How Our Programs Work
Our approach to learning & development is unique because it produces positive, enduring behavior change.
Such incredible client outcomes are the product of our skill-building framework, which we’ve diligently researched, carefully crafted, and stress-tested over the past 30+ years.
Our Methodology for Producing Lasting Change
Our research and the research of experts during that time (augmented more recently by research in neuroscience) has shown that much greater and more permanent change in behavior occurs when trained, expert facilitators execute these key components:
Real-Life Practice
Participants in our training programs spend two-thirds of the training actively practicing the skills they’re developing.
Practice Real-Life Scenarios:
Our training is so effective because we’ve integrated it with opportunities for participants to experience real-life practice. Participants aren’t working with generic, off-the shelf case studies. Instead, they’re practicing real-life situations that they currently face in their jobs.
Participants Never “Play a Role”:
Participants are themselves. That way, they immediately experience both how they can implement these skills and the impact of using them once the training has ended.
Practice with Skilled Facilitators:
Participants practice having difficult conversations with their direct reports; our trained, expert facilitators play that role. Thus, facilitators skillfully highlight problem areas in ways that wouldn’t be possible if participants were practicing with only their peers.
Focused Feedback
Following each practice session, participants debrief with facilitators to reflect and receive specific, direct, honest feedback.
Video Labs:
One of the most powerful mechanisms we use for providing feedback is our proprietary Video Lab process. We record practice sessions, and then in a small group (typically groups of four, with one facilitator in each group), participants and their peers can truly see themselves as others see them—objectively, without filter or bias.
Seeing themselves in this way—often for the first time—creates an Aha! moment, a shock to the system that is necessary to bring about lasting behavioral change.
Multi-Angle Feedback:
Participants receive targeted feedback not only from facilitators, but also from their peers. Our feedback helps participants identify concrete shifts they can make to turn that feedback into tangible action.
Furthermore, by offering feedback to their peers, participants more deeply internalize key concepts and skills, thus boosting their own ability to implement them.
Post-Training Reinforcement
Our training delivers immediate and lasting results in part by working with our clients to reinforce new skill sets in a variety of ways.
Follow-up & Accountability:
At the end of each program, participants commit to a specific assignment that applies skills they’ve learned. This assignment helps participants to solidify what they’ve learned throughout the training, but we also know that to create permanent behavior change, learning must continue even after the training program.
So we follow up with participants via our proprietary, app-based coaching platform. It reminds participants of key concepts, prompts them to identify concrete opportunities to implement skills, and helps them reflect on the progress they’ve made.
Besides our app-based system, we also work with the client organization to identify other opportunities for reinforcement and follow-up.
How We Structure Our Training Programs
During full-class discussion, we introduce participants to the concepts and skills the program covers, walk them through various scenarios, and provide demonstrations so they can see the concepts in practice.
Then, in the video labs, participants engage in intensive practice with a trained facilitator/coach. Their practice sessions are video-recorded and then played back with the coach and a small group of peers.
Each participant receives individualized feedback, coaching and guidance from the coach and peers. This unique combination of self-awareness, practice, coaching, and feedback develops skills and commitment and leads to lasting changes in how participants have critically important conversations.
What Our Programs Look Like
When conducted in person, our courses are usually two intensive days (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) of training, about two-thirds of which is spent in breakout groups for hands-on learning.
The rest of the course includes discussion and live or video demonstrations. Our research, and the research of other experts, indicates that greater learning reinforcement occurs when participants have more than one opportunity to practice, and when skill levels build over time.
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We start by customizing the training to your needs and objectives by reviewing work products and interviewing subject-matter experts within the organization (click here to see more information on how this works).
Participants review their own performance and meet with their manager to identify specific opportunities for improvement.
Then, participants use our Scenario Template to prepare case scenarios based on real situations—during the training, participants will use these exact scenarios for their practice sessions.
Finally, we anonymously survey each participant’s direct reports (where applicable) regarding their manager’s performance in specific areas. Each participant receives their individual results before the course, and numerical averages provide a baseline indicator of participants’ performance.
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In addition to helping participants commit to a specific action and to leveraging our app-based follow-up system, we survey the participants’ direct reports again up to a year after the course. We compare the results with baseline data to determine to what extent the manager’s performance changed and how well the manager maintained that change over time.
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Our Team
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Our Programs
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Our Process
Custom Course Design
We’ve spent decades custom-designing and building programs for clients. If you don’t see what you need, use the form below to let us know so we can set up a time to chat about how we can help you.
If you’re interested in learning more about what that process looks like, click below to read more about how we work with clients to design targeted and effective training programs.