What is consulting? If you are one, how do you figure out who your “right fit” client is? And when, as an independent consultant, can you start saying, “I only want to take my ‘right fit’ clients?” as opposed to any job because I ultimately need to put food on my table? What about when a situation gets difficult — as in, you have to tell your client that the way they are attempting to do something is not the best way to go? WHat’s the most diplomatic yet honest way to approach the issue?
Most of these questions cross my mind all day, as much of my job entails consulting on communications efforts of both large and small organizations. And they are questions we’re attempting to answer in LPO3372 Consultation Skills with Dayle Savage, both through readings, discussions and other methods.
This “other methods” category includes interviewing 2 consultants – in any field – regarding their work. In addition to the above questions, we’re asking about “ah-ha” moments, when the best course of action became clear to either the consultant or the client.
We’re also asking about the consultant’s training — was there a mentor involved? Was it all by experience? How did you “learn” it? Truly, where is the line drawn between what you can learn in a class setting, what you can learn by experience, and what is just innate knowlege and intuition.
So if there’s a consultant out there, reading this post, who has some sort of insight into this, leave a comment and a way to be in touch. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.
~Kristen Hayner
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