Sessions

We can provide a range of shorter workshop/practice sessions that emphasize continued skills development and process improvement. Each would be adapted to your environment as needed.

FACILITATED GROUP DECISION MAKING
Focus is on surveyed pre-work and professionally facilitated team meetings that help the group contribute to and take ownership of the design and details of their decisions and any desired work products. Involves neutral facilitation of extensive discussion, effectively challenging, capturing, synthesizing, and bringing to potential consensus the opportunities that arise. This process frees up management to listen, reflect, and engage attendees in a non-threatening manner that encourages commitment rather than acquiescence to the group’s decisions.
REJUVINATING PROJECT OR VIRTUAL TEAMS
Focus is on leveraging face-to-face bonding opportunities toward heightened productivity when later working virtually under pressure situations. Includes collaborative creativity, appreciating functional capabilities and consultatively delivering cross-team and client messages.
SKILLS PERFORMANCE CRITERIA AND EVALUATION RATING SCALE
Focus is on a facilitated process where the performance skill areas for consultative roles are defined, with specific observable skill rating levels articulated for continuous performance improvement and coaching.
IMPROVING THE HUMAN ENCOUNTER
Focus is on how to get incremental agreements on team process, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Includes how to diplomatically help clients see and confront choices and potential consequences/ payoffs before taking action.
RESOLVING RESISTANCE
Focus is on consultative exploration of actual needs and resolvable objections by diffusing "I'm right, you're wrong" and other resistance behaviors. Includes assessment of client's current ready/willing/able potential for change.
NEGOTIATING WORK EXPECTATION DILEMMAS
Focus is on discerning the potential impact of unproductive pushback behaviors and converting them to more productive negotiated agreements. Includes assessing work expectations, such as “one-off” requests, and how to manage polarities for health, morale, and career enhancing opportunities that improve work-life balance.
PROACTIVE LEADERSHIP IN EVERY ROLE
Focus is on building/honoring selected leadership traits as applied to specific situations by any role within any job hierarchy /matrix. Includes 12 personally adjustable categories within Analysis, Interaction, Character, and Accomplishment dimensions. Learning contributes to the confidence and competence needed for proactively repositioning your capabilities, offerings, and practices.
ANTICIPATING CLIENT PRIORITIES TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Focus is on identifying and mapping perspectives from multiple stakeholders to enhance accomplishing specific high priority client outcomes and results. Includes practice in developing consultative probing questions that demonstrate business acumen, strengthen client relationships, and help expand your image and reputation.
VIRTUAL TEAM COLLABORATION TOWARD CLIENT GOALS
Focus is on helping individuals work from their strengths by identifying their most natural team role, while bonding from the added appreciation of the contributions of others on the same virtual team. Includes actual team project analysis and facilitated application of team dimensions to develop a team action plan matched to client goals.