The Concepts

The Discovery Phase
The Business of this phase of flawless consulting includes going beyond the client's presenting problem and finding out how the problem is being managed.  In addition, you will learn how to help identify the client's contribution to the problem and develop a simple, clear and independent picture of the situation.

Using Interviews to Understand the System and Build Relationships
Beyond simple interviewing techniques, you will learn how to conduct interviews and gather information on the present goals, procedures and relationships affecting the problem as well as understanding what the future goals and relationships might be.  You discover the importance of understanding that all data collection takes place in a political system You will be reminded that the interview itself is the intervention.

Probing to Discover the Underlying Dimensions of the Problem
The goal of the interview is to discover the underlying problem of what is occurring in your organization.  This workshop will help you develop the skills to ask the right questions, at the right moment, with the right empathy to get the most accurate picture of the situation.  You will also learn how to quickly build the trust needed to gather the necessary information.

Dealing with Resistance in Interviews and the Feedback Meeting
Individuals really don't hate change, they just dislike being coerced.  When we meet resistance, we tend to take it personally.  This workshop will help you understand that resistance most often is the client's expression of their underlying concern.  If we take it personally, it will only get in the way of dealing with it effectively.  Through repeated practice, you will discover the key to utilizing resistance and change as a chance for learning and developing deeper, more effective and meaningful relationships with your clients.

Organizing the Data into Critical Issues
We have all of our data.  We are ready to go.  Wanting to be helpful, our instinct is to flood the client with data.  But it is to our detriment to barge ahead without carefully considering how to organize and interpret the data for our client.  You will learn to select the ones that are critical and deliver them to your client in a powerful empathetic way.  You will also learn to develop recommendations or ways to help your client act on the issues. More importantly, you will develop the skills and courage to tell the client things that no one else will reveal.

Constructing Descriptive, Non-evaluative Feedback Statements
Fact: the client has always contributed to the problem in some way.  This makes it important that we offer our perceptions in ways that can be heard, accepted and acted upon.  Many times we also need to relax our rein on the ownership of the data and the recommendations and support the client with how they want to proceed.