Skills Training
Next Program: Family Business Facilitation Skills
5 Days of Intensive Training - 31st April to 4th May 2007
Call Jon Kenfield on 0414 816 789 for details
Overview
Much of our work involves knowledge and skills training and transfer. Whenever our Solutionists are problem solving or consulting, they are almost always using and modelling a mixture of problem solving, communication, facilitation, negotiation and mediation skills.
Depending on our clients' receptiveness to learning, and their willingness to take on changes in their perceptions and in themselves, this often causes them to "transform" - at least a little - and sometimes a lot. They often tell us that we helped "the penny to drop", at other times they say we helped them "see the light at the end of the tunnel" (and recognise that it wasn't an oncoming train!).
By equipping our clients, and their staff, with the knowledge, tools and techniques to better handle problems and conflicts by themselves in the future, our work can have a long lasting, even life-altering, impact. We think this confirms the very practical nature and value of our work. It also reinforces our commitment to constantly monitor and assess our own performance to ensure we don't ever become too academic or theoretical to be of practical use to most people.
We have delivered thousands of hours of professional training, on a fairly ad hoc basis, over almost 30 years. Our training materials have recently (2004) been comprehensively upgraded to form an integrated, modular suite of the highest quality professional development programs - all in the areas of activity we know best and work in professionally, on a daily basis. We like to think they reflect everything we have learnt from working with individuals, businesses, organisations, associations and government departments - on their complex problems and conflicts - for many years, and across four continents.
We don't offer generic training courses to the public - at least, not yet! All current programs are based on core materials (see topic specifications) that are tailored to meet the needs of specific clients, or broader interest groups.
We are always delighted to receive requests for training in the following subject areas:
- Communication and "Balance" Communication (1 day program).
- Complaint Handling (½ and 1 day programs).
- Complaint Handling Systems (1 day program).
- Conflict Management Systems Design (1 day program).
- Facilitation Skills for Business (1 day program).
- Mediation (Professional Skills) (5 day program).
- Mediation Skills for Managers (2 day program)
- Meeting Management (½ day program).
- Persuasive Negotiation (1 and 2 day programs).
- Problem Solving (½ and 1 day programs).
- Upcoming Training Courses
Hierarchy of Skills
We only train people in the areas we actually work in, with real commercial clients, on a day to day basis. And, although we produce and present papers regularly and are heavily involved in professional and community education, Solutionists are, at heart, body and soul: "practical fundamentalists" - there has to be a real and useful outcome to everything we do, or we've failed to meet one of our own most important professional benchmarks. To put it another way - we don't think of ourselves as being academic or theoretical - and we'd like to keep things that way.
We recognise a world of difference between people who want to use the skills we teach in their own jobs (as leaders, managers, facilitators, negotiators etc), and people who want to use these skills professionally in their work as consultants and/or as dispute resolvers.
For the first group (professionals and business proprietors, directors, executives, managers, employees and other workers), we provide practical knowledge and personal/professional skills development in the so-called "soft skills" areas that many businesses and professional practices appreciate lie at the very core of their hopes for more efficient, competitively advantaged operations.
They, and increasing numbers of PI insurance companies, have also come to appreciate that these skills are essential for effective risk management - helping to limit the risk and damage that flow from conflict and litigation.
Most of our training is directly relevant and profoundly useful for people at all levels in a professional practice, business or organisation. And, although we tailor every program to meet the needs of specific course participants, most of what we do has such universal application that it is rare to find even a very highly variegated course (with a full range of personnel, from the most senior to the most junior) under or over pitching at any of its participants. Invariably, just about everybody manages to derive significant take-home value.
For the second group (professional consultants, conflict managers and dispute resolvers) we provide foundation, extension and advanced skills training to help take them to the highest levels in their chosen activities.
Again, the combination of extensive practical experience with, if we say so ourselves, superb training skills, means that our training is relevant and useful to people at the very highest levels in their work or profession - people we regard as true professionals in their own right.
Because our training operates in these two distinct markets, each course is specifically focused in one or the other direction. And, because we focus on "function and purpose", rather than "process", we recommend a logical progression through what we see as a logical hierarchy of knowledge and skills in our training, as illustrated by the following two diagrams.
Note that the "Relevant Courses" list in the Skills Hierarchy diagram below refers to the "non-obvious" topics we offer in addition to the mainstream courses represented by the boxes themselves.
Testimonials
Here follow some testimonials from one of our recent courses (July 2004):
“I was in two minds about whether to attend, and I thought- oh well, maybe I will learn one pearl of wisdom. But I have learnt solidly throughout the day – Thank you!” (Sally Wiencke).
“Very encouraging” (Janine Bjorkman).
“This was probably the most professional workshop I have attended. Any time you may refer clients to me to recommend your organization to them” (Dr Len Whitehouse).
“Happy to supply or give some references” (Neville Smith).
“A most professional and appropriate workshop. Why haven’t you done it before?” (Wally Chudoschnik).