The Steps in the Consultancy Process - Essay Example

Consultancy Skills – Individual Reflective Essay Consultancy is a complex management exercise which requires a lot of technical, personal and consulting skills from the part of the consultant. Consulting, to be effective, should have a consulting process which goes through many developmental stages and where by the relationship between the consultant and the client is built, maintained and strengthened. The requirements of the clients are to be clearly understood in the beginning itself. Once the initial relationship with the client is built, factors like the aim and objectives of the project, the likely time and effort required and the possible risks and difficulties involved in the task are to be taken into account. Then it is the responsibility of the consultant to build trust and confidence in the client, gather information and ideas to tackle the problem and to develop a proper plan of action (drafting the project plan) within a specific time limit. Managing the project is the next important step and for this the consultant has to resort to various approaches and techniques for organizing, planning and progressing consultancy projects and finally the solutions or recommendations are s to be presented One needs to develop good communication and interpersonal skills to be a successful consultant. This is suggested in the essay consulting: Prerequisites for success: “the essence of consulting is about communicating, generating trust, and getting information from people who don’t even know they have it. You must have the necessary interpersonal skills to know when to press, to be aggressive to just listen and much more.” (Bacal, Robert. 2002). Thus consulting is a complex process which includes a lot of factors and many developmental stages. My attempt in this essay is to go through the various steps in the consultancy process and point out the important things to be done in each stage. I would like to bring out all the theoretical understanding I learnt from the classes, the ideas I derived from my own reading and above all the greater understanding I gained from my practical experiences from my group. 1. Managing Client Contact and Interaction: The first interview with the client is a major step to begin a consulting with. The nature of the client, the nature of his exact problem, and the possible solution he expects are to be elicited from the first meeting with the client itself. The consultant has to keep in his mind the fact that each client is unique in the way he sees the consultant’s role, in the level of involvement he wants the consultant to interfere, and in the sort of solution he seeks. Therefore, the consultant needs to respect the client’s knowledge and he needs to be careful not to be over prescriptive or judgmental Instead he should remain as an active listener; he needs to ask effective questions to identify the real problem of the client. Once the problem is identified, instead of suggesting solutions out rightly, he needs to involve the client in problem solution which would always enhance the client’s trust, confidence and positive outlook towards the consultant. The consultant has to be clear and flexible; he has to define his role and what he is planning to do, but on the other hand, he needs to be prepared to flex and adapt himself when there is a necessity to do so. The consultant needs to be prepared well before any interview with the client. It is advisable that he resorts himself to a structured interview which consists of a proper introduction, body and conclusion. The questions, the way he plans to tackle the client should be clearly set in his mind. He has to always bear in mind the fact that the client should be satisfied with him in the first interview itself and he should also try to make a close relationship with the client which would help him in the further steps to follow. A proper eye-contact is to be maintained all throughout the conversation and the client’s body language should suggest positive, confidant gestures. He should also try to provide the clients hints regarding his management and consultancy skills by the judicious use of his experiences, ideas and novel outlooks. I came to the conviction that managing the client in the first interview was not an easy task. I applied a structural interview and adapted myself to the needs of the client very easily. The techniques like mirroring and attending which I learned from my classes helped me in the conversation. I also made use of the concept of both open and closed types of questions; very often the open type questions opened doors for me to enter into the exact problem of the client. Thus the interview helped me to reinforce all the theories and understanding I had regarding consultancy skills in the phase of client interview. Even though my first interview was performed moderately well, I felt that it lacked something. This made me to reconsider the procedure and preparations I made before the interview. The author of the essay “General Guidelines for Conducting Interview” clearly states the sequence of asking questions at the interview as: “1. Get the respondents involved in the interview as soon as possible. 2. Before asking about controversial matters (such as feelings and conclusions), first ask about some facts.3.Intersperse fact-based questions throughout the interview 4.Ask questions about the present before questions about the past or future. 5. Last questions might be to allow respondents to provide any other information they prefer to add and their impressions of the interview.” (McNamara, Carter. 