Don't Wait to Learn. You may have to wait for a live engagement, but don't wait to learn.
Schedule some live training or consulting for some future date, but don't wait to get going. There are plenty of resources to move you forward before your live engagment.
My Service "categories" are listed in the menus, but it really comes down to "what do YOU need?"
Perhaps the most important needs univesally are:
- Do you know how to support yourself right now? Are you using the resources you have available to you right now? Best Advice: Learn to Use your Support Resources
- If you will be making decisions, do you thoroughly understand the risks and benefits surrounding those decisions? This Job 1 for good consultants: make sure the decision makers are well-informed.
- Do you have a success plan for your users after the engagment? Hint: you should be heavily leveraging your available assets.
A good deal of consulting is simply being able to provide the best process to solve a specialized requirement. Experience matters; it fills that pool of ready solutions.
Effective consulting starts with understanding the needs of the users and the business. Experience in subject matter, variations in wide ranging workflows, and working with thousands of learners matters.
There are several levels of "consulting" and training:
- Broad, foundational education and training.
- Workflow excellence
- Getting unstuck
Different Audiences require Different Approaches
- Absolutely new
- "Novice to Known" - these are users who, for a variety of reasons, do not venture from the "tried and true" path. Show them a safe better path.
- Experienced in competing software - talk their language, be balanced
- Power Users - show them better practices
- Reluctants - their concerns are generally quite valid, it's important to address them and provide compelling solutions
New users need "enhanced nurturing". Successs and confidence is critical. Having confidence in the support system is key.
Power users may only need a short conversation for them to have a clear effective path forward. I, personally, generally need only "use this tool with these options to get that".
The Takeaway:
Sometimes you need full "survey-to-stakeout" solutions, sometimes you just need your experts to get some good advice. My goal is provide flexible fast turnaround support so that you are on your way to success as quickly as possible.
Experience matters.
Don't "go alone" in ORD. Have conversations. Talk to experts. Let their experience help you move forward quickly.
Save time, money, and stress. And in some cases, reputation.