Bring Training to Your Team
Kim Delaney, Consultation Services Coordinator
You're probably used to approving training requests and you may have even asked an employee to attend a training to build skills in a specific area—but have you ever considered bringing training directly to your team? Every year, departments across the University do just that through POD's University Consulting Alliance.
Some departments contact me about an existing POD course and then work with a consultant to customize the class as needed and schedule the training for a time that works best for their team. Others contact me to discuss a topic or organizational need, and I recommend consultants who have related expertise. For example, I was contacted by a department hoping to motivate staff to provide good customer service. I connected them with Clive Shearer, a popular POD instructor, and he designed a custom class to meet their objectives.
For the Good of the Group
One thing I've learned over the years is that departments always find a great benefit in having team members trained together.
Last year, Roseann M. London, director of the GEAR UP Educator Development Initiative in the UW Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, brought in Eric Davis to work with staff in the GEAR UP program. “Eric did an excellent job facilitating trainings for our college and career readiness staff. His 'can-do' attitude tacked on with his humor and excellent facilitation skills led to high-quality conversations to keep our minds open to the possibilities of social change through education.”
Roseann continues, “Eric was equipped with thought-provoking analogies that led to dynamic group conversations around issues of equity and diversity in education. As a result, our group was able to share ideas of student success strategies for low-income students and engage in constructive conversations around the dynamics of race and class.”
Earlier this year, Becky Handshew, a KUOW finance and administration project manager, also had a positive experience when Chuck Pratt delivered training for the public radio station. “The Navigating Change workshop led by Chuck was attended by our entire staff. The collective experience was valuable for our organization during a time of transition. Chuck effectively led the group (divided over two days due to the number of staff attending) through various reactions to and methods for dealing with change.”
Becky notes, “The opportunity to work with colleagues across all departments gave great insight into different personalities and working methods, which will go a long way towards effective communication and productivity.”
Practical Concerns
Now that I've piqued your interest, you may be wondering how much this costs. Well, that depends—on the consultant used, the length of the class, the amount of development or customization required, and other factors. What I can tell you is that we work with budgets of all sizes, and for many departments, it can be more cost-effective to hold a training for their staff members than to send that same number of people to a training class. Logistically, it can also be more practical to bring someone in than try to coordinate sending numerous people to a pre-scheduled class.
Speaking of logistics, Becky also reported that “POD's University Consulting Alliance, specifically Kim Delaney, was extremely helpful with the class logistics, from connecting us with Chuck to facilitating the printing of course materials and loaning equipment.”
Thanks, Becky! Connecting UW departments with suitable consultants and then helping to ensure a successful experience is a core part of my job. I feel great satisfaction when I've been instrumental in making a good match and hear that a consultant I recommended not just met but exceeded expectations.
On a final note, here are some popular customized trainings and instructors to consider:
- Communications (Eric Davis)
- Customer Service (Lynne Lazaroff)
- Emotional Intelligence (Chuck Pratt)
- Experience Design (Art Frohwerk)
- Managing Change (Clive Shearer)
- Navigating Change (Chuck Pratt)
- Project Management (Cass Tang)
- Public Speaking (Clive Shearer)
- Teambuilding (Dee Endelman)
- The Trust Advantage (Joey Pauley)
If you'd like to talk about bringing training to your team, please email me at alliance@uw.edu or call 206-616-8461.