1997). My shortcomings as an interviewer may be due to the fact that I am only a novice and so I couldn’t resort to the proper sequence of questions. N ext time I would like to improve my performance by better homework before the interview and by asserting my interpersonal skills more effectively and efficiently. I understood that I need to develop more confidence and should never feel inferior or incapable of meeting the client’s requirements. Another drawback I experienced was due to lack of clarity of expression, may be due to my language problems. Given another opportunity I am confident that I will be able to perform well 2. Project Management: Once the interview with the client is successful and when the consultant has identified the exact problem of the client, it is necessary to develop project definitions regarding the contract. For this an effective project plan is to be framed by the consultant, keeping in mind the requirements of the client. His project plan is to be shared to the client, always keeping in mind the anticipating client questions. Defining the objectives of the plan and putting a specific time limit to the protect are the two necessary things to be done at this juncture. After the proposal of the plan, the consultant has to keep in touch with the client always: if any changes are to be made in the proposal, it has to be done only after consulting the client. He has to stay connected and get connected to the client whenever necessary; this would build a better understanding and trust between the two parties. The necessary data are to be collected, analysed and sorted out for the proposed project; the managerial skill of the consultant is to be used to organise, plan and project manage the given assignment 3. Group Working Skills: Many brains put together always bring about better output and that is very much true in the case of effective consultancy. The organizational role of the consultant is one of the key factors here. Once the project plan is made clear, the consultant has to see that the task is divided properly among his team-mates. Proper division of labour is an important pre-requisite for the attainment of the proposal plan. He has to see that the divided works are properly co-ordinated, the administrative work is done, and the collection of data, their analysis and interpretation are done effectively. The team members have to come together at least once a week to evaluate the progress of the work undertaken by various group members; necessary adaptation or changes can be made and a rough outline regarding the works to be done in the future can also be decided. The creativity and genuine ideas and suggestions made by the group members can make the project outcome flawless; the problem can be viewed from different angles by the members and so the best angle could be taken. I think this was a stage in the process where I learned a lot from my group work. The other group members were Vikram, Amie and Sabrina. We saw at this stage that the work is divided properly among ourselves. We needed somebody to coordinate all the works done in the group. So Amie was made the group manager. It was his duty to organise points for discussion and he also saw that works are completed on time and handed over. Vikram was the group administrator who scheduled group meetings to suit everyone’s needs. He also reminded the group members what they should prepare for the next meeting. My post was that of the assistant of the project manager. I contributed to the group a lot by analysing various data sources and by providing my valuable suggestions and opinion in the group meetings. The group meetings were held once a week and in those meetings we discussed each and every aspect of the project, the progress we made, the problems we came across, and the tasks that needed to be completed. Sabrina and I played crucial roles in the group in the preparation of materials and we enthusiastically took part in the weekly meetings by showing our views and opinions. As a group, each one of us could view the problem from different angles. We were all moved by the common goal and the way we resorted to division of work to attain that common goal was remarkable. The major problems I faced during this stage were due to the inability to collect the necessary data in time and due to lack of timely communication or because of misunderstandings among the group members. I also understood that when we work for a common goal there is no place for ego or unhealthy competition. The group work taught me the most important lesson that co-operation, sharing, mutual understanding, respect and encouraging and supporting each other are the key elements of successful group work. It also taught me the importance of the proper division of labour and I realised how important is the final stage of the group work: “The ending stage, a critical part of group work practice, has been given increasing attention in the literature. The skill workers use in the ending stage determines, in part, the success of the entire group experience. In this stage workers and members form their last impressions of the group work. An otherwise satisfying and effective group can be ruined by a worker who is not skilful at ending the group’s work.” (An Introduction to Group Work Practice, Fifth Edition. Chapter 14. Ending the Group’s Work. 2006). I also understood that if we want to make improvements next time, everyone needs to contribute to take quick necessary actions within the time limit. We need to make sure that the recommendations we make at the end are highly practical and effective. 4. General Problem Solving Techniques: The analysis of the various data connected with the project plan very often takes the consultant into many crises. At times he has to define many problems and find suitable solutions for each. Many of the confusions or problems of the client can be solved through the behaviour and interpersonal skills of the consultant: he should be able to read from situations, build empathy with the clients and others, gain the trust and respect of those of his team-mates, and predict peoples’ reaction etc. The skills of listening, observing, challenging, confrontation, assertiveness, influencing and negotiating are fundamental to the consultant in this regard. 5. Report Writing and Presentation Skills: This last stage of the consulting process is equally important as that of the first interview with the client, as in both cases the communication skill of the consultant is put into acid test. The final presentation of the solution brought out should be convincing and clear. It is the duty of the project manager and his team mates to see that each and every development in the whole process of consultancy is chronicled, without giving any scope for ambiguity or lack of clarity. The report should include all the requirements put by the client and all such requirements are to be explicitly defined and met. The final presentation of the outcome of the project deserves much attention and care, as it can create a good impression on the customer. So it necessitates greater preparation. The presentation should focus on the questions raised in the initial stages where the consultant identified the actual problem of the client and all those questions need to be tackled in this final presentation. I could understand how important this final step is in the consulting process. As we have come to the conclusion of our task to the real solution of the problem, we knew that the final stage presentation decides whether we have done our task in the right way or not. I also feel that there isn’t any excuse for any lack of clarity in my project output, as it is a result of in depth study, the application of the things we have already learned and experienced. But when I made my presentation I found it extremely difficult to communicate the ideas I had in my mind quite convincingly. It is because I didn’t have any prior experiences and because I didn’t take sufficient trial practices even within the group. This made me to think about the possible ways to increase my presentation skills. Thorough mastery of the subject matter and an effective and convincing way of communication are necessary for any successful presentation; in my case I had the former whereas I lacked the necessary confidence, clarity of thought and expression. I understood that I need to improve the initial part of my presentation as it was important to arrest the attention of the audience: “You have 4 - 7 seconds in which to make a positive impact and good opening impression, so make sure you have a good, strong, solid introduction, and rehearse it to death. Try to build your own credibility and create a safe comfortable environment for your audience.”(Presentations Skills. Alan Chapman. 2006). I think it is also important to adapt our presentation to the nature of the aims of the project and to the nature of the audience. I hope that these ideas which I have learned from my first experience would help me perform well in the future. Conclusion: In short, I can undoubtedly state that this was a very meaningful assignment to complete. It was like a revision of all the things we have learned hither to regarding consultancy skills and their practical application. Through this assignment we could internalise various stages connected with consulting process; our practical experience helped us to see how things work actually in each stages. We also came to the realisation that the first stage where we interviewed the client proved to be the greatest turning point in our practical work, as the rest of the things depended on it. Consulting, of course, is a vast complex area and one’s experiences help him to grow as a better consultant. A good consultant can always bring the client to his own ways: the inner qualities of a consultant can exert a great influence in the mental framework of the client. The scope for consultancy is increasing day by day as man’s life becomes more and more problematic. Everyone leads a busy life and so people do not have the time to solve their problems. Therefore, good consultants can govern the mind of so many clients and I do believe that this assignment has obviously taught me the important concepts regarding consultancy and how it works in real life. Work Cited Bacal, Robert. (2002). Consulting: Prerequisites for Success. Pearson Education. Informit network. Retrieved May 1, 2007, from http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=29048&seqNum=5&rl=1 McNamara, Carter. (1997). General Guidelines for Conducting Interviews. Free Management Library. Retrieved May 1, 2007, from http://www.managementhelp.org/evaluatn/intrview.htm An Introduction to Group Work Practice, Fifth Edition. Chapter 14. Ending the Group’s Work. (2006). Safari Textbooks Online. Retrieved May 1, 2007, from http://www.safarix.com/0205376061/ch14lev1sec1 Presentations Skills. Alan Chapman 1995-2006. Bussinessballs.com. Retrieved May 1, 2007, from http://www.businessballs.com/presentation.htm Read More