consulting homework about self assessment

Rapport-building skills

· Topic Objectives

· To show that consulting is about personal relationship and the importance of building a rapport with those involved in the project

· Learning outcomes

· to recognize the importance of rapport in building managerial relationships;

· to understand how rapport can be built and used.

Rapport and influence

· Key points:

· Decision-making and communication has emotional as well as rational bases

· Within organizations there are unwritten rules which dictate how managers act

· Understanding these unwritten rules helps a consultant build a rapport and gain influence

· Building a rapport involves using a common vocabulary, correct syntax, logical structures, imagery and metaphors, the appropriate style and body language

Content and context in communication

Personal presentation

· Key points:

· Briefing the client or influential external people requires good personal presentation

· You need to ask yourself:

· What actions do you wish the listener(s) to take?

· What support will those actions need in order to make them effective?

· What actions will you yourself have to take in order to provide that support?

· Planning the briefing involves analyzing the situation from the perspective of the listener and thinking about the logistics

Questioning skills

· Key points:

· Questioning is a way of leading and controlling information

· Open questions invite a long answer and closed ones require a yes or no

· Effective questioning demands that you ask the right questions in the right way by using open questions first and avoiding interrogation

Listening skills

· Key points:

· Active listening is ensuring that what we hear we take in.

· To help with this:

· Actively concentrate on what is being said.

· Keep track of, and mentally summarize, the key themes.

· Keep an ear out for particularly relevant ideas or facts.

· Identify and mentally record key phrases.

· Note the speaker’s use of metaphor and imagery.

· Use your own paralanguage and body language to encourage the speaker.

· Ask questions to explore key points further.

· Summarize the speaker’s points and ask him or her to confirm your understanding.

· If possible support active listening with note taking.

· Avoid concentrating on preparing your own response while the other person is speaking.

Managing client expectations

· Key points:

· It is important not to ‘over-promise’ in a consulting project, so in communication you should bear the following in mind:

· Be clear as to what can be offered.

· Be positive about what can be offered, but be realistic.

· Be honest about the limitations of the project.

· When talking about limitations put them between positive statements

· This way credibility will be maintained and confidence is retained in the consultant

Managing client interest

· Key points:

· To maintain client interest, there must be a constant flow of appropriate information on the project

· In doing this, the rapport between the client and consultant is maintained

Summary of key ideas

· Communication has emotional as well as rational aspects.

· A consultant-client relationship works best if there is rapport between them.

· Rapport building is a relationship skill that can be learned.

· The secret of rapport is, in great part, sympathy with the listener's communication needs.

· Rapport building depends on good questioning and listening skills.

· A consulting exercise will be successful only if the consultant actively manages both the client's interest in and his/her expectations of the project.