Developing your Core Consulting Skills | Executive Education

Program Overview

To be an effective consultant, you need skills, processes and models that frame your technical and specialist expertise so you can successfully deliver value to clients and improve organisational performance. On the programme, you will join other experts to professionalise your ability to deliver project outcomes and collaborate with others.

Delivered in partnership with Elevation Learning, the programme will enable you to identify business problems, propose value-added solutions, achieve desired outcomes, establish project goals, manage stakeholder expectations and build strong trust-based client relationships.

Who is the programme for?

The programme is designed for professionals and subject matter specialists who want to apply their expertise to assist organisations analyse business problems, identify solutions and achieve results. Its flexible design accommodates the needs of those early in their consulting careers who wish to develop their skills and approaches, and those experienced consulting practitioners who wish to improve or refresh their skills, insights and approaches. Individuals looking to leverage their expertise and transition to an independent consulting career are also welcome.

Benefits for you and your organisation

• Understand the context and challenges of the consultant’s work and role
• Gain key techniques required to:
  • Appraise the client’s situation to fully understand their issues
  • Articulate client added value
  • Manage and exceed client expectations which increases client retention
  • Manage, monitor and control a consulting project from end to end
  • Apply a logical problem-solving model to improve project outcomes
  • Collect and analyse data
  • Develop client focused conclusions and recommendations which add value and achieve desired outcomes.
• Increased confidence in your skills to:
  • Conduct productive meetings with the client, face-to-face and remotely
  • Develop strong trust-based relationships with the client and colleagues
  • Build an effective and motivated project team
  • Influence the client and create a persuasive case
  • Present or report proposals and recommendations to the client which achieve desired outcomes.
• Understand the dynamics of organisational transformation and individual change
• Recognise the priorities when supporting the client through implementation
• Close out projects to ensure maximum client satisfaction, identify on-selling opportunities, capture learning and maintain continuity of the client relationship.

Program Outline

The programme is informal, interactive and experiential which maximises learning. It provides fresh insights into effective approaches and covers proven consulting models and techniques which enhance competence and build confidence.

The structure and design of the programme is based on Elevation Learning’s proprietary CONSULT process, a five-stage model for project delivery. The process provides opportunities for you to experience all aspects of project delivery including client situation appraisal, building client relationships, influencing the client, working in teams, defining client added value, defining terms of reference, managing projects, problem-solving, developing recommendations, managing change, project implementation, reporting to the client and project closure.

As many opportunities as possible are provided for you to practise and develop your individual consulting skills. The programme uses a real-life consulting assignment to explore the project delivery process which enables you to refine and develop your thought processes as well as apply and receive feedback on your consulting skills.