Consulting Skills for Trainers Certificate Program

Build your credibility as a knowledgeable, client-focused consultant.

Learning and performance professionals must exhibit strong consulting skills in order to achieve success as business partners to the organizations they serve. This new two-day program demonstrates the behaviors and processes for effective internal consulting and allows participants to practice fundamental consulting competencies with tools, templates, and checklists that can be put to use in the professional setting immediately. 

In a recent analysis of application and behavior change, 85% of participants studied are applying what they learned back on the job after completing the ASTD Consulting Skills for Trainers Certificate Program. 

Audience
This program is for professionals who are new to an internal consulting role or want to prepare to assume this role in the future. Experienced learning and performance professionals, as well as external consultants who want to sharpen their consulting skills will also benefit.

Course Description
Consulting Skills can be defined as “understanding the results that stakeholders desire from a process and providing insight into how efficiently and effectively those results can be achieved.” (ASTD Press, 1999) As experts in their organization in the areas of instructional design, training, performance improvement, and organizational development, Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) professionals must demonstrate strong consulting skills in order to achieve success as a business partner guiding their organization toward optimal performance. Strong internal consulting skills have become even more critical with increased emphasis on linking learning and performance to organizational results. 

The ASTD Consulting Skills for Trainers Certificate Program demonstrates the behaviors and processes for effective internal consulting, including the actions to take to achieve desired outcomes, establishing goals and managing expectations, guiding clients through the process, building credibility to influence decision-making, and overcoming obstacles and resistance.

This workshop will:

• enable participants to evaluate their current strengths and identify those skills that they would like to improve
• clarify the many roles of an internal consultants and the benefits of each
• introduce a process model for managing consulting projects
• allow participants to practice consulting competencies
• provide real-world tools, job aids, templates, and planning checklists that can be put to use in the professional setting immediately
• introduce strategies for success, including working across organizational boundaries, providing feedback to senior leaders, and gaining buy-in.

Need more information? Click here to view the Participant Guide table of contents

In a recent analysis, 100% of participants studied felt that the ASTD Consulting Skills for Trainers Certificate was a worthwile investment becuase it provided a practical model and structured approach to a consulting engagement and empowered them to ask the right questions of their clients.

Learning Objectives
After this workshop, participants are able to:

• Understand the functions of a Workplace Learning and Performance professional in the role of consultant
• Demonstrate exemplary internal consulting competencies and the corresponding day-to-day behaviors required of an internal consultant
• Apply a process model and various tools and templates to manage consulting projects
• Build relationships with clients, including techniques to effectively guide clients through the consulting process
• List questions to ask a client during a contracting meeting and/or data gathering meeting
• Outline client goals and set expectations for success
• Apply tools to analyze business needs and gather information
• Build credibility through communication to increase position as a knowledgeable, client-focused partner
• Model the most appropriate way to conduct a data-gathering interview and a feedback meeting
• Overcome resistance and difficult client behaviors
• Establish implementation targets, strategies, and solutions
• Identify ways to institutionalize the solution/change, including obtaining buy-in
• Evaluate the solution/change and identify areas for future improvement.
  

Facilitators
For more information about this course's facilitators, click here.

ASTD Membership rates
Please note that the ASTD membership discount rates apply only to the person who holds the membership. You may not register a nonmember at your member rate. If a nonmember attends a workshop registering at the member rate, the difference will be billed.

On-Site Offerings
ASTD can make arrangements for the Consulting Skills for Trainers Certificate Program to be offered at your organization. You might find it is easier, and more cost effective, for one of our facilitators to come to your site and deliver this workshop for your team. Your attendees participate in the same learning experience offered at our public workshops, but have the convenience of being at your site and the benefit of covering the material with colleagues.