WCI Press
 
  A Framework for Dialogue about A Professional Development Program

   
  In order to have an effective dialogue that leads to a contract for a the creation and the delivery of a custom professional development event, the service provider and the service receiver must agree about the answers to the questions shown below. If they both have a common understanding of these items, the chances of client "satisfaction" after the event will be high.

 
 
Learner   Service Provider   Service Receiver

What do I want to learn or become capable of doing?

How will this program achieve this?

What must I do to get ready?

What must I do when I am there?

What must I do when I get back?

What will I get from my boss and my organization in return for this effort?

What do my boss and my organization expect in return for me?

How do I properly contract for learning?

Will I get the time that I need to both go on the program and to translate what I learn back to my day-to-day job?

What support will I get: before, during and after - the program?

Where does it fit into my own vision of my career plan and progression?

Where does it fit into my boss's vision of my career plan and progression?

How do my peers and my subordinates see this training program and its potential impact on my future behavior at work?

 

 

 

 

 

What does my client (the service receiver) want?

What level of learning (awareness, practice, behavior or results) do they want?

What level of learning can they afford based on their dollar and time constraints?

How do I design the program?

What must happen before the program?

What must happen at the program?

What must happen after the program (the back on-the-job context for participants and those around them?

Is the organization realistically ready for this program?

Is the required support for each participant in place?

Are they ready to implement the results, especially if this means changes in behavior on the part of people other than the participants (or will we experience the "extinction effect)?

Can they afford the dollars needed for the program?

Are they willing to "protect" the time away from delivering results required for each of the participants?

 

 

How do we know the service provider can deliver?

What is their track record?

Do they have a relevant experience base with organizations like mine?

If they are not a "sure fit", how do I evaluate their creativity, adaptiveness, delivery commitment and service orientation?

How do we determine where and how the program fits?

Is there a real business need? Will the results of the program have a measurable business impact (ROI)?

How does the program fit into the career paths for the typical participant?

How do we determine if the intended attendees are ready - have the right background and the essential motivation?

Can we load the program for success, particularly if it is a new program?

Can we demonstrate, and will we communicate, the measured ROI?

Can we ensure that highly motivated participants make up the first cadres of attendees?

Can we contract with the participants's bosses to provide the time and the "work assignment" that creates the opportunity to practice and to use the new skills?

What steps to we have to take to eliminate the "extinction effect"?

 

 

 
 


Interacting with Others / Gathering and Using Information /  Making Decisions / Structuring Personal Activity
 
Development Styles /  Relating Styles

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