Making Recommendations - Communications Skills for Consultants (CO30)
Making Recommendations - Communications Skills for Consultants (CO30) Course Details:
As solutions become more tailored and client decision making groups become more diverse, technical consultants need to be able to develop a recommendation that is clear, concise and compelling. The challenge is however that taking complex technical information and presenting it in business-oriented terms can be difficult. Consultants need to be able to understand their clients’ communication preferences and needs and deliver their recommendation in an influential way.
This two-day interactive workshop helps both internal and external consultants build the skills and knowledge required to present recommendations in an effective way and gain stakeholder approval in more situations.
Call (919) 283-1653 to get a class scheduled online or in your area!
Prework: Preparation Phase
- Complete a Benchmark Assessment
- Review the Consulting Engagement Life Cycle
- Identify a Report Topic
- Identify a Presentation Topic
- Identify a Meeting to Lead
Introduction
- Introduction to Workshop
- Personal learning objectives
- The Consulting Life Cycle
- Common communication challenges
Key Communication Concepts
- The Process of Understanding
- Overcoming barriers to communication
- Dealing with short and long term memory limitations
Planning Your Message
- The process for developing reports, proposals and presentations
- Writing a communication objective
- Analyzing your audience
Structuring Your Message
- The Structuring Communications Model
- Creating a clear and compelling opening
- Sequencing your content
- Summarizing your communication
Writing Reports
- Types of reports
- Structuring written communications
Making Presentations
- Being an influential presenter
- Managing nervousness
- Leveraging para-verbal and non-verbal communications techniques
- Using visuals to enhance your presentation
Conducting Meetings
- Common meeting challenges
- Preparing for meetings
- Conducting efficient and effective face-to-face meetings
- Conducting virtual meetings in create engagement and involvement
- Following-up to gain commitment
Connection
- Your personal action plan
*Please Note: Course Outline is subject to change without notice. Exact course outline will be provided at time of registration.
- Use the knowledge of how people process information to plan and structure your message
- Write reports and proposals that satisfy the needs of your client and achieve your communication objective
- Make effective presentations with minimal anxiety and maximum energy and enthusiasm
- Manage the content, structure and interaction of a meeting
- Facilitate the exchange of information
Self-study on the Consulting Skills Portal prior to attending class.
Anyone in an internal or external consulting role
Project managers
Business analysts
IT professionals
Engineers
Other technical professionals who would like to improve the outcomes of their consulting engagements by:
- Structuring and tailoring their communications in a more effective way
- Delivering their recommendation in a clear, concise and compelling manner
- Planning and conducting stakeholder meetings to achieve objectives